Why did you even add these letters for your students to read? Tbh the criticism of the idea that the witch hunt was 'no different' than current racist accusations is a bit justified, but he kind of missed the point (McWhorter was obviously talking about the accusation part, not the punishment associated with it). He then makes this suggestion:
Rather than criticize whites for the “tacky” things they say about blacks, then, activists should get black women “long-acting reversible contraception” and combat black illiteracy and drug use.
Ok, so pointing fingers would be more effective than actually combating some of the problems present in troubled neighborhoods? Has it become so justified that black people can simply play victim to society and not look inwardly at some of the social problems endemic in their own neighborhoods?
The next guy simply talks about what I consider to be discrimination. As a white male, I have faced the same kind of issues depending on my outward appearance. I find that if I am dressed casually with a metal t-shirt, a hoodie, or some other piece of 'commoner' clothing I do not get the same treatment as if I were wearing a suit or other business casual attire. I have been approached for stealing when just putting my hands into the pockets of my hoodie. Everyone discriminates to a certain point based on appearance and body language, and not all of it can be associated with racism. Can it be the case? Sure. But McWhorter wasnt trying to deny the existence of racism, he is just trying to say 'chill the fuck out' to those who constantly want to put any sort of discernment under a racial magnifying glass.
I'm also skeptical of "racial inequality," if only because it doesn't strike me as a novel concept by any means. You bring up a good point regarding civil discourse; but then, part of his argument is that we need non-accusatory terminology so as to avoid verbal hostility.
But the phrase 'racial inequality' is just as damning to the white majority, since it implies that whites have an advantage. It is more or less the same thing. The fact of the matter is that black people are disadvantaged due to inequalities in the past. No matter how you spin it, black people will label white people as the perpetrator. Altering the terminology wont change a damn thing, no matter how novel it might seem.
I would actually like to see some racial statistics that dont take 'bad' neighborhoods into consideration. How big is the epidemic of societal racism in reality, and what part of it can be attributed to aberrant statistics? I realize that there are many black people (among other minority populations) that live in areas that are still feeling the aftershock of the racist policies of old. But this is a separate problem from the one that is being proposed: that black people and other minorities are being denied opportunity and monetary gain.
You would think that as a white male I would be granted with all sorts of advantages to get ahead in life. I was born to a modest working class family where my father was a truck driver and my mother cleans houses. Nobody else in my family has been to college, and thus they are pretty good representation of your average blue collar household. I did not initially get accepted to university and had to work my way up via the community college route (which I proved myself with a 3.8 GPA), eventually getting accepted to the state university. I had to get loans to pay for my education. Life has been tough for me after my father committed suicide 9 years ago due in part to neurological complications attributed to Lyme disease. I have had to work hard to prove myself in every aspect of my life, and never once did I feel like race had any role in my advantages and disadvantages in life. Seeing people make excuses based upon tenuous social constructs makes me dubious, and I am not willing to accept their argument at face value. I have always been told "it isnt about what you know, it is about who you know". Connections I have made have indeed helped me along my way through life, but it was never about race. So why should I believe people who are also struggling that their main barrier to success is their genetic makeup and appearance? Life is hard to everyone who isnt born with connections, money, and opportunities, race be damned.
That's my opinion, anyway. Trump is (nearly) constitutively incapable of apologizing, and that's one of his biggest flaws and one of his biggest strengths (depending on whom you ask).
To me it is both. On one hand it shows that he is trying to be honest with his own self, and that he wont just fold when people disapprove of him (true alpha leader personality). On the other it portrays someone who is full of himself to the point of not being able to recognize his own deficiencies. At the very least I appreciate his confidence, which is a good strength for a democratic leader to have. Imo Trump's biggest flaw at this point is his demagoguery. While I hope that this was just a strategy to win in the election, I do think that he will continue this path throughout his presidency. He has always been somewhat of a scumbag, but it's better than systemic corruption at least.
And also, although I know you were being sarcastic - I assigned the essay because I thought it was a compelling argument that I also knew would be controversial.
Which is why I liked your post. Im glad that you are at least trying to present students with well rounded information instead of just indoctrinating them with leftist horseshit and other self affirming ideologues. What is the name of the course you are teaching?
