Mon, 6 Jul 1998 14:27:16 -0400 (EDT)
Date: Mon, 6 Jul 1998 14:27:16 -0400 (EDT)
From: Andrew Wayne Austin <aaustin@utkux.utcc.utk.edu>
To: Wojtek Sokolowski <sokol@jhu.edu>
Subject: Re: Magazine Feature on White Racism
In-Reply-To: <3.0.1.32.19980706104321.00c5e790@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu>
Wojtek,

The difference between family values and racism is that the right seeks to
deny the left has any family values at the same time the right seeks to
deny they are racist.

Family values is a strawman. Racism is real.

Andy

On Mon, 6 Jul 1998, Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:

> Contrary to what my critics on this list say, I do believe there is a
> correlation between ethnicity and poverty in this country.  The point is,
> however, to explain that correlation.  
> 
> I belive that the concpet of racism is too vague and poorly defined, full
> of emotive connotations, moralizing, pop-psychology, romanticized views of
> the ghetto life, political and personal agendas etc. to be of any use in
> that explanation.
> 
> "Racism" is to the Left what "family values" is to the Right - a shibboleth
> that obscures more that it explains, a conceptual Trojan horse that
> smuggles hidden political agendas along a rather limited and simplistic
> range of responses: getting tough or getting lenient on the poor.  It is a
> bad social science and a bad social policy limited to the constraints of
> the American status quo.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Wojtek Sokolowski
>