On Feb 5, 2008, at 5:36 PM, Carrol Cox wrote:
I think this oversimplifies how _subjective_ racism works, and the
form
that subjective racism has increasingly taken. The stereotypes have
changed, and while placing integrated public housing in a mostly white
suburb might bring back the KKK, a black in the white house, providing
he assures them that the "struggle days" are in the past, could be
appealing. And Obama is going out of his way to assure people that
there
will be no more unpleasant marches etc. Liberal racists desire above
all
to be assured that black-white conflict is no more and that all will
remain as it is. A black president of the right kind might give that
assurance.
Andrew Rosenthal, writing in the NYT, fawns all over the all-female
Kennedy love fest in California, thus:
Ms. Kennedy previewed Ms. Shriver’s surprising appearance by urging
Democrats to “step out of your lives and into this moment in history.”
Ms. Winfrey — finally — spoke to the most emotionally fraught aspect
of this contest. “Now look at this campaign: the two front-runners
are a black man and a woman,” she said. “What that says to me is we
have won the struggle and we have the right to compete.”
Instead of seeing a painful choice, voters, Ms. Winfrey urged,
should see a moment when they “are free from the constraints of
gender and race.”
After watching the candidates struggle with the issue, painfully and
awkwardly, in the past month, it was a relief to hear someone
finally frame it in a way that celebrated what the Democratic Party
has achieved — and then move beyond it.
Its a "Mission Accomplished" (and now can we all just get along?)
moment for liberals.
And men who
sncerely try not to be sexist are obscurely angered by a woman who
crosses them vigjorously while they would more or less ignore the same
behavior in another man.
s/a woman/Yoshie/ ;-)
Apologies for the geek-speak,
--ravi
