Race Chasm Article Spurs Debate On CNN, Denver Post, Portland Oregonian

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My article for In These Times about the Race Chasm has generated a lot of discussion and feedback about race in America -- which I'm thrilled about. Race and class are the two issues that the Establishment is least interested in discussing -- despite their prominence in our politics. And so if an article I write generates some ferment, that's a good thing -- especially if it can also promote the work of a great progressive magazine like In These Times. That's exactly what happened this weekend when the article got some pretty major media coverage.

CNN, for instance, had me on to discuss the Race Chasm on its Newsroom program. You can watch it here:

The Denver Post ran an adapted version of the original Race Chasm article on the front page of its Sunday Perspective section. You can read it here. Similarly, The Portland Oregonian -- in advance of the state's upcoming primary -- ran an adapted version of the Race Chasm on its Sunday op-ed page. You can read it here.

The key part of my Post/Oregonian piece was the conclusion:

Summing up the right's "don't-ask-don't-tell" attitude when it comes to bigotry, New York Times conservative columnist Bill Kristol said, "The last thing we need now is a heated national conversation about race." From a cushy office in Washington, D.C. -- one of the most segregated cities in America -- it must be easy for well-heeled white commentators like Kristol to tell the rest of us that race should be ignored. But as the Race Chasm shows, now is precisely the time we need a national conversation about the divisions that still so clearly afflict our country.

Yes, as I said to begin this post, the conservative Establishment really doesn't want to talk about issues like race or class -- to the point where that Establishment's spokespeople take to the pages of the New York Times to demand silence. But these are debates that must not be silenced if we are to overcome these divides in the future.

Comments

[Caringthinkingperson]

When referring to the number of people voting for Hillary that are racist we need only look at the demographic of where Obama loses his "white" support.

While we need not make assertions about people in Iowa, as this whole race thing "new", we certainly can make assertions about many whites in Mississippi. While the media decried the loss of Obama's "white" percentage points there, there was an underlying statistic at play. I've read anywhere from 12% to 25% of the Clinton vote was from Republicans voting in response to Rush Limbaugh. That changes the results drastically. Even in Mississippi there were many white voters who had no problem with Obama. More than I would have thought. But the media keeps the "Rush-narrative" going without investigation and keeps the race question in question.

The same may be said for Southern Ohio, Kentucky, Southern Indiana, even parts of Southern Illinois where the accent is a drawl. Obama has the ability to get to everyone who is not harboring some kind of subconscious race problem, or is an out and out racist. Lack of familiarity IS what keeps people from understanding. There are many white people who have never met a black person.

There are hard-core democrats that will for reasons not neccessarily known to them, refuse to vote for Obama. We won't have statistics until the general, but it will be clear how many of them there are. They will be white, Democrat, and have voted for McCain.

[WASanford]

While I was running errands this afternoon, I heard snatches of David' discussing his ideas about his imagined race chasm as he talked to Thom Hartmann on Randi Rhodes's Show. Hurry back Randi!
Please tell me that the snatches I got left me with a wrong impression. Surely David didn't mean to imply that anyone voting for Hillary Clinton is doing so because they are a racist. If so, this is an unconscionable accusation. When will the Democrats and their bloggers stop throwing crap at one another? It will take all of us to win the November election. Please, try to find a way to come together, we all count!

[adl]

The race chasm is not "so-called" it actually does exist. I don't think that everyone who supports Hillary is racist and it doesn't seem like a lot of other people I've seen on the blogs do either. We all are finding a way to come together. It's just not going to happen by ignoring this problem and not talking about it. White people who are not affected by racism can ignore it and be happy. People of color can't. When we refuse to talk about these issues the resultant "coming together" is an illusion. It appears to be coming together only to those who don't feel the direct effects of racism. The only way past it is through it and no one said it would be easy.

[VideoHammer]

David, I could not agree with you more. The MSM and Conservative pundits are really only comfortable with race when they use it as a wedge issue against all of us. They cater to the worst fears that people have, exploit "Us versus Them", then sit back an pretend to be offended by the response.

I for one am tired of the foolishness, both from the people that reward the disgusting behavior, and from those afraid to stand up to closet racists, bigots and scoundrels of all kinds.

[uberlefty]

Slice and dice. Thats the program. Keep the factions fighting over a ever smaller piece of the pie. Gay/Straight, Black/White, Black/Brown, Male/Female. It seems as though minorities within each group are given a disproportionate voice that only increases the division. Meanwhile the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. There are only 2 Americas. Wealth/Power America and the rest of us.

[robXdion]

And the world watches and laughs. America might just rather vote for a 72 yr old Republican that graduated near the bottom of his Naval Academy class that wants to continue the policies of the worst Republican President in recent history, before they they would vote for a half-black man that graduated near the top of his Columbia class, was President of the Harvard Law Review and has ran arguably the best presidential campaign in history. Talk about shooting your nose off to spite your face, smh.

[ProgressiveBum]

No kidding. As an immigrant I watch oversees news sources and, quite frankly, they see the American electorate as a bunch of imbeciles hung up over race, gender, and religious issues without looking for serious solutions. What remains are platitudes that only reinforce stereotypes.

[capitalismisntamoral]

HuffPost's Pick

Countering 'white resentment':

A common belief of what Obama would call resentful whites is that "blacks have had every
advantage", referring to the attempted remedies of welfare and affirmative action.
This foments false beliefs that somehow blacks are more privileged than anyone else.

One way to promote understanding is to get people to see things from the "other's" POV.

Most people have been some situation where they are in the minority, surrounded
by people of different race, different ethnic background/religion/speaking a different language.
Of course if you never travel outside the US and are never in an environment where people
are different from you . . .

Get the person to think about being in such a situation, imagining it if necessary.
Ask:
Did you feel uncomfortable because you were different from everybody around you?
Did you think that these people didn't like you?
It's probably true that some of those people were prejudiced against you - just because you
are white (different from them).
Feels pretty crappy to think that people don't like you for no good reason, doesn't it?
And you have no control over their prejudged opinion of you?
And some will treat you badly just based on your skin color/perceived background?

Now you have a small taste of what it's like to be a minority. If you were black you would face
countless similar situations in life. Is it any wonder that people self-segregate?

[S1m0n]

Some people are simply not capable of what gets called "theory of mind", ie seeing any POV but their own. This is, in fact, a trait that correlates quite well to liberal vs conservative worldviews.

People that can't see other points of view as valid will never be able to do the exercise you outline.

[robXdion]

I've seen many whites complain about being the only white person in a room. They act like its a crisis. Even if they were not picked on, judged, etc, the experience really effects them. But give them a few weeks and they will swear they can't understand why minorities make a big deal out of racism, slavery, and discrimination. That brief experience of being a minority doesn't resonate with them enough to have empathy for others. But they make sure to avoid repeat occasions of it.

[capitalismisntamoral]

David,

I suppose it's strategic to only go so far in your commentary - pointing out that Kristol and his ilk
are doing all they can to make sure that the topic of racism does notreach the conscious mind.

You omit (perhaps on purpose) the reason Kristol and his Republican neo-con buddies do
this is so that their electoral strategies can operate below conscious awareness,
manipulating people's base emotions and fears.

But I suppose having conversations about race is a good way to bring this to people's
awareness as well.

[Absintheforall]

Race is only an issue in politics with racists.