From our Mailbag 12/20/02 - 01/08/03



by YOU

THE WORLD - From Matthew W., (No City Provided, ) CA, USA:

SUBJECT: Steele

Raheem -

I appreciated your retort to Shelby Steele. I started his article in Harpers but did not finish it - but should. I am white, and I have believed since I was a teen that white guilt was the basis for racism against blacks in this country. The need to justify mistreatment of blacks originates with our fear about what we have coming to us for what we did with slavery, have done with racism, and continue to do. It is a neurotic mess with vicious consequences you clearly understand.

I am a professor in public affairs at a small private university in southern California, and working on race relations in that area, beginning with my school. I am trying to pull together visions for reconciliation between blacks and whites. Sounds like a very white/naiive vision, I know. But if it is true (as has been said) that blacks must take time to mourn what happened to their ancestors, then it seems an appropriate response that whites contemplate the "brutality" of the shame we bear in the deeds of our ancestry. Both races need their (our) humanity redeemed to them (us). The paradox I see is that we can only obtain this affirmation from each other. Whites have denied blacks their dignity forever in this country. The insult to such injury is endured by us. We are a lost soul as a race. The only way to recover our own humanity is to recognize how our fear drives us to destruction. Maybe then we could begin to have fuller discussion on these issues.

The neo-cons exist because many whites cannot see past their fear and acknowledge their guilt and culpability. Fretting, hand wringing, mis-guided discussions on "tolerating" and "honoring" "diversity" are, for the most part, the product of white neurotic anxiety. I've participated in a lot of this, and it is infantilizing. Academic discussions on the topic are bereft too often bereft of emotion and potency, such is the white "need" to obscure our fears.

Genuine guilt has hardly been tapped. We can face this, and we must do so. How to begin this process is not clear to me, and I need help to focus my thoughts, energies.

If DuBois were alive today, would he write that racism in this country is the central problem for the world? I wonder, when I think of our justifications for war. White America is the number one exporter of fear based on unresolved racism.

Thanks again for your thoughtfulness. Nice to hear people with the courage to keep speaking truth to illusion, fear.

My best,
Matthew W.


RADIO RAHEEM RESPONDS: Mr. W.,

It was with great pleasure I received your thoughtful and well-reasoned e-mail. After my little sword-play with E.C. from Michigan and the hand-slap from our Esteemed Editor, I was beginning to wonder if I had stepped into an alternative reality where none of what I was talking about ever happened.

I knew it wasn't so, but everybody second-guesses themselves, ya' know?

a cathedral of words

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You hit the nail on the head when you say that neither the acknowledgement of brutality or the actual grappling with guilt is on the national agenda right now.

As to what DuBois might say today, I don't think I'm qualified to even venture a guess. I do think that racism has a lot to do with who we bomb and how often. It seems as clear as the nose on your face. OR all you have to do is listen to the conversations carried on by your "average" Americans when they refer to other countries in the world. Some folks still talk like Africa is a country, for example, instead of a huge continent full fo countries. (I've given up on those kind of people.)

Its heartening to know that there are White folk out there like yourself who are still trying to grapple with this last scar on the national soul. Thanks for writing in.

Peace Out.


From Maggie K., (No City Provided), SOUTH AFRICA:

SUBJECT: Your magazine

I want to congratulate you on one of the best finds EVER on the internet. I have been interested in satire and accidently "googled" my way onto your site. Since then I have spent two days reading and reading and I'm still at it.

Holding my attention for two days non-stop is a mouthful. The internet has convinced me lately that I might be a victim of deaddot.comitus - a fatal disease for, and a result of intellectual-attention-defecit- syndrome in fairyland.

Thank you for everyone's contributions to it, and the excellent standards set. I'm looking forward to a splendiferous journey in cyberspace, because of G21.

Keep up the good work and good luck!
Maggie.
South Africa.

ROD RESPONDS: Maggie,

Thanks for visiting G21 and for taking the time to write us. We love hearing from our readers! I hope you'll join our Mailing List and stick around for years of joyful (and often humorous) writing.

Cheers,
Rod

From Maggie K., (No City Provided), SOUTH AFRICA:

SUBJECT: From South Africa

Hi Tom,

Just a short note, after accidently "Googling" onto the G21-site, that I somehow realised, after two days of reading, that your contributions really makes me relaxed. Of course, your intellect is awesome :)))).......Keep up the good work.

Of course the other contributions keeps me reading as well. In comparison though, they tend to bring on an depression-angst, while yours manage to gate-crash it again!

Take care,
Maggie


TOM HART RESPONDS: Maggie,

Dang! This is a FIRST. NOBODY has ever used the words "intellect" and "Tabloid Hart" in the same sentence for the three or four years I been writin' here! Are you sure you been reading my columns and not some imposter's?

I usually suck hind-tit around here because all the other durn writers are considered much more "serious" than me. After all, I openly admit that I live in a trailer park and my favorite topic is what everybody else considers trash.

It ain't like a give a cow flop, of course. I enjoy what I write about and so do my pals down here in BubbaLand. Of course the Publisher has been putting pressure on me to produce more often, but with letters like yours I just might consider it.

Thanks a bunch, Darlin'.

Tom


From Albertus J,. Geneva, SWITZERLAND:

SUBJECT: THE GLASS HOUSE

My congratulations to you. I have been following your online diary for weeks now and am always surprised with how you can mix the personal and the editorial so seamlessly. Bravo!

I have read other online diaries and blogs, but yours maintains a unique and intelligently challenging quality that is seductive. I look forward to reading each of your new entries. And your politics are admirable.

Keep up the good work!
Albertus


ROD RESPONDS: Albertus,

Thanks for making an old man's day on one of those when I was beginning to feel that Rod the Bartender had left Rod the Writer far behind. Cheers.

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