New Carthage Chronicles

Boston Massachusetts, known for being historically racist, lives down to it’s past in the wake of the loss by the Boston Bruins Hockey team in their bid to defend their Stanley Cup crown. Joel Ward, a Black man, scored the winning goal for the Washington Capitals and simultaneously brought to an end the season of the Bruins. For this act of sports heroism, he was showered by a torrent of racial hatred by the Boston Bruin fan base.

Kudos to the white people who quickly stood up and denounced the racist vitriol of the rabid Boston fan base. The Boston Bruins organization, the National Hockey League and the Washington Capitals organization all published statements distancing themselves from these comments and equally condemned them. It has been noted that white individuals took to the Twitter universe to also condemn the racism of the Boston fan base. While we are critical and challenge the minority of white supremacists and their supporters, we must also credit, encourage and support the white men and women who stand up to these racists. Although change is forced from the outside, it must be accepted on the inside, and white people who value right and justice over racism have an integral role in ending racism in the white community.

While it may be self soothing to claim it is only kids hiding behind the anonymity of the internet , the problem is that these “kids” learned their racism from someone, and will in all likelihood teach it to their children. Additionally, claiming that these outbursts are the result of drunken disappointment misses the point. The alcohol and disappointment did not create something that was not there, it merely lowered the inhibitions that held the racist feelings in check. These people were always racist; the alcohol just allowed their mask to slip and the ugliness was revealed. This is part of the sham that is America, this is why a Black guy and a white guy can be drinking beer together one minute, and the Black guy is shot to death and his body dragged the next. It is not enough to simply be tolerant, to merely act politically correct. That attitude only places a band-aid on a festering wound; any unexpected movement or jostling will reveal the infected mess in all its infamy. While some may say it is better to have the person to suppress their murderous urges than to be with an overt murderer, isn’t the person who is suppressing their murderous urges in reality a ticking time bomb? Until there is a fundamental shift in the society and the attitudes of the individuals in it, we will never be past racism and we must always be vigilant.

Stephanie Eisner  created this cartoon for the University of Texas publication, The Daily Texan. Despite those arguments which proclaim how good and humanistic she is; the cartoon is a very racist effort. She was then fired from the campus paper and expelled from the university. While the content speaks for itself, it is interesting to note Eisner’s response. While claiming she is not a racist, she claims that she is trying to stimulate conversation. Even the author of the article, John Hambrick, tries to blame the backlash on a lack of insight and the forces of political correctness. However, in reality they both reflect the level of obliviousness many white people have regarding race in America; to most white people it’s just not that serious. Even up to the point of a Black person’s death, the gist of the cartoon and the Hambrick article is that everyone is overreacting. This lack of real concern about the racism that Blacks face in America is why a small group of white supremacists can become a dangerous force; the whites who may not be racist don’t take anti-black racism seriously. That is why there always polls that show a disparity between Black and white attitudes regarding racism. As long as the majority of whites do not take these issues seriously there will always be an opportunity for white supremacists to hijack corporate board rooms and government offices to promote their racist agendas. This is also why Blacks in particular and non-racists in general must always remain vigilant and quick to act.

Although some have tried to make this about freedom of speech, that is again not the issue. After all, the cartoon did publish, unlike so many other individuals who create cartoons that are not published. Moreover, what  people like Hambrick and Eisner are upset about is the consequences to exercising free speech. The real issue is opposed to the arguments of her defenders and supporters who seek to have her reinstated into the university. Although she has the right to free speech (within reason, of course), she is not immune from the results of her speech. Just as she has the right to comment as she sees fit, others have the same right to comment on her work.

You may not know John Derbyshire, but I am pleased to report that he has been fired from the National Review for publishing a racist, anti-black rant.

This guy represents those in America who are directly responsible for racism being constantly promoted generation after generation. Mocking the Blacks who talk to their children about how to deal with the police and situations involving white people, he wrote an article warning Asian and white parents to have a talk with their children regarding ways to avoid Black people. Some of his rants:

(10a) Avoid concentrations of blacks not all known to you personally.

(10b) Stay out of heavily black neighborhoods.

(10c) If planning a trip to a beach or amusement park at some date, find out whether it is likely to be swamped with blacks on that date (neglect of that one got me the closest I have ever gotten to death by gunshot).

(10d) Do not attend events likely to draw a lot of blacks.

(10e) If you are at some public event at which the number of blacks suddenly swells, leave as quickly as possible.

(10f) Do not settle in a district or municipality run by black politicians.

(10g) Before voting for a black politician, scrutinize his/her character much more carefully than you would a white.

(10h) Do not act the Good Samaritan to blacks in apparent distress, e.g., on the highway.

(10i) If accosted by a strange black in the street, smile and say something polite but keep moving.

The above links represent sites with cherry picked facts used to bolster his weak attempt to acquire some degree of credibility for his racist rant. This is the type of guy that is the reason why little white children born not knowing racism will call you racist names. Remember his face,  because he will surface somewhere else, possibly publishing under a pen name and supported by like minded individuals.

Kudos to the National Review for firing this guy. Founded by arch-conservative William F Buckley, Jr., the National Review is certainly not a magazine that I would bother with (during the late 1950’s Buckley editorialized in favor of white supremacy). Yet even they seemed to realize the damage a guy like Derbyshire could do to their carefully crafted image of not being racist, just in favor of political positions that consistently result in deleterious outcomes with respect to equality and justice for Blacks. Based on the reasons given for Derbyshire’s termination of employ, the issues was just as much to protect the National Review as it was to denounce his article as something they would never have published. Therefore, while I give them credit for firing this guy, it remains to be seen if they hire him back at a later date.

Two white guys were arrested on suspicion of a shooting spree in Tulsa Oklahoma. 19-year-old Jake England and 32-year-old Alvin Watts are being charged with three counts of first degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill. What is very interesting is if you scan the 224 comments on the shooting. The thing is that I think the collective society would be willing to address the racism of its members except that the racist members hold too much sway over the masses. The fact is that too many of the non racist members of society do not stand up to confront their more racist brethren. It’s like the dirty cop; good cops know who are the dirty cops are, but they rarely speak out or do anything to get them off the force. Likewise, many members of society are mute when it comes to the racist murmurs, rantings and actions of their friends and family.

This is why, as much as we may regard the government as a tool of the racists, we must use their laws to force them to abide by their own proclamations of justice and equality. This is why groups like the republicans seek to roll back the laws that they despise so much. These laws lay the foundation for turning their own system against them. Even if we re-establish independent political and economic strength, we must be invested in the system enough so that through our political strength, we can use the system to our advantage. Change will not come from working within the system; only external pressure will push the system towards a more just and equal society. Nevertheless, we must have sufficient influence within the system to use it to protect our socioeconomic and sociopolitical gains, otherwise we suffer the terrible setbacks such as Tulsa, Rosewood  or even Overtown over again.

The police officers who fatally shot Kendric McDade  are now in line for compensation as victims who “feared for their lives.”  Pasadena police Officers Jeffrey Newlen and Matthew Griffin  are now eligible for financial compensation to pay bills  while McDade, the suspect (not victim), is dead. As victims of crime, they can apply for aid as any victim of crime is able to do.

If a police officer, who is trained and paid to engage in stressful situations, can fear for his life in a situation where he/she is in a car, in possession of a gun, a back-up gun, taser, baton, bullet proof vest and a radio to call for back-up, then either his/her training is inadequate or they need not be a police officer. If they possess fear, they simply lack faith or confidence that they can control the situation. Furthermore, it not only adds insult to (mortal) injury that the shooters are the victims and the person shot and killed is considered a suspect, it also creates a legal issue. In a perverse way, a conflict of interest is created when a police officer can be compensated as a victim when they shoot someone. There is a financial incentive for an officer to shoot civilians. It doesn’t matter if the compensation is a large or small percentage of their income because the fact remains that the officer can receive a benefit from using deadly force, or, by logical extension, any force at all.