MOYE@BROWNVM.BITNET (Laura Moye) (02/09/90)
>From: Gene Smith <ESMITH@SUVM.BITNET> > > Do we have a racial-phobia in this country where a man's career can be >ended simply by being accused of making a racial remark? What we have in this country is a deep-seated racism where people's lives are taken because of racist feelings. Here in Providence, as well as in national press, racist incidents are usually not talked about, not even considered NEWS unless it is a person of color who does the attacking. (Witness the attacks on white students last fall, the rapes of Brown women the fall before, the killing at Central High School.) What some people don't seem to realize is that people of color are harassed everyday, every way you can think of, but it just isn't printed in the media. I would say, in response to Tim, who Jamie responded to already, that class figures in whites attacks on people of color as well. So there, now it's race and class, and when the attacked is a woman it's gender as well. A friend of mine says: "One intellectual can make more noise than 10,000 peasants." Since he was referring to China, we can draw our own likely analogies here. And for all you listening to our friend in Akron, take it as proof. Are any of you as scared by this as I am? And geesh, I'm white, protestant and from Ohio! White supremacist groups are on the rise in this country. I'm afraid the people of this country may have to go through civil rights movement all over again. And so soon... IF YOU LIVE AROUND PROVIDENCE, TAKE NOTE: On February 17, at 12 noon there will be a march from Central High to City Hall. It is a MARCH AGAINST RACISM. The demands are listed on the blue flyer. I will post it to bboard.announce as well. --l"two postings from the truth at last do not a truth make"m
VAM9360@WOOSTER.BITNET (Milos van Leeuwen) (02/10/90)
>>From: Gene Smith <ESMITH@SUVM.BITNET> >> >> Do we have a racial-phobia in this country where a man's career can be >>ended simply by being accused of making a racial remark? > >What we have in this country is a deep-seated racism where people's >lives are taken because of racist feelings. Here in Providence, >as well as in national press, racist incidents are usually not talked >about, not even considered NEWS unless it is a person of color >who does the attacking. (Witness the attacks on white students last >fall, the rapes of Brown women the fall before, the killing at Central >High School.) What some people don't seem to realize is that people >of color are harassed everyday, every way you can think of, but >it just isn't printed in the media. > >... (text removed) I'm fairly new to this country so I don't have much to go on yet but I thought I'd give my remarks to this anyway. There obviously is a very strong tension between the different ethnic groups here. I have never experienced anything like it in another country. In my country, there is racism and discrimination too, especially against people from countries around the Mediterranean (Turkey, Italy, Spain, Marocco etc.) and Surinam but there is no group as prominent attacked as the blacks are here. My college here wants to be very liberal, very progressive and very pro-minority. That means that they have several campus organizations for blacks, jews, women, homosexuals, you name it - we got it. There are good black and womens studies departments and majors. Last fall we had an incident here in which two drunk white males burned a cross with gasoline on one of the fields. The campus reacted with a candle- light procession. The two men turned themselves in with campus security. After the procession KKK masks were found. Whoever was responsible for that is unknown. We have a black history week here (and an international week and an indian-subcontinent week (subcontinent to make sure nobody upsets the students from Pakistan)). What's beginning to bother me about this place is that it is so accepted to attack white males for everything. (Yes, I am one myself.) We have posters everywhere attacking the 'white privilege', the 'male privilege' the 'white male privilege' etc. etc. Sorry, but I really don't think you can generalize like that. Sure, white males are violent against blacks and women but putting all white males in one group like this is very much comparable to saying "all ... (put in your favorite minority group) are ... (put in your favorite discriminating sentence)". I think there is indeed something in this country you could call 'racial/gender/class phobia'. I also think there are reasons for that. Not trying to attack, offend, insult, ignore, put down, put up anyone, v Milos van Leeuwen +----------------v----------------------------------------------------------+ | M I L O S V A N L E E U W E N -- VAM9360@WOOSTER (Bitnet) | |---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | College of Wooster, box C-2936, Wooster, Ohio, 44691, USA, # 216-287-3212 | | OR: Copernicusstraat 64, 1098 JJ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 020-944272 | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
PH408014@BROWNVM.BITNET (Tim Johnson) (02/11/90)
From: Laura Moye <MOYE@BROWNVM.BITNET> >Basically, those women would still have to be running a corporation. >And running it with "fiscal responsibility" or they'd have nothing >left to run. So the institution itself could look exactly the same >because it is the system that is the problem. Not necessarily the >individual people within the system. Ah yes. Change the system. You know, I too would like to see the system changed to one in which the resources were plentiful so no one would do without. One in which all the unpleasant labor was done by machines, so people would only be required to do fulfilling work (we would certainly not need to work for money, because the overabundance of resources would mean that we would all get our share, regardless.) One in which people didn't struggle with jealousy and hate, one in which people were responsible and rational, one in which there would be no need for government as every individual would live in peace. And that system could be had, too. There is only one great flaw. In the morning, you have to wake up and face reality, and try continue in a system which must deal with limited resources, must deal with all the perils of an irrational species, must deal with the nitty gritty details of survival and coexistence. Being a grad student, my sleeping (and dreaming) hours are somewhat limited, but I like to indulge myself in Ms Moye's vision whenever I can. But perhaps Laura has a plan to bring all of this about that she would be willing to share. What do you say, Laura? We've seen the Viking Utopian vision... Care to elaborate on yours? -Tim
JWS@BROWNVM.BITNET (Joseph Sullivan) (02/11/90)
I'm not disturbed by Laura's being white or Protestant, but being from Ohio,.....well, that's a different matter. (No, no, it's AkRON, not Acrid, Ohio)