In response to: Neal Krasnoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [Mpls] Desegregation vs. Anti-Racism Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2003 21:31:12 -0600
>> White flight. What causes white flight? [...] >Crime. What are you implying? That non-white people aren't affected by crime? Or that non-white people are criminals? >If I have so much power, then why am I climbing >utility poles in sub-zero weather? If you have so little power, why do you have a job, a place to live in Loring Park and the leisure and internet access to post to this list? >Which white people? From what continent? Which >religion? Which ethnic background? In what profession >are they? Where do they live? White people exert power *as a class* -- some individual members may have more or less power. Some of the factors you list may indeed play a part in determining where that power is located, but the important one is always going to be money. If you're white and rich in Minneapolis (as in other places) you call the shots. >> Anti-racism supposes that white folks ought to give >>up their privilege, accept the perceptions and >>experiences of people of color as valid and real, >>and work to improve those experiences for all. >No, you first. Tell me how it works out for you, then >get back to me. So, if you admit that white people DO have privilege, what then is your moral justification for working to retain and reproduce it? I'm not asking that rhetorically, I'd really like to know. It seems like the defenders of white privilege have suffered from a peculiar type of aphasia for the last 40 years or so. They'll insist up and down that things are fine, and there's no need for anti-racist work and that any inequalities that exist have nothing to do with race. But they'll never tell you WHY they believe that. What evidence do any of them have for their anti-anti-racist beliefs? I'd love to hear it. >WAMM - Women Against Military Madness - anti-racist? Well, yes, if by "anti-racist" you mean "believing that racism is wrong and should be opposed." >Until you've survived race riots at your junior high >school, Mr. Oines, you haven't lived. Wow, I guess we should just shut this list down then, huh Mr. Krasnoff? Because obviously the majority of people on this list who haven't survived a jr. high school race riot are categorically unable to formulate any kind of intelligent thoughts on race, city policy or anything at all, existing as we do in this sort of half-life where all of our perceptions are impaired by our lack of Neal Krasnoff-approved street cred. Here's the thing: Even in Minneapolis, racism, and especially institutional racism, is a major factor in policy-making, policing, education and economics. If it's not, then we live in an EXTREMELY coincidental world. I agree that personal change is a necessary condition for eliminating racism. However, it's even more important that those of us who have embarked on such a journey organize ourselves to turn those personal changes into political ones. Niels Strandskov Stevens Square-Loring Heights __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/ REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
