dagblog - Comments for "Reading David Brooks While White"

Once again I'll question you

ocean-kat — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 18:41:34 +0000

Once again I'll question you about who exactly you mean when you say "victims." If a building is on fire and a group of Nazi SS run in to save the residents would you say it was an evil response if a Jew mourned the residents who died but was cold hearted about the deaths of the Nazi SS? I still contend there is a subtle but meaningful difference between those two sets of "victims."

Coates' negative view of the

rmrd0000 — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 17:16:04 +0000

In reply to I'm sticking to the

Coates' negative view of the police is influenced by personal experience which includes the murder of his college friend Prince Jones at the hands of the police.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0106.coates.html

Even if 9/11 was comeuppance

Aaron Carine — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 16:44:09 +0000

In reply to 130 Iraqis were killed

Even if 9/11 was comeuppance for our evil deeds, that wouldn't excuse or mitigate it. Anyway, for the most part I don't think it was about our evil deeds(the invasion of Iraq was later, of course), but about our failure to do what Arabs or Islamists want us to do.

I'm sticking to the

Aaron Carine — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 16:40:37 +0000

In reply to You misrepresented Coates,

I don't think my grammar was up to snuff. Here is what I was trying to say:

I'm sticking to the contention that lack of sympathy for the victims is not a legitimate response, and neither is sympathy for the murderers. Those are evil responses.

That is the point of Chris

rmrd0000 — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 13:23:14 +0000

In reply to That definitely seems to be

That is the point of Chris Rock's interview. as well. Black people didn't change, white people got less crazy. Black with good financial status were targeted by banks. Coates message is that the United States is set up to destroy black bodies. Destroying the finances of black people fits into that system.

When Mayor DeBlasio detailed the instructions he gave his black son on how to avoid conflict with police, he was repeating what black parents do on a routine basis. The system is rigged to punish black people more severely than whites. Class does not save you from police abuse when you are black. Despite equal incomes, blacks still face a lower standard of health care than whites.

Studies shown that people with "black sounding names" are less likely to be called back for interviews compared to whites despite equal skill sets. When polling is done about racism, blacks are much more likely to state racism is a major factor compared to whites who are polled. We do need a better means of determining national goals when it comes to race.

But but but... I love

PeraclesPlease — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 13:08:54 +0000

In reply to So.... you love Amos 'n Andy.

But but but... I love threesomes ... And Amos 'n Andy 'n Me makes Three. I thought I was trending, and now you tell me I'm retro, a baaaddd maaaannn? Okay, okay, you got my goat, I'll just get my Coate - he is one of my steadfast supporters, you know (it's a black thing, you wouldn't understand). Honest Injun. Oh wait,....

What's you say your name was? Q Reius George? Q2D Back? 2Qt4 Wordz? Q&A? Don Q Xote? A Qt Pain ND Ass? Yeah, that's it...

That definitely seems to be

Michael Maiello — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 12:35:14 +0000

In reply to When you say "we" are you

That definitely seems to be what Brooks is saying. His description of the American Dream in his column is extremely "white normative" and, ironically, doesn't describe Brooks' own life at all. He describes a kind of middle class, white suburban existence. I think most people dream about a great deal more than that. Brooks would not be satisfied with that. Why should Coates? Why should anyone? We do need a national conversation about how to broadly define the pursuit of happiness to encompass a wider range of dreams.

So.... you love Amos 'n Andy.

Mon, 20 Jul 2015 12:31:48 +0000

In reply to I'd rather read Amos 'n Andy.

So.... you love Amos 'n Andy.

Which means you love racism.

Got it.

You are bad.

A bad bad man's.

Dare you to try and support Coates again, eh?

When you say "we" are you

rmrd0000 — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 22:42:05 +0000

In reply to I'd rather read Amos 'n Andy.

When you say "we" are you talking about white people?

good observation, Ramona.

moat — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 20:37:09 +0000

In reply to No, he didn't need to

good observation, Ramona.

This isn't the over the top reactions others have put out.