Re: [rehfans] Howard and racism

[Wlmcs]

My thoughts in this regard are:

1.   Howard was a man of his times and he lived in rural Texas, which was not the most "politically correct" place for blacks in the 1920s.  He was a "good ol boy" at heart, and would reflect the views of his immediate society.

2.   Howard believed earnestly in the primacy of the Celtic "race" and the supremacy of the white man from that area over other peoples, be it black, brown or yellow.  In this way, he reminds me of Chun, the Asian character in the Destroyer (?) series by Will Murray, who being Korean, describes the Korean man as the most perfect man ever made.  Would someone having such a view be regarded as "racist"?  In a sense yes, but Chun does not invidiously attack other races; he just thinks his "race" (Koreans) is supreme.

3.   I don't think he viewed blacks any more nobler than he viewed his Latin or Chinese characters, for that matter.  These were generally described in his stories as brutish, furtive or oily --  although once he wore a Mexican-type moustache and hat.

4.   Was REH a conscious racist?  Would he have supported the KKK  or similar organizations (not sure the KKK as a national phenomenon existed at the time)? I don't think so, but it seems clear to me that his sympathies were with the South rather than the North in the Uncivil War.  Therefore, he could not be expected to have a "soft spot" for the supposed object (slavery) of that war.

Nino Lucio
Miami, Florida
305-536-8850