Danny Cardwell's picture

    Articles About Race Part 1

    A friend sent me a link to an article written by Dennis Prager titled "From The Great-Man Theory to Dead White-Male-Criticism Theory".  As I was reading this article I was convinced that most people fall into one of four categories when it comes to race and racism in America. While this isn't a rigid theory, I think it will start a conversation.

    The first group of people are "racial-realist": they acknowledge the progress made in areas concerning racial equality, but realize discrimination is still a part of life for some. They tend to support solutions to racial issues through the use of political and social power. Often they have a sensitivity to victims of discrimination and are more likely to be activists.

    The second group are "hyper-racialist": members of this group have the ability to find racism in every aspect of life; any situation can be viewed through a hyper-racial lens. Tragically, many of the underlying systemic socioeconomic causes of their problems are overlooked in lieu of the easier knee jerk charge of racism. Hyper-racialist are the hypochondriacs weakening the claims of discrimination by those with legitimate grievances.

    The third school is comprised of people who are "racially-indifferent": they work and live in enclaves where the majority of their interactions are with people of similar racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Their indifference isn't built on apathy, but comes from being disconnected from the realities of being a minority in America. Quiet forms of racism go unnoticed by many in this group because they don't hear the proverbial dog whistles.

    The last group are "race-negators": they are invested in the idea that we live in a post-racial America. They acknowledge the racism in our past, but completely disregard racism as a serious issues in our time. 21st century suffering in minority communities is often blamed on a lack of Protestant morality and work ethic. This ideology is necessary to maintain the illusion of an egalitarian society in which merit outranks privilege. Mr. Prager's analysis leads me to believe he falls into this category.

    His article starts out contrasting the nostalgic way older Americans look at paintings of the founding fathers versus the way (he feels) academia and younger Americans look at them. This is Dennis Prager in his own words:

    When Americans over the age of, let us say, 45 look at any of the iconic paintings of America’s Founders — the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the signing of the Constitution, George Washington crossing the Delaware, any of the individual portraits of the Founders — what do they see? They see great men founding a great country. If you ask many recent college graduates what they see when they look at these paintings, the chances are that it is something entirely different. They are apt to see rich, white males who are not great and who did not found a great country. And for many, it is worse than that. These men are not only not great; they are morally quite flawed in that they were slave holders, or at least founded a country based on slavery. Moreover, they were not only all racists — they were all sexists, who restricted the vote to males. And they were rich men who were primarily concerned with protecting their wealth, which is why they restricted the vote to landowners.

    Mr. Prager is trapped inside of a black hole that doesn't allow him to question or dismiss the rigidity of his own beliefs, nor does it allow any information contrary to his beliefs to filter in and challenge him. He isn't alone; many "race-negators" have an overly simplistic worldview. The fact that the very claims he's ridiculing academia for discussing are historically accurate is of no consequence to him. Instead of working through the duality to find a synthesis, he pretends one doesn't exist. Sadly, this is what passes for cultural analysis. He offers some of the least sophisticated and intellectually dishonest arguments about culture and race. It's possible to look at the founding fathers and appreciate their courage and brilliance, while simultaneously acknowledging the cowardly and immoral way they subjugated women and blacks. Both things are true and worthy of discussion.

    Comments

    Dennis Prager lives in La Canada Flintridge, where the black population constitutes 0.2 % of the population. In other words, he lives in a de-facto segregated city. However, that does not stop him from passing judgments upon the black community, though he has never experienced black racial prejudice.


    Sometimes liberals are accused of wanting a Pollyanna utopian society, but I would settle for one that struggles against the dominant ideologies of our time.

    As you said, it's a simplistic view. Liberals see the greatness in our history, we just also see the failures. It's a much more nuanced view than many conservatives have. His article is a good illustration of this Al Franken  quote.

    "If you listen to a lot of conservatives, they'll tell you that the difference between
    them and us is that conservatives love America and liberals hate America.... They don't
    get it. We love America just as much as they do. But in a different Way. You see, they
    love America the way a 4-year-old loves her Mommy. Liberals love America like grown-ups.


    To a 4-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is
    bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad,
    and helping your loved one grow. Love takes attention and work and is the best thing in the world."


    Thanks for taking the time to read this. I agree with Franken's point that you quoted. I have a few more parts to this I will post in the near future.

    Mr. Cardwell,

    Enjoyed your commentary and Prager hardly needs me to defend him, but his article was more a swipe at how the Universities (and even high schools) are preoccupied with race, gender and class as a worldview.  If the Founders were in a predetermined suspect group by virtue of their race, gender and class, it renders their contributions meaningless from the start.  You should call his show and "square off" as they say.  He is most kind to callers who disagree with him or challenge a position of his.   In fact, these callers go to the front of the line. He would welcome your call.  1-877-243-7776.  12 - 3 PM EST

    I'd be interested to see what you consider the top 10 issues facing minority communities - specifically where racism falls in the mix.  Are they the same for black, brown and yellow communities?  I'm looking forward to your next installment.  Thanks.


    Thanks for taking the time out of your day to engage in this dialogue. As far as a top 10, I would have to think long and hard about that. The reality is that the gap between the top 3 and let's say issues 8-10 would be so wide that solving the top 3 or 4 would make a world of difference. I think the first thing on my list would be economic viability. There are a number of problems that have access to wealth could solve. Secondly, crime: I believe that positive economic growth would solve some of the underlying causes of crime, but there are far too many young people engaging in violent crime. Third would be the initiation of new drug policies and sentencing guidelines that would make the adjudication of justice more fair. My fourth could be my second or third choice, but a serious approach at fixing the education system in many inner cities. Getting to kids at an early age could alleviate some of the problems before they take root. Your point is well taken about the focus of his article, but too many on the right seek to completely disconnect the three dimensions of time.


    Better yet, have Prager put up some comments here, if he dares.

    And thanks for the primer on how an infotainment host perpetuates his gig.


    I think Conservatives live in a racial cocoon. The see no problem with enacting ID requirements that negatively impact minority voters. Studies show that there is negible voter fraud, yet Conservatives push ahead with restrictive laws. In other cases the Conservative mantra is to enforce laws that are already on the books. In the case of voting, Conservatives were gleeful in gutting the Voting Rights Act. The Conservatives on the Supreme Court are ready to gut the Fair Housing Act. Conservatives like Prager are viewed with suspicion because we see the real world impact of their worldview. Calling in to a radio talk show Does not change that reality.

    I agree with your idea of a cocoon or bubble. To many are tied to their dogmatic beliefs.


    Calling in to a radio talk show Does not change that reality.smiley


    Nice post, Danny.

    What's interesting is that two of your groups the hyper-racialist and the race negators, are both blind (maybe willfuly blind) to the way race works in America.

    There are some self-conscious and deliberate outright racists in this country, but there are many more people who aren't conscious of their biases at all. And there are lots of racist elements baked into the system, which allow individuals to feel they weren't racist even though they keep getting pretty racist results. The system is rigged so that lots of people can behave in ways that aren't consciously racist but African-Americans experience the effects of racism.

    The hyper-racialists ignore the way the racism usually tends to work and shouts about deliberate, malicious bias at every step. The look at the effects and ignore the experience of people who created those effects. The negators just look at the way people experience their own behavior, and ignore their effects. But neither group is interested in the real story.


    I sincerely appreciate you commentary. Too often these "national conversations" on race bring out the worst elements in our society. For every 10,000 citizens who are serious about making positive changes there's 1 person with a platform who drowns out their voices. I'm in the process of posting the 2nd part. I try to focus on a historical, but often overlooked rift in the black community. Thanks a million for engaging in this post.


    De nada, Danny. It's a good post.


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