IP: Littleton and the Race Issue

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

Unfortunately he has a point. djf


>Date: 30 Apr 99 07:41:05 PDT
>From: Bill Ardis <billardis@netscape.net>
>To: farber@cis.upenn.edu
>
>Dave, 
>The Littleton killings provide a real insight into race and racism in the
>United States. Listen to the tone of the national breast-beating and mea
>culpas by most of the talking-head pundits and citizens: it is empathetic,
>sorrowful, and the pronoun most often used is "we". "We" are somehow to blame,
>these are "our" children, what have "we" done to create the culture of
>violence (video games! movies! and The Internet, my God!!) which damages "our"
>children. Rosie O'Donnell was very explicit on one of her appearances; in
>shock and horror, she said, "...but -- these are OUR children!" 
>
>By contrast, when the gunslingers are black or minorities, the tone is VERY
>different: it carries more than a hint of blame, of accusation and controlled
>fury. These are no longer OUR children. If they are teenagers or younger,
>there is little consideration of that fact; throw them to the wolves, try them
>as adults, the hell with them!, is the tone. The sorrow and empathy are
>missing; only the anger remains.
>
>Of course, the WE who are speaking, pontificating, posturing....are 98% white.
>Where race and violence are concerned, United States culture is still very
>much an us-versus-them affair. Where is the empathy for elementary school kids
>in the inner cities who've seen more than a few dead bodies in their streets
>-- before they reach 11 years of age?? Are these not "our" children too?
>
>Bill Ardis
>bill.ardis@pobox.com
>
>
>
>Bill Ardis
>bill.ardis@pobox.com
>
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