General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWaPo's Richard Cohen: to gag at the idea of biracial families "not racist."
http://www.salon.com/2013/11/12/in_new_column_washington_posts_richard_cohen_makes_bizarre_racist_statement_about_bill_de_blasios_family/Todays GOP is not racist, as Harry Belafonte alleged about the tea party, but it is deeply troubled about the expansion of government, about immigration, about secularism, about the mainstreaming of what used to be the avant-garde. People with conventional views must repress a gag reflex when considering the mayor-elect of New York a white man married to a black woman and with two biracial children. (Should I mention that Bill de Blasios wife, Chirlane McCray, used to be a lesbian?) This family represents the cultural changes that have enveloped parts but not all of America. To cultural conservatives, this doesnt look like their country at all.
As Cohens colleague, Wonkblogs Ezra Klein, notes, however, Cohens conflation of conventional with racist is confused and mistaken. Support for interracial marriage is a widely held, majority position, varying little by region or age. To put it simply, the only people gagging are those reading Cohens columns.
Why does this guy get to excuse racism at one of the most important newspapers in the U.S.?
Chan790
(20,176 posts)el_bryanto
(11,804 posts)There is a good exploration to be had about how much of the Right wing is motivated by racism vs classism - but his piece is just terrible.
Particularly when you talk about the Tea Party and, what he references, the loss of a bygone era when White Christian Males ran everything.
Bryant
RainDog
(28,784 posts)is an excellent topic.
my pov is that racism flourishes in a society with little social mobility - like the U.S. now compared to other western democracies... yes, Denmark and the UK have more social mobility than the U.S. does.
The reason we have less social mobility is because we do not tax wealth enough to create social mobility. That's what it all comes down to, and no one with political power will make the case for taxes because the financial class controls the political conversation in all sectors of society beyond the left.
To even talk of tax increases is to be a commie/marxist, etc. etc. - even Eisenhower, no commie marxist - but labeled this by some Republicans at the time - saw the value of infrastructure investment with the interstate hwy system (but he also justified this with a military reason - to get troops around the states quickly in the case of a communist invasion/attack.)
In this nation, it seems you have to appeal to fear, not smart actions for good reasons that have shown, empirically, that they improve economic outlooks.
but I don't think that solves every problem as far as racism, or sexism, or homophobia, etc. goes.
however, it's a lot easier to discuss those issues when there is more economic stability among a population.
PCIntern
(25,601 posts)What a bastard! And devastatingly wrong on all counts.
He's a bigger dope than I ever thought he was, and that's going a "fur piece".
RainDog
(28,784 posts)in 2013, no less.
Drale
(7,932 posts)Iggo
(47,577 posts)RainDog
(28,784 posts)But too many people who call themselves conservative seem to think racism is part of conservatism, as we've seen over and over.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)okay, they're racist.
RainDog
(28,784 posts)whether the person who touts it is aware of this reality or not.
it's also sexist.
when you have groups in society that are routinely discriminated against in the job market, for hundreds of years, this inequity is not solved by reducing taxes on the rich and lying to yourself and your fellow racists/sexists that this economic boost to the wealthy will "trickle down."
Nevertheless, this explanation continues to provide cover for conservatism.
In spite of evidence that "trickle down" is a myth.
Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,304 posts)RainDog
(28,784 posts)why is it anyone else's business who happens to fall in love?
elehhhhna
(32,076 posts)Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)he's going to get more "avant-garde" than he can possibly handle. My guess is this is true in most of the rest of the country (OK, maybe not in the not-the-sharpest-knife-in-the-drawer states).
Avant-garde? Did he really say that?
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)MissMillie
(38,587 posts)going to hold the conventional view that he doesn't need to "consider" the family life of the mayor-elect--or anyone else for that matter?
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)bullwinkle428
(20,631 posts)and be done with it?
shawn703
(2,702 posts)People with conventional views must repress a gag reflex when considering what Richard Cohen considers to be conventional views.
Unfortunately, I'm unable to repress mine.