The hard questions.
Pam has a interesting post up tying together the ongoing racist reaction to Jena and the inclusion of trans people in Employment Non-Discrimination Act. She poses some thought-provoking questions about how fear of being labeled a racist or bigot keeps people from addressing their actual racist or bigoted actions.
Posted by Ann - October 04, 2007, at 06:11PM
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Part of our problem is that we are anti-intellectuals who believe that problems are solved by emotional confrontations followed by tearful emotional breakdowns, but not by increased understanding.
We would do well to ask the questions: What do we mean when we say "racist"? What do we mean when we say "bigot"?
Only if we agree on how we define our terms can we have a really rational discussion about anything. A word like "racist" or "bigot" undefined is an emotionally charged buzzword. With a definition that participants in an argument agree upon, each word can be an enlightening tool.
Pam is right when she says that Michael Richards was publicly shamed, but failed to be educated. His missed opportunity was missed by the public as well.
thanks for posting this. there has been a ton of discussions in my community, and i'm glad that more blogs are picking it up too. we have a few posts on Quench about the ENDA situation, and responses to the various statements floating around. i only hope that our leadership will finally do what's right...