post-racial boomerang
Jul. 23rd, 2010 05:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
novapsycheI've been loath to bring up Shirley Sharrod, because the whole situation was hyperpolitical to begin with. I knew something fishy was up from the start. Now Ms. Sharrod has the upper hand, which is good, considering that someone somewhere had it out for her.
Roland Martin's description of the racial gymnastics undertaken by the involved parties pretty much sums up how I feel about things.
To a point. He is a journalist, not a social scientist, so for him to distill all power dynamics to a matter of which side of the color line one resides is shortsighted. Myriad intersections of culture (class, education, socioeconomic background, gender, &c) coalesce in such situations, and it is ridiculously reductionist to purport that race can be summed up as 'blacks can be racist, too' (a paraphrase of Mr. Martin's recurring thrusts).
I would weep joyfully the day a journalist--any journalist, but preferably one with a national broadcast--examines race as purely a social construct.
Roland Martin's description of the racial gymnastics undertaken by the involved parties pretty much sums up how I feel about things.
To a point. He is a journalist, not a social scientist, so for him to distill all power dynamics to a matter of which side of the color line one resides is shortsighted. Myriad intersections of culture (class, education, socioeconomic background, gender, &c) coalesce in such situations, and it is ridiculously reductionist to purport that race can be summed up as 'blacks can be racist, too' (a paraphrase of Mr. Martin's recurring thrusts).
I would weep joyfully the day a journalist--any journalist, but preferably one with a national broadcast--examines race as purely a social construct.