Friday, February 18, 2005
Racism on a crowded campus
Stephen Small has a funny name. Also, he has funny ideas.
“Racism may be less visible, but it’s no less virulent,” said Small, who has chaired the department since last year.
Hmmm. I dunno. Seems that facing discrimination isn't quite as virulent as, say, being property, or not having your life protected by law. But then, I'm not black, so what do I know?
Small presented poll statistics showing that large percentages of whites do not want to live in areas populated by blacks and that whites believe blacks are lazier.
“In the face of such data, can we really believe that old-fashioned racism is on the decline?” Small asked. “It’s even worse than it was before.”
Oh, Lordy, that's terrible! After all, not wanting to live near blacks and thinking them lazy is much worse than forcing blacks to do what you tell them under penalty of torture and thinking them property. Much, much worse.
Senior Natasha Green, a student who attended the event, said the misconception that racism is a past problem also stems from California’s diversity and its tolerant atmosphere.
“California might as well be its own universe,” Green said. “Outside of California, the racial divisions are clear. America is more divided than ever.”
Something tells me Green hasn't spent much time living outside of California. Racial divisions are very clear in California. They are celebrated. Outside of California, no one gives a damn. Oh, yeah, remember that civil war thing? Or colonial times when different parts of America were under the control of different European powers, or maybe the natives? America may have been divided back then, but America is now more divided than ever. Absolutely.
What is it with race that makes people make such ridiculous overstatements?
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