The skanner., May 30, 2012, Page 16, Image 16

Opinion
Racist ‘Talk’ with White Children
“ C h a lle n g in g P e o p le t o S h a p e
a B e tte r F u tu re N o w ”
B E R N IE F O S T E R
Founder/Publisher
B O B B IE D O R E F O S T E R
Executive Editor
J ER RY F O STER
Account Executive
L IS A L O V IN G
News Editor
H E L E N S ILV IS
Multimedia Editor
D AV I D K I D D
Graphic Designer
M
O N IC A
J. F O STER
Seattle Office Coordinator
J U L IE K E E F E
S U S A N F R IE D
Photographers
The Skanner Newspaper , e sta b lish e d
in O c to b e r 1 9 7 5 , is a w e e k ly p u b lic a -
tio n , p u b lis h e d e a c h W e d n e s d a y b y
IM M P u b lic a tio n s In c .,
4 1 5 N . K illin g sw o rth S t.,
P.O . B o x 5 4 5 5 , P o rtla n d , O R 9 7 2 2 8 .
n th e w a k e o f th e s h o o tin g
d e a th o f 1 7 -y e a r-o ld T ra y v o n
M a rtin in S a n fo rd , F la ., s to rie s
a p p e a re d in n e w s p a p e rs , o n b ro a d -
c a s t o u tle ts a n d o n th e In te rn e t
a b o u t “ th e ta lk ,” a c a n d id c o n v e r-
s a tio n B la c k p a re n ts h a v e a t s o m e
p o in t w ith th e ir B la c k s o n s a b o u t
s u rv iv in g in a s o c ie ty th a t d e v a l-
u e s th e m a s h u m a n s .
In a n A p ril 5 a rtic le p u b lis h e d in
T a k i m a g a z i n e ( t a k i m a g .c o m ) ,
N a tio n a l R e v ie w c o n trib u to r J o h n
D e rb y s h ire w ro te , “ Ye s , ta lk a b o u t
th e ta lk is a ll o v e r.” U n d e r th e
h e a d lin e , “ T h e Ta lk : N o n b la c k
Ve rs io n ,” h e s a id , “ T h e re is a ta lk
th a t n o n b la c k A m e ric a n s h a v e
w ith th e ir k id s , to o . M y o w n k id s ,
n o w 1 9 a n d 1 6 , h a v e h a d it in b its
a n d p ie c e s a s s u b to p ic s h a v e a ris -
e n . If I w e re to a s s e m b le it in to a
s in g le ta lk , it w o u ld lo o k s o m e -
th in g lik e th e fo llo w in g .”
H e th e n lis te d a s e rie s o f c le a rly
r a c is t a n d u n d o c u m e n te d c o m -
m e n ts . A m o n g th e m :
— T h e d e fa u lt p rin c ip le in
e v e ry d a y p e rs o n a l e n c o u n te rs is
th a t, a s a fe llo w c itiz e n w ith th e
s a m e r ig h ts a n d o b lig a tio n s a s
y o u rs e lf, a n y in d iv id u a l b la c k is
e n title d to th e s a m e c o u rte s ie s y o u
w o u ld e x te n d to a n o n b la c k c iti-
z e n . T h a t is b a s ic g o o d m a n n e rs
a n d g o o d c itiz e n s h ip . I n s o m e
u n u su a l c irc u m sta n c e s, h o w e v -
e r— e .g ., p a ra g ra p h (1 0 h ) b e lo w —
th is d e fa u lt p rin c ip le s h o u ld b e
o v e rrid d e n b y c o n s id e ra tio n s o f
p e rs o n a l s a fe ty.
— In c o n s id e ra tio n o f p e rs o n a l
s a fe ty, D e rb y s h ire a d v is e s : A v o id
c o n c e n tra tio n s o f b la c k s n o t a ll
k n o w n to y o u p e rs o n a lly ; s ta y o u t
o f h e a v ily b la c k n e ig h b o rh o o d s ; if
p la n n in g a tr ip to a b e a c h o r
I
Te le p h o n e (5 0 3 ) 2 8 5 -5 5 5 5 .
T H E C URRY
R EPO RT
G e o rg e E .
C u rry
a m u s e m e n t p a rk a t s o m e d a te , fin d
o u t w h e th e r it is lik e ly to b e
s w a m p e d w ith b la c k s o n th a t d a te
(n e g le c t o f th a t o n e , h e s a id , g o t
m e th e c lo s e s t I h a v e e v e r g o tte n
to d e a th b y g u n s h o t);
do not
a tte n d e v e n ts lik e ly to d ra w a lo t
In consideration of personal safety,
Derbyshire advises: Avoid
concentrations of blacks not all known
to you personally
o f b la c k s ; if y o u a re a t s o m e p u b -
lic e v e n t a t w h ic h th e n u m b e r o f
b la c k s s u d d e n ly s w e lls , le a v e a s
q u ic k ly a s p o s s ib le ; d o n o t s e ttle in
a d is tric t o r m u n ic ip a lity ru n b y
b la c k p o litic ia n s ; b e fo re v o tin g
fo r a b la c k p o litic ia n , s c ru tin iz e
h is /h e r c h a ra c te r m u c h m o re c a re -
fu lly th a n y o u w o u ld a w h ite ; d o
n o t a c t th e G o o d S a m a rita n to
b la c k s in a p p a re n t d is tre s s , e .g ., o n
th e h ig h w a y a n d if a c c o s te d b y a
s tra n g e b la c k in th e s tre e t, s m ile
a n d s a y s o m e th in g p o lite b u t k e e p
m o v in g .
— A s y o u g o th ro u g h life , h o w -
e v e r, y o u w ill e x p e rie n c e a n e v e r
la rg e r n u m b e r o f e n c o u n te rs w ith
b la c k A m e ric a n s . A s s u m in g y o u r
E -m a il: in f o @ t h e s k a n n e r.c o m
W o rld W id e W e b site :
h t t p : //w w w .t h e s k a n n e r.c o m
F ax: (5 0 3 ) 2 8 5 -2 9 0 0
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Afghanistan as Well as Vets Back Home
…in Opinion
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M ay 30, 12012
e n c o u n te rs
are
ran d o m — fo r
e x a m p le , n o t re s tric te d o n ly to
b la c k c o n v ic te d m u rd e re rs o r to
b la c k in v e s tm e n t b a n k e r s — th e
L a w o f L a rg e N u m b e r s w i l l
i n e v i t a b l y k i c k i n . Yo u w i l l
o b s e rv e th a t th e m e a n s — th e a v e r-
a g e s — o f m a n y tra its a re v e ry d if-
fe re n t fo r b la c k a n d w h ite
A m e ric a n s , a s h a s b e e n c o n firm e d
b y m e th o d ic a l in q u irie s in th e
h u m a n s c ie n c e s .
— O f m o s t im p o rta n c e to y o u r
p e rs o n a l s a fe ty a re th e v e ry d iffe r-
e n t m e a n s fo r a n tis o c ia l b e h a v io r,
w h ic h y o u w ill s e e re fle c te d in , fo r
in sta n c e ,
school
d isc ip lin a ry
m e a s u re s , p o litic a l c o rru p tio n , a n d
c rim in a l c o n v ic tio n s .
— T h e s e d iffe re n c e s a re m a g n i-
fie d b y th e h o s tility m a n y b la c k s
fe e l to w a rd w h ite s . T h u s , w h ile
b la c k -o n -b la c k b e h a v io r is m o re
a n tis o c ia l in th e a v e ra g e th a n is
w h ite -o n -w h ite b e h a v io r, a v e ra g e
b la c k -o n -w h ite b e h a v io r is a
d e g re e m o re a n tis o c ia l y e t.
— A s m a ll c o h o rt o f b la c k s — in
m y e x p e rie n c e , a ro u n d fiv e p e r-
c e n t— is fe ro c io u sly h o stile to
w h ite s a n d w ill g o to g re a t le n g th s
to in c o n v e n ie n c e o r h a rm u s . A
m u c h la rg e r c o h o rt o f b la c k s —
a ro u n d h a lf— w ill g o a lo n g p a s -
s iv e ly if th e f iv e p e r c e n t ta k e
le a d e rs h ip in s o m e e v e n t. T h e y
w ill d o th is o u t o f ra c ia l s o lid a rity,
th e n a tu ra l w illin g n e s s o f m o s t
h u m a n b e in g s to b e le d , a n d a
v a g u e fe e lin g th a t w h ite s h a v e it
c o m in g .
— T h e m e a n in te llig e n c e o f
b la c k s is m u c h lo w e r th a n fo r
w h ite s . T h e le a s t in te llig e n t 1 0
p e rc e n t o f w h ite s h a v e IQ s b e lo w
8 1 ; fo rty p e rc e n t o f b la c k s h a v e
IQ s th a t lo w . O n ly o n e b la c k in s ix
is m o re in te llig e n t th a n th e a v e r-
a g e w h ite ; fiv e w h ite s o u t o f s ix
a re m o re in te llig e n t th a n th e a v e r-
a g e b la c k … “ L ife is a n IQ te s t.”
— T h e re is a m a g n ify in g e ffe c t
h e re , to o , c a u s e d b y a ffirm a tiv e
a c tio n . In a p u re m e rito c ra c y th e re
w o u ld b e v e ry lo w p ro p o rtio n s o f
b la c k s in c o g n itiv e ly d e m a n d in g
j o b s . B e c a u s e o f a ff i r m a t i v e
a c tio n , th e p ro p o rtio n s a re h ig h e r.
In g o v e rn m e n t w o rk , th e y a re v e ry
h ig h . T h u s , in th o s e e n c o u n te rs
w ith s tra n g e rs th a t in v o lv e c o g n i-
tiv e e n g a g e m e n t, c e te ris p a rib u s
th e b la c k s tra n g e r w ill b e le s s
in te llig e n t th a n th e w h ite . In s u c h
e n c o u n te rs , th e re fo re — fo r e x a m -
p le , a t a g o v e rn m e n t o ffic e — y o u
w ill, o n a v e ra g e , b e d e a lt w ith
m o re c o m p e te n tly b y a w h ite th a n
b y a b la c k .
D e rb y s h ire e n d e d h is a rtic le b y
s a y in g , “ Yo u d o n ’t h a v e to fo llo w
m y v e rs io n o f th e ta lk p o in t fo r
p o in t; b u t if y o u a re w h ite o r A s ia n
a n d h a v e k id s , y o u o w e it to th e m
to g iv e th e m s o m e v e rs io n o f th e
ta lk . It w ill s a v e th e m a lo t o f tim e
a n d tro u b le s p e n t fig u rin g th in g s
o u t fo r th e m s e lv e s . It m a y s a v e
th e ir liv e s .”
George E. Curry, former editor-
in-chief of Emerge magazine, is
editor-in-chief of the National
Newspaper Publishers Associa-