[Vision2020] Racism

[Douglas]

Dear visionaries,

Sunil, thanks for the interaction. I don't have any problem agreeing with 
you that in looking for the motive forces for the colonialism of the 
British Empire, and now the emerging American Empire, one of the central 
things we should do is follow the money. My point was not that (for 
example) the British Empire was motivated by kindness. My point was that in 
such racist societies, individuals who are kind people can share those 
widespread racist assumptions. The attempt to demonize every member of such 
a society, making them all into orcs and klingons, is misguided in the 
extreme, and tends to trivialize the rhetoric of the whole thing, which was 
my initial point.

Speaking of rhetoric, Joan is really good at it. She has a real flair for 
words, which I (really) appreciate and enjoy. And when she employs her gift 
in the advancement of moral indignation, her gift really shines. 
Unfortunately, without the traction of moral absolutes, her tires can go 
*really* fast, and we never seem to get anywhere.

Is sophistry bad? Bigotry? Outright lies? Gee whiz. I thought that we as a 
people had grown past this kind of stale absolutist fundamentalism. No one 
died and left Joan the Sunday School schoolmarm. Now, mind you, as a 
confessing Christian, I think all the nasty things Joan identified are in 
fact sinful. Really sinful. I believe that God will eternally judge 
sophists, bigots, and liars on the Last Day. But what does Joan think the 
difference between a Georgia cracker (old style Ole Miss racial 
preferences) and a wine and cheese liberal (new style University of 
Michigan racial preferences) will be one hundred and fifty years from now? 
What difference does it make? What kind of people will we be *forever*?

Simple question. Is it absolutely morally wrong to be a racial bigot? I 
believe so. What do you all think?

Cordially, your fellow Southerner,

Douglas



At 01:39 PM 7/2/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>Thus spake Moscow's answer to Zarathustra:
>
>>In our discussions, we have to beware of racism inflation. In 
>>contemporary public discourse, such charges are too readily leveled as 
>>the all-purpose trump card. Why don't we agree to reserve it for those 
>>who believe and affirm that one race is (racially) superior to another? 
>>With this more precise definition, it would even be possible for the sin 
>>of racial animosity to occur without the (distinct) sin of racism. The 
>>world is a complicated place, and not made out of cardboard. For example, 
>>is it possible to acknowledge the existence of malicious egalitarians and 
>>benevolent racists?
>
>I am sorry, Doug, but this is a piece of sophistry worthy of Old 
>Nick.  What is the point in trying to conceive of a situation in which it 
>would be possible to hate the members of a particular race without being 
>racist?
>Conscience cleansing?  Despising others without having to go to the 
>expense of actually purchasing sheets?
>
>I don’t know that I am the only Southerner on this list, but in the 
>current context I am perhaps the only one to admit it.  My family has 
>lived in North Carolina for three hundred and fifty years, and in that 
>time, we have done our fair share of odious things—held slaves, supported 
>segregation, and worked like hell to deny blacks the vote.  But times, 
>thank God, have changed.  Today, not a man jack of us, not even the 
>Dixiecrat/Republicans, would consider enlisting in the League of the 
>South, an organization so redolent of brachycephalic cretinism that it’s a 
>wonder its members can walk upright.  A cursory glance at the collection 
>of drafty misinformation, bigotry, and outright lies resident on the 
>League of the South web-site suggests to me that while their ancestors 
>were stripping the bark off trees looking for fat, juicy grubs, mine were 
>inventing the shrimp fork.
>
>In the name of civic decency, I implore all defenders of the League of the 
>South to cease your recitation of Jim Crow’s greatest hits and instead 
>pick up a copy of Barbara Woodhouse’s ‘No Bad Dogs.’  It’s perfectly clear 
>that what you fellows need is a chew toy.  A rawhide, a rubber rolled 
>newspaper, or a squeaky plastic hamburger would do nicely.
>
>Less talkie, more walkies,
>
>Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment
>
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