Reply #65: What makes you *so* certain that what's going on here isn't at all inflected by race [View All]

[fishwax]

It is no credit to acknowledge that racism, racial profiling, discrimination, etc. exist in general if every time a specific example comes up one's immediate response is to argue that people of color are simply wrong in identifying that as an example.

"Every day, minorities are hassled even more than white people are. I get it. But the Gates incident was not one of those occasions."

So what makes you so certain that what happened with Gates is "not one of those occasions"? Is it because Gates was dressed in slacks and a shirt rather than "hip hop fashion"? Because if that's the reason, then I believe you have a very shallow and limited understanding of the reality that minorities face in terms of harassment and discrimination. The clothes one wears do not provide immunity from harassment or discrimination.

Is it because Gates is financially successful? Because, again, I think that demonstrates a short-sighted view of what institutional racism is. The size of one's bank account does not provide immunity from harassment or discrimination.

Is it because Gates is well-educated and well-known, with a prominent position in the community? Again, short-sighted. Fame, education, and social prominence do not provide immunity.

Is it because (as I've seen a few other posters suggest), Gates studies African-American history, so he has a warped view of race relations? Because that's not just short-sighted, it's stupid beyond words.

Is it because the initial news reports all suggested that Gates was belligerent, etc.? Is it because the police report (from which those early news stories were drawn) said that Gates was tumultuous and suggests there was no reason for him to be so? Because if so, that demonstrates a lack of understanding of what police reports are, who writes them, etc.

Perhaps it's because, while you give lip service to believing in the existence of racism and discrimination in general, the idea of someone like Gates being subject to it in the specific makes you a bit too uncomfortable about the reality of race in America today.

Whatever the cause, it is exactly how significant numbers of DUers have reacted to damn near every topic that has come up with respect to racism over the years, from Michael Richards shouting the n-word at people in his audience and then talking about lynching, to the Jena Six, to last month's fiasco at a Philadelphia pool: "Sure, racism still exists, but this isn't really a good example of it."

It seems to me such posters are willing to admit that racism is real as long as everyone else promises to never, ever talk about it. In reality, it's just another way to get out of confronting the real problem.