Q: (calgal@slate) Why do you bother with such a forum as this, mostly white, upper/middle class, not particularly racist, pretty much clueless when it comes to looking at the world from your vantage point? What keeps you patient with us?
A: I read too many plays by Neil Simon at an impressionable age. But seriously, I think Americans like those in Slate's Fray and Cafe Utne are of the mind to be early adopters of the kind of feedback loop a deliberative forum can produce. Imagine a system which allows you to view the 37 most common pro & con arguments surrounding affirmative action, how 100 influential people weigh in on each of those and the 4 most clear synergistic positions. This is, in my opinion, far superior to wading through 2 years of arguments covering 1200 posts by an indeterminate number of individuals. Ultimately the most compelling reasons and arguments can be linked together and referenced in real time.
Whitefolks of all stripes must, in order to forge a post-racial national identity which is shared across our current color lines, undergo some transformation of their racial identity. They must find an effective and positive manner of evading racial reductions imposed upon them by others, and by themselves. From the provocative position of boohab, you cannot be both 'white' and 'colorblind'. This is a contradiction in terms. that's obvious to some whitefolks who have read through a good number of arguments I have facilitated over the years, and of course many have independently discovered this and done the work themselves. I can't divine how successful these folks have been in changing the white public consciousness. Certainly the leaders of that movement, Ignatiev and other critical whiteness scholars, are on the right track but they are generally laughed at. I began thinking about whiteness back in '92, so I am very pleased to see that finally larger numbers of whitefolks are 'getting it'. several such folks have appeared in cyberspace and we find ourselves in complete agreement. I can only hope their influence increases.
But even without going through all the existentials of post-whiteness, whitefolks can enjoin in anti-racist politics and have done so. Often they have found themselves schocked into recognition when coarse racists post flames which destroy discussions. At such opportunities I like to speak up about the fact that I cannot punch these individuals in the nose, as I would be obliged to in real life. And that makes people aware of the issues of ownership and control as well as the depth at which my seriousness goes.
I must say, however, that I do get sick of answering questions about Louis Farrakhan, as if I cared.