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Authors, please note: I don’t need you to tell me who or what to believe. Thank you very much.
(Postscript: Pertinent language from Free Speech Handbook:
(The William Tell Show is all about freedom. It’s about folks’ freedom to call in to a talk show and be treated with respect no matter what they say; for which reason I call it “A Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood(R) for Adults.”
(It’s about learning to think for yourself, and not have to think and act however some bully, some gangstah, some preacher or minister or mullah or imam, some self-appointed “community leader” or politician or talk show host tells you to.)
Similar headlines: Richard Sherman Really Needs To Stop Saying ‘All Lives Matter’ Stop saying Islam is a religion of peace: Taslima Nasreen Stop laughing at Donald Trump Stop blaming white racism on black rappers Stop Trying to Find a “Real” Job Stop blaming black parents for underachieving kids Stop Pretending the “Ferguson Effect” Is Real College microaggression: Stop telling black students to ‘move on’ Quit assuming students protesting racism on campus are spoiled whiners! Stop Hiding Behind the Second Amendment “Salafi” does not equal “terrorist”: Stop assuming all conservative Muslims are violent extremists Stop Calling Terrorists ‘Militiamen’ Why White People Need to Stop Calling Asian Food a Trend Stop saying it’s “best for the kids” when it’s really about ignoring the black community Do you really believe all children can learn? Then stop disciplining black students out of the system Stop punishing black children just because they’re black
Footnote, 2015-10-28: It’s interesting how many of these pertain to race, and how many of them come from those who share a single perspective on race.
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When I shared the post Does McDonald’s discriminate against the homeless? with family, one family member harshly criticized my stand. She pointed out that all the space within the store needs to be producing income at all times.
She also allowed as my unattended bags, if left in the store while I went out to smoke, posed a hazard to others, because a toddler might get into them and find some dangerous object.
As to the first point, that certainly is an issue in this article, which is not concerned with homeless people. Now, I would never think of buying one $1.50 coffee and proceeding to “camp” in an establishment for hours. The seating limit at McD was 30 minutes, and I made certain to make a purchase every 30 minutes in order to be allowed to stay. Nonetheless, in the end they forbade me to stay any more than 60 minutes (sometimes 90 minutes) under any circumstances; I never objected, as I think they have that right.
Related: McDonald’s issues again
My daily prayer routine takes two hours. Once I have my own place, I’ll no doubt do that at home in the evenings. For now, I have no private place to do it. Given the 60-or-90 minute limit, I quit going to McDonald’s in the mornings, and now go to Dunkin’ Donuts instead. I’m not allowed to “camp” there, but they tolerate two hours as long as I’m making purchases, and I don’t have to take my bags outside. I do still routinely go to McDonald’s in the afternoons, on my way from the library to the shelter — for an hour.
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I have no particular opinion of the article or the TV special it discusses. The special will not appear until after this post’s release, and I will not have opportunity to watch it. I am intrigued by the words quoted in the title.
It is an open question of whether it is possible for white people to participate in “an honest conversation about race.” Some may argue persuasively that it’s not.
Some appear to hold that “an honest conversation about race” consists wholly of a single proposition: that every white person is personally to blame for every difficulty that has ever befallen anyone who’s black.
There really is, then, nothing for a white person to say. White people in such a setting cannot really be “participants;” they are reduced to “targets” (a term that will appear again in this coming Saturday’s post, Racism study has the wrong people smiling.).
When Stacey Patton remarks, on the subject of forgiving Dylann Roof —
Forgiveness has become a requirement for those enduring the realities of black death in America. Black families are expected to grieve as a public spectacle, to offer comfort, redemption, and a pathway to a new day. * * * [B]lack people are not allowed to express unbridled grief or rage, even under the most horrific circumstances.
— or Tucker Carlson complains, “We’re living in an age where you’re not allowed to say obvious things,” I wonder who’s doing the requiring, the expecting, the allowing.
I observe nonetheless that to be accused of racism seems to be, as it were, the unforgivable sin. The person accused cannot possibly defend oneself. (I am tempted therefore to call the charge “ir-response-able,” since no response can possibly be made.) He or she is completely discredited, and has nothing more to say. The accusation of “racism” normally ends a conversation.
It may be that “racist” is a characterization, something on The William Tell Show we will categorically seek to avoid. For certain, it is a goal of The William Tell Show that anyone can participate, and to keep the conversation going.
Originally posted 2015-07-20.
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