Jonathan Chait's Teachable Moment: 10 Lessons About White Supremacy in the Age of Obama

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/speakeasy/chaunceydevega/jonathan-chaits-teachable-moment-10-lessons-about-white-supremacy-age-obama

***SNIP


Chait defaults to a position in which claims of racism are somehow exaggerated, made up, or simply not true as applied to white conservatives, is problematic in a subtle way as well: contrary to Chait's suggestion, people of color and others who dare to tell the truth about white racism are not crazy, delusional, hysterical, hyper-emotional, or confused.

Moreover, when a person of color dares to speak about white racism they do so at great personal and professional risk. Contrary to the imagined reality dreamed up by white conservatives and their allies in which white people are "victims" of "anti-white" or "reverse racism", truth-telling about white racism comes with no small amount of risk and cost.

Melissa Harris-Perry was correct. The reasonable working assumption, given the historical power of the colorline in American society, should be that racism and White Supremacy are default variables in the inter-personal and inter-group dynamics between whites and people of color until demonstrated otherwise.

The reality of how White Supremacy works to negatively impact the life chances for non-whites in the United States is one of the most documented facts in the Social Sciences.

[JaneyVee]

1. Hey, Jonathan Chait....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024811415

[Donald Ian Rankin]

2. Thanks for drawing my attention to another excellent and sensible essay by Chait.

I tried to read the drivel attacking him that you linked to, but I gave up in disgust and despair.

The summary of his article in the OP is complete nonsense; I strongly urge readers to go and check out Chait's well-written, sensible and insightful piece at http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/04/obama-racism-and-the-presumption-of-innocence.html and judge for themselves.