tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post6841279607686869362..comments2024-01-04T04:31:00.481-05:00Comments on Mixed Race America: Calling on McCain to talk about raceJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261371053113519712noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-72012624805283622782008-03-28T11:30:00.000-04:002008-03-28T11:30:00.000-04:00Even in blogging on something as trivial as women'...Even in blogging on something as trivial as women's golf, it has shocked me to discover how normalized anti-Asian discourses are in U.S. culture. It shouldn't, but it does. It'll be interesting to see how my daughters respond, to say the least.The Constructivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-2526689778946988692008-03-26T23:21:00.000-04:002008-03-26T23:21:00.000-04:00Womansspace--Wow...thanks so much for sharing, so ...Womansspace--<BR/>Wow...thanks so much for sharing, so honestly and openly and directly, this memory about your father and your own thoughtful reflection about the complexity of those who use racial slurs and their experiences in war.<BR/><BR/>Your recollection--and the nuance of your comment--is what I had hoped to discuss on this blog. Because I think it'd be easy to say that anyone who uses racial slurs is a racist. But the "truth" is often much more complicated. Our lives our much more complex. Good people--who work hard on anti-discrimination, like your father--can also have blind spots in certain areas.<BR/><BR/>And your analysis--linking his use of certain slurs to his experience as a veteran in WWII is also illuminating in terms of the trauma of war that veterans experience.<BR/><BR/>And for this reason, I, agree, that McCain is in a unique position to talk about race--to talk about it with respect to war and the ways in which war dehumanizes the enemy "other" and the ways in which it's hard to separate this dehumanization after war is over--the lingering after-effects.<BR/><BR/>And, for this reason (as you suggest in your comment), it's really important to think about what the ramifications will be with our veterans of the Iraq war and this seemingly never-ending "war on terror" -- which seems to be a not-so-hidden coding of war on Muslim/Arab people.<BR/><BR/>I just wish we could have more discussion of this -- the costs of war that exceed the fatalities on either side.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13261371053113519712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-43854520189614971292008-03-26T00:48:00.000-04:002008-03-26T00:48:00.000-04:00Given that Huckabee is a Christian reconstructioni...Given that Huckabee is a Christian reconstructionist, it makes sense that he relates to Wright. The Christian recons also believe God takes issue with America! But for different reasons, like that the Bible should be the law of the land and that America should severely punish being lesbian/gay, having abortions, etc. :/<BR/><BR/>McCain's racial slur against the Vietnamese has had me recalling things from my own childhood. I grew up the child of liberal democrats in the 50s and 60s. (I was born in 1952.) My folks were dedicated anti-racists and taught me from my youngest years never to judge anyone on the basis of their race. Anti-black racial slurs, in particular, were treated as swear words in my house and were severely forbidden for everybody, including visitors. My dad was (and still is, though in his 80s now) an attorney, and he has always done much, much work on behalf of black people and Native Americans. As a young man he clerked for Judge Boldt, who authored landmark fishing rights decisions on behalf of tribes in the Pacific Northwest.<BR/><BR/>But he had a tremendous blind spot when it came to the Japanese and Italians as a result of having served in the Army at the end of World War II. Not infrequently, despite his dedication to the Civil Rights movement, he would make "jokes" which involved calling the Japanese "gooks" and Italians "wops". It stuck out to me all of my life because it was so out of character and inconsistent with his anti-racist principles. When he made these references, he would laugh, as though he were making a forbidden joke, but still, as though he relished making the joke. To me this is just another evidence of the horror of war and the military in general. We're seeing troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to abuse their wives, to commit suicide, to act out violently. McCain, tortured, defends hate speech. My dad, who served in Japan in WWII, used hate speech even though he always opposed it. It only makes sense that young people trained to kill and to go to war will be deeply harmed in all sorts of ways.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-21119722384864535322008-03-25T18:22:00.000-04:002008-03-25T18:22:00.000-04:00Huckabee does seem to be a compassionate guy and d...Huckabee does seem to be a compassionate guy and decent enough fellow. I was glad to see him loose though because he's an evolution denier with a desire to turn the country into a Theocracy. Those are big hurdles to him as a Presidential nominee. I'm still hoping that he's not picked by McCain for VP.Brian Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04734307636961609871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-30356052852207555022008-03-25T16:34:00.000-04:002008-03-25T16:34:00.000-04:00Brian--you are SO RIGHT that this sentiment exists...Brian--you are SO RIGHT that this sentiment exists in a number of Vietnam vets--and in a large segment of people who believe that McCain and other POW survivors and Viet Nam veterans are free to use whatever language they want because of their experiences.<BR/><BR/>And yet, this same type of logic and scrutiny does not seem to be applied to Reverend Wright--in other words, is anyone thinking through how his experiences with racism as a black man in this country has led him to come to the kinds of observations and conclusions that he has come to?<BR/><BR/>And beyond trying to apply the same type of logic to McCain, what I really am frustrated with is the lopsided nature of who is speaking about race and what people are saying. <BR/><BR/>The only surprise in all of this, for me, has been Huckabee--who, apparently, said that he really sympathized with Reverend Wright--that as a former pastor he understands getting caught up in the moment of passionate rhetoric and that Huckabee also thought Obama's speech was strong and eloquent. You could have blown me over with a feather when I read his statement. But I was glad to hear that some Republicans were not just toeing the party line when it comes to the topic of race.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13261371053113519712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-81191358479374849202008-03-25T10:23:00.000-04:002008-03-25T10:23:00.000-04:00Wow. I completely missed his use of that slur bac...Wow. I completely missed his use of that slur back in 2000, and back then I was a McCain supporter. I can't say that I would have been had I heard about this. <BR/><BR/>Unfortunately his sentiments exist in a large segment of Vietnam vets. I have known men who avoid the Vietnamese barbers in my area for this very reason, even though their prices are half of what everyone else's are. <BR/><BR/>I am sensitive to Vietnamese immigrants and their off spring because I once dated a Vietnamese woman and knew that occasionally those feelings and resentments were directed at her. Thanks for calling attention to this. It would be nice to hear from McCain on this issue. I wonder if it will happen?Brian Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04734307636961609871noreply@blogger.com