links for 2010-04-29

"Some of the dismissive comments from the defenders of whiteness call it 'speculative' and tried to shout Wise's conclusions down since it didn't jibe with their vanilla flavored conservaworldview.
"But it ain't 'speculation' what the reaction of whiteness and the Feds would be to an armed group of Black people calling for radical change to the system. All you have to do is pick up the history books and go back to the 1966 formation in Oakland of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense."

"According to the first theory, because Americans fear crime and distrust our government, we support punitive laws and policies. The second proposes that people support punitive policies because they think our country's morals are in decline. And the last theory suggests that racist beliefs are what fuel public support for harsh criminal punishments.
"All three theories, the study found, explain why American support for so-called 'tough-on-crime' penalties is so high. But it turns out that racist beliefs offer the best explanation of all."

"Instead I will say: this is no country for strangers. This is not a people that can be known by observation alone, without the risk of actual engagement. This is no land where you can set yourself apart and then delude yourself with claims that comprehension naturally comes with high-minded goals and noble intentions to enlighten a system whose only fundamental flaw is ignorance of your ways. This is not a place that needs more foreigners coming in to visit, then taking away with them their misconceptions and their privileged judgments — because we have been misrepresented enough, not just in the international community but also amongst ourselves, and false categorizations and claims about who we are and where we came from and where we should go are unneeded and shouldn't be welcomed."

And these are the ways in which the Asian and African American communities are encouraged to hate each other.  Instead of talking about systemic racism, we think about our own superiority and receive our pats on the back.  Instead of talking about systemic racism, we resent other groups for the ways in which they are favored.  Close your eyes and you’d swear white voices were coming out of Asian and black mouths.  And those voices are supported and promoted by whites. (Michelle M@lkin, anyone?)And these are the ways in which the Asian and African American communities are encouraged to hate each other.  Instead of talking about systemic racism, we think about our own superiority and receive our pats on the back.  Instead of talking about systemic racism, we resent other groups for the ways in which they are favored.  Close your eyes and you’d swear white voices were coming out of Asian and black mouths.  And those voices are supported and promoted by whites. (Michelle M@lkin, anyone?)