The Atlantic - Latest Comments in And now for some reconcilliation

Re: And now for some reconcilliation

ewkpates — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:47:26 -0000

I think "evil" is pretty strong language. What do we say is the problem with people who are bigoted and purposefully ignorant?

I'm sticking to my guns: Nice and good are characteristics that exclude mean and bad, whereas mean and bad don't mean the person isn't capable of nice and good. A bad person can do a good thing... but to be a good person you can't do bad things.

There is a great deal of racism in America. If you don't want to be racist, then you have to work at it. If you don't work at it, then you aren't a good person. I don't want anyone to take the struggle out of goodness... it's a struggle... there are racists who don't do any harm, but that doesn't make them good people.

Misguided is when you fault the Yankees for having so much money... that's what I think misguided looks like.

Re: And now for some reconcilliation

Ta-Nehisi Coates — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:02:42 -0000

Just gonna second Sybil here--and not cause she shouted me out. In my time, I've heard some black folks say some pretty awful things about, say, the Korean merchants we dealt with as kids in West Baltimore. Hell, I remember calling it the "Chink Store" and basically thinking nothing of it. Was I evil? Nah. Incredibly ignorant? You bet.

Re: And now for some reconcilliation

Sybil — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:29:03 -0000

"how can a good person have bad ideas?" Through ignorance or misperception.

What is very interesting and hopeful and wonderful about this campaign, this blog (Ta-Nehisi, thank you!), and the anonymous intimacy of the internet is that all of us may becoming a little less ignorant and gaining a little more knowledge of the complex similarities between ourselves and "the other".

Accepting that a misguided racist may still be a good person is like loving your screaming toddler even while finding the behavior unacceptable. Censuring the person is not the answer--we need to determine how to connect with the person and erase the misperception.

Re: And now for some reconcilliation

ewkpates — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:06:53 -0000

How can a good person have bad ideas? For example, a kind person isn't someone who is kind on Thursdays, kind only to teenagers, or kind only to their own race. That's not kind. Kind is generic. Likewise with good. Someone who is good to their own race is a raciest, who "has been good to some people". If we allow that “good” can be applied on a race or gender or class basis, then we buy into these biases as valid perceptions.

By allowing for a racist to be "good person with bad ideas" we buy into the idea of racism as an "idea" rather than a deeply rooted psychological problem that toxifies the whole person.

Re: And now for some reconcilliation

Mike P — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:50:35 -0000

I read that post back when it first went up and I commented there about how well thought out and honest it was. She really kind of let go of the typical stuff that colors (no pun intended) these discussions and got at the "realness" of it all. Being a black male, I really respected that.

Re: And now for some reconcilliation

zak — Tue, 20 May 2008 20:37:32 -0000

It's interesting how Obama is able to present himself as a visible emblem of the hope of racial reconciliation - as a biracial person, even though he is identified and identifies as black, he can justifiably claim to have a foot in both communities. The same option doesn't exist when it comes to gender divisions (well, except for transgendered folks, but somehow I don't think they're likely to be listened to in the same way)--I haven't really worked this out yet, but maybe this points to a basic difference in the ways race and gender divide us?

Re: And now for some reconcilliation

zak — Tue, 20 May 2008 20:36:51 -0000