Good Morning List, I am wondering how a person could ask for more edgy opinions, then ask for a person who could give them more moderate views because they "think" that would be closer to what the average African American person would be thinking?
Folks who may write moderately don't always turn out to be moderate in their overall thinking and/or behavior. Does that mean they are not racist? Nope, proves absolutely nothing except that they did not express they're views publicly. They may only have toned it down because they believe that is what folks may want to hear, or may be willing to accept at the time. And they wanted to receive a paycheck and continue writing columns. Example of moderate behavior: people thought colored folks were displaying moderate behavior, not causing a ruckus on the buses, until Rosa Parks displayed publicly her not so moderate behavior and sat in the front of the bus. Then all of a sudden there was a problem. In reality the problem always existed, just not publicly acknowledged. Mrs. Parks simply decided for herself when the moderate behavior was no longer desirable. Some days, because I was born in the skin that I live in (as an A.A., and quite happily so), my thoughts may be more moderate and some days they may border on racist. And to me, admitting to things that may sound racist isn't bad. It is simply telling it as I see it, which sometimes corresponds to the way things really are, and sometimes not. Everyone, IMHO, on the planet, has days when they are one or the other or both. If we stop pretending that we are all color-blind, and say things like race does not matter, I think we would be much better off. Race is plays an underlying role in all our lives in some way on a daily basis. And having racist thoughts and actions does not mean I am against any race, because I am not. I have no time nor place in my life for hatred. It simply means that this spiritual being is having a human experience, and is very real and up front about it. Syl Jones spoke exactly what HE felt. And certainly, not every word was gospel, but a lot of it WAS what it seemed. And, you are right, he cannot, nor does he, speak for all of us. I don't think any of us look at it that way. Could this just be an opinion justifying why he was given a column? By the same "token", White moderate columnists do not speak for all White people. When any columnists write their columns, they write it the way they want to. That is the whole point, isn't it? So, to each his own. Life goes on... Have a nice day. Pamela Taylor (An artist and poet who does not mince words and/or shy away from life's full color palette, bringing you all a radical message from Clearwater, Florida) -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Anderson & Turpin Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2002 9:22 AM To: Jordan S. Kushner Cc: Mpls list Subject: Re: [Mpls] List Manager's suggested reading of Syl Jones' racist prayer Yes the Strib is correct to include diverse opinions. Personally I would like to see more edgy opinions in the Strib. Thus commentary from racists like Jones should occasional grace the pages of the Strib. Even though I disagree with Jones that the Caucasian Race is wholly to blame for any Black/White strife, I think it is important to have access to radical opinions as well as the boring middle of the road stuff we normally see. Similarly, there should be occasional commentary by White racists, so we can see what those radicals are thinking. Of course the Strib would never do that, because political correctness overrides their desire for balanced coverage. Apparently Mr. Jones is given a regular forum in the Strib because they want to give a voice to the Black community. While this is an admirable aim, I don't believe Syl is helping Blacks at all. His regular contributions give the impression that most Blacks in the community are racists like Jones. I don't believe this is the case. I don't think any writer could really "represent" Blacks as a whole. But if the Strib needs to have a token Black on the paper, they should at least look for one with more moderate views, which I believe would be closer to the thinking of the average Black person. Mark Anderson Bancroft Neighborhood _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
