Roger Ebert: "How would I feel if I were a brown student...?"

[Ed Barrow]

In his latest blog post for the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert has written an incredibly transcendant piece about race in America. I'm not going to post an excerpt here because you really need to read it all. He begins with the phrase in the thread title and then takes you on a very moving journey through American race relations. There's a great message of hope here.


http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/06/how_would_i_feel_if.html

[David Zephyr]

1. Thank you, Ed, for posting this here.

K&R.

[marmar]

2. Fantastic column.....

Very heartfelt.

[bliss_eternal]

3. I sincerely love him....

:loveya:

thanks so much for sharing this link!

oh and do you mind if i cross post this to the multiracial and african american forums (which is shared by du's latino members)?

[Ed Barrow]

5. Be my guest (nt)

[bliss_eternal]

6. thank you.

:thumbsup:

[Cronus Protagonist]

4. Excerpt here

How do they get to be that way?
By
Roger Ebert

How would I feel if I were a brown student at Miller Valley Elementary School in Prescott, Arizona? A mural was created to depict some of the actual students in the school. Let's say I was one of the lucky ones. The mural took shape, and as my face became recognizable, I took some kidding from my classmates and a smile from a pretty girl I liked.

My parents even came over one day to have a look and take some photos to e-mail to the family. The mural was shown on TV, and everybody could see that it was me.

Then a City Councilman named Steve Blair went on his local radio talk show and made some comments about the mural. I didn't hear him, but I can guess what he said. My dad says it's open season on brown people in this state. Anyway, for two months white people drove past in their cars and screamed angry words out the window before hurrying away. And the artists got back up on their scaffold and started making my face whiter.

...

[Blue_Tires]

7. major kick

[Lisa0825]

8. "Those poor people. It must be agony to live with such hate, and ...

to seek the company of others so damaged."

Amen, Roger.... Amen.

[Lisa0825]

9. I am so glad that Roger Ebert exists in this world.

I imagine he has always been pretty profound, but it wasn't until recently that I have known this side of him. Every word I read from him leaves me more impressed. He is such an insightful and TRULY moral person... as in someone who is on the side of good.... not in the way that too many twist the word "moral" to fit their damaged views.

Thank you Roger, for speaking for me. You give my thoughts words.

[Swede]

10. Roger just gets better and better.

nt

[Flying Dream Blues]

11. Thanks for posting this; he's wonderful. nt

[political_Dem]

12. A spot on piece from Mr. Ebert. I am glad he wrote about race and racism from his perspective.

He is truly an asset--not only to film, but to the world at large.

[Withywindle]

13. That's an amazing essay, thanks for linking it!

I do wonder a lot about the psychology of racists and misogynists and homophobes and anti-Semites and other hate-driven people.

Not just people who make thoughtless remarks out of ignorance and privilege, but people who really believe in their hate and shout it from the rooftops and make it a way of life. What is going on with them? What is their problem? Why?

There's a real deep deficiency there. I mean deep. Soul-deep. Bone-deep. How lacking in something important do you have to be to see an innocent school mural and demand that the brown kids in it be painted white? I mean, that is some seriously twisted shit!

I don't have sympathy for them, because it's a flavor of sociopathy and having sympathy for someone who has no sympathy for anyone else is a sucker's game. And my empathy fails here too. But I do want to study them to find out if there's a way to make this crap GO AWAY.

[Dappleganger]

14. This man is an American literary treasure...

this piece is a definitely one them!

[Blue_Tires]

15. morning kick

[Blue Owl]

16. Roger that.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: