Good
morning, Keith and Ray,
Keith,
I hope that you remain in the conversation. I haven't been active in your latest
exchanges with each other, but I follow them with interest as I see you both
groping to find the core realities that lie at the center of one of Man's most
perplexing challenges: how to provide ourselves with fairness in the midst of
power inequalities.
The
American Native experience in North America has been particularly horrific,
Keith. It is hard for even Anglo-Americans to understand the depths of the
betrayal and the cultural genocide that occurred here, practiced by
Anglo-Americans upon Native Americans. In many ways, it exceeds the
brutality of the European holocaust against Jew, Slavs, homosexuals, Romani. And
in many ways it continues today.
Keith,
I wish you could come visit us here in the US. I would love to take you to some
of the Native American reservations, for instance, and help you get a sense of
how Native Americans have been treated, and still are today. The issues are
still live today. A few days ago, I was close to the place where the battle
between US General Custer and the Sioux took place. The Sioux were victorious,
one of their few times. I must tell you, that, as an American, I took pride in
what the Sioux -- against all kinds of odds -- accomplished. It is not only
horrible that those who have power can be wrong and dangerous and destructive;
worse is the arrogance and denial that so often saturates the thinking of those
who have power, and their inability to see how wrong they
are.
Courbe sur
sa rapiere
Il regardait
le sillage
Et ne
deignait rien voire.
-- Don Juan aux Enfers
I see
Ray's eloquent and sometimes disturbing emails as attempts to break through the
deep misunderstanding that Anglo-Americans have of this history and current
reality. Over here, the image of an 'English gentleman' has none of the positive
connotations that it does in England. It connotes for many arrogance, disdain,
ignorance, and the blind misuse of power. Yet, Keith, I experience in you none
of these characteristics. My experience of you is one of genuine inquiry,
linguistic effort and integrity, and personal availability.
Of
course, the hardest issues will be the most difficult to handle on a personal
level; of course they will have a propensity to get out of hand, to have people
say things they may not fully understand themselves, and may even regret later;
of course ego and certainty are at large. Ray's themes are deep ones; I
doubt they will ever be understood by writers in the Economist or FT, much as I
admire some of their articles. Worse, many who comment routinely on social,
political and economic matters do not even realize that the issues that Ray
addresses exist. No wonder he is frustrated! And he finds here (and elsewhere)
people who do try to understand, who do engage in the discussion with him, and
so he invests himself here, because we, too, are here.
We
should not experience this as offensive or intimidating. Oddly enough, it speaks
well of how he sees us, and you, Keith. If he didn't, he would simply ignore us,
and you. So he hopes that this discussion may find a way to break through the
depths of ignorance that surround the treatment of his people by
Anglo-Americans, and, yes, he gets frustrated when even the most eloquent of his
efforts falls flat, and he raises the volume and passion when this happens. But
this is no insult; it is desperation.
Difficult as it may be at times, this is an important
discussion that you, Ray and others are tackling, and I would ask both to hang
in there and continue it. It is of value to me, and to others, and, I hope, will
ultimately be so to both of you.
-----Original Message-----Ray,
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Keith Hudson
Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2003 1:24 AM
To: Ray Evans Harrell
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: Fw: [Futurework] ) Hue and Cry on 'Whiteness Studies'
To me, you have the effect of being patronising and intimidatory. I think you have probably driven scores, if not hundreds of people away from this list over the years. Well, you've driven me away now. Don't bother to write to me because I will delete you and will continue to do so until I have indirect evidence that you have learned some degree of moderation and courtesy.
Keith Hudson
At 15:40 28/06/2003 -0400, you wrote:
Harry my comments are in red
Keith Hudson, 6 Upper Camden Place, Bath, England
