From Tim Wise at AlterNet:
Let’s play a game, shall we? The name of the game is called “Imagine.” The way it’s played is simple: we’ll envision recent happenings in the news, but then change them up a bit. Instead of envisioning white people as the main actors in the scenes we’ll conjure – the ones who are driving the action – we’ll envision black folks or other people of color instead. The object of the game is to imagine the public reaction to the events or incidents, if the main actors were of color, rather than white. Whoever gains the most insight into the workings of race in America, at the end of the game, wins.
So let’s begin.
Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Capitol and White House, armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition. And imagine that some of these protesters —the black protesters — spoke of the need for political revolution, and possibly even armed conflict in the event that laws they didn’t like were enforced by the government? Would these protester — these black protesters with guns — be seen as brave defenders of the Second Amendment, or would they be viewed by most whites as a danger to the republic?
Continued....
Please read the rest of Tim's post. Play turnabout with Tim Wise, who lives up to his family name.
Image from The Huffington Post.
Thanks to Ann for the link, and from there, it was via, via, to Tim's post.
I guarantee if large groups of African Americans or Arab Americans were milling around with guns and hate signs, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh would be apoplectic. They would NOT be defending that stuff as "freedom of speech."
ReplyDeleteThe comments to Tim's article are so predictable. The progressives "get it" immediately, and the hateful comments come from people who either haven't read the article or simply cannot understand it.
I am beginning to be desperately worried about this country. We are seeing what happens when you take a strong, anti-intellectual tradition in American history, mix it with schooling that doesn't teach critical thinking until college, and then throw it into the 24/7 news and Internet culture. I am not optimistic about what effect that brew will have on our common life.
Pax,
Doxy
Intellectual response -- Oh shit -- too true
ReplyDeleteWould an "open-carry" gathering such as the Tea Party's with black people even be permitted to happen? I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteOr imagine if they were Hispanic and in Arizona...
ReplyDelete