Comments on: My White Teeth: Counterpoint in F

by: montibass

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 20:45:32 +0000

Let me just say this. I am white. I also went to school with Kelvin Monroe. To the best of my knowledge he is not a racist. It seems to me that his article was written in anger. WELL JUSTIFIED. Some of his comments do sound racist to me in this article. They seem to sound as if Kelvin is lumping ALL white people together. I REally don’t believe this is the case in his mind. It IS something everyone does (or almost everyone) when reacting to a horrible situation. I am also willing to bet that everyone who has repremanded him for this article is white. The truth is, as a white person, you can’t understand what I black person has to live through in our society any more than they can what what white people do.

Kelvin is giving a very clear picture of a racist situation. It is tragic. Let me give you an other one. When Kelvin and I were going to Valdosta State University (in Valdosta GA, Both working on Bachelors in music) a black man named Willie Williams was arrested for public drunkeness. When he was put in prison a bunch of white gaurds decided it would be fun to smash his face repetedly into a bullet prrof glass door. One black gaurd refused to help and was fired. They killed Willie. The judge (who incidentally was white) said the video of the gaurds smashing his face into the door was inadmissable in court. There were protests. Lewis faracon came to Valdosta. It changed NOTHING. The gards got off scott free.

Many of you state that Kelvin is being perhaps hypersensative to the issue. Some of you say that he himself is a racist. I think the fact that this is still such a major issue after so much time shows just how sad this nation still is. Maybe we shoudl all start listening. Start loving. If you are a christian, I suggest you remember the words of Christ and treat all as your brother. We canonly change the world by changing ourselves.

by: nick prince

Sat, 03 Sep 2005 18:17:59 +0000

since time immemorial whites have committed unspeakable atrocities on blacks and people of other races too..why dont u whites accept this fact why do u keep whining about u whites being the victim… U WERE THE ONES WHO BROUGHT THEM TO USA FROM AFRICA..whatever have the blacks done to u..

accept the fact that u whites are malicious evil monsters…this shows from the lynching photographs ….

by: LW

Wed, 03 Aug 2005 04:51:54 +0000

To the Man:

Obviously we must mean something to you or you wouldn’t have responded.

So I guess it would be OK with you if I raised my own private army, conquered Europe, enslaved whites and then said I was being “kind” to your kind by freeing you “non-beings” after getting what I could out of you. After all, with conquest comes privilege, right?

Is flipping the script really that difficult for you people?

by: Adam D.

Sun, 24 Jul 2005 03:07:47 +0000

While I read the Invisible Man adapted essay I struggled to fight emotion over analysis. Yes I am white, but that is not the issue, because anyone of any color will at first read this essay with a mixture of emotions. If the author’s intent is to elicit his reader’s emotions, then my hats off to him, however if the author’s intention was to illustrate, through life experience, the reality of latent racism then he has slightly strayed off course, as many passionate activists do. This is not to state that emotion is unnecessary, because it is. It is the catalyst that drives us to proclaim injustices through acts of protests such as essays. However, activist must be careful not to go to far with emotion so as to induce reactionist, such as people like “American Patriot, Concerned Citizen, or Anthony.” These individuals react to emotional proclamations with emotion because they lack the analysis that should have been disclosed within the proclamation. Prejudice and racism do thrive however incubated it may be, one just has to go to the bureau of labor and statistics. After I read the essay I read everybody’s comments and all elicited a first reaction emotion, whether it was guilt, empathy, or anger. All were understandable but overwrought, except for that of Darvin and Steve. Darvin and Steve both made the insightful comments that we as Americans need to come to the realization that racism does exist however unsystematic it may be. And we need to first activity reject it through all possible means, beginning with our acceptance that it exist. Majority of Americans have been clouded by the idea that we are all born with equal opportunity and this could not be further from the truth. Imagine for instance two people, person A and person B, and A is awarded a car. Person A can travel to the better jobs, better schools, and better homes then the person B. Obviously with the better job higher income and more savings follow. Person A then buys more cars for himself. Then after 20 years of use person A tells person B that they must share the car. Person B complains about having to share the broken down car, but Person A retorts, stating that he has to share the car so that they are now EQUAL, he however can drive away in his new cars leaving B with the Junker that can roll over a speed up.

by: THE MAN

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:59:59 +0000

Privlege comes with conguest. White people conquered the American Indians in this country and earned the privlege to be in charge. You were brought here as slaves, non-beings. We have been kind to you and freed you from your chains but you still think you are in bondage. You are in bondage to your prejudice and rage. If you don’t like it here; I suggest you take the advice of Marcus Garvey - MOVE! Move to where ever you think you will be happy. There is nothing keeping you here and we would all be alot better off without you.

Your rage means nothing to me and will continue to mean nothing to me because you mean nothing to me. All of your whinning and crying is getting boring.

I would advise you to take Booker T. Washington’s advice: Make friends with the white man, be polite, have manners and work. For it is in following Washington’s advice that you could ever hope to begin to mean something to me.

by: red

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:59:59 +0000

I remember what black conservative, Jesse Lee Peterson said when someone asked him about the liberal claim of white privilege, to which he said, “I think it’s a cop out. If there’s white privilege than there’s black privilege. Blacks have the privilege of making very nasty and hateful statements about whites without fear that they will get lynched or fired from their jobs. Blacks have the priviliege of starting clubs and fraternities, only open to blacks.

So do whites.

Angry blacks won’t admit it, but they know they couldn’t have the luxuries or privileges in USA (the “evil white oppressive nation”) that they could anywhere else.

There are plenty of blacks living all over the world in other countries that don’t suffer from the racism and stigma of preconceived attitudes based on ones skin color. This statement shows your ignorance to other cultures. “Blacks” just don’t live in Africa and the US.

I once recall a situation in highschool where a black kid was whining about America being a “racist nation” to which an Asian kid responded, “I’m from Vietnam. You can’t complain living in America. If you think it’s bad here, then travel around the world and you’ll see real problems.”

What does a racist nation have to do with Vietnam? The Vietnamese have a social problem on such an entirely different scale. Not to mention the simple fact that even after all the shooting and killing they haven’t been able to recover. Then you don’t take into aspect all of the US american manufacturing plants working them like slaves. Not only in Vietnam but in many 3rd world countries; and not so 3rd world countries.

You can’t argue two different topics and compare them in a blanket statement. It makes for poor arguments and usually makes you look like the end of a bad joke. Either you will argue about Vietnam; or of the comment about America being a racist nation. Which I would mostly agree with, but a response such as “I’m from Vietnam, you have it good” is rather silly.

by: matt

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:59:59 +0000

This is another example of racist blacks AUTOMATICALLY assuming you’re a bigot just because you have light skin. Isn’t that racist? I mean, I would call someone a racist if they thought being black, automatically meant what kind of a person you are.

Why is it that whites, who have gave more rights to blacks an other minorities are rudely and visciosuly attacked, yet black countries have done more harm to blacks than America has!

You know why the guy in this story found racism? Because he was looking for it.

Angry blacks won’t admit it, but they know they couldn’t have the luxuries or privileges in USA (the ‘evil white oppressive nation’) that they could anywhere else.

I once recall a situation in highschool where a black kid was whining about America being a ‘racist nation’ to which an Asian kid responded, “I’m from Vietnam. You can’t complain living in America. If you think it’s bad here, then travel around the world and you’ll see real problems.”

by: Sandy Mincen

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:59:59 +0000

We notice what we’re looking for. White walls, white people, white coats. What color was the chair? The ink–blue, black, green? I could write in the same way and make the dominant motif just about any color. You’re trying to manipulate your audience. I like what you have to say, but you’re guilty of the same methods that you might criticize.

by: Madeline Althoff

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:59:59 +0000

Hey! Is this site alive? Kendall?

Well, I wanted to add to this thread that anyone who doesn’t understand why Kelvin has so much anger about race issues and/or who in any way thinks that blatant racism is a thing of the past, need look no farther than this page:

Right-wing bigots hurl vicious insults at comedian Margaret Cho (who “dared” to criticize Republicans in comedy routine!)

Who are these people? How do they come to be so hateful and bigoted? It defies my comprehension…

Pages of comments on this issue by more right-wingers can be read on The Free Republic’s site. I truly do not understand how all of these people can be so utterly lacking in any sort of critical thinking skills. They see absolutely no problem in reducing the situation to “Left Attacked Right, Right Attacked Left Back”…as though details were completely irrelavent.

The fact that “Left Attacked Right” consisted of a professional commedian using a comedy routine as a platform to make political commentary and criticize a political agenda, while “Right Attacked Left” consisted of hundreds of individuals sending horrifically racist, misogynous, cruel, bigoted e-mails personally attacking the comedian and her very right to exist and to live in her own country—this profound discrepancy apparently causes them no concern. It seems to be completely beyond them that these two attacks are not fundamentally equivalent. So essentially, if someone challenges Republican/Right politics or criticizes a Republican president, it is perfectly acceptable to respond by calling that person a “fat, ugly chink whore”.

How does one even begin to communicate with such people? If it’s not simply obvious, how could one possibly get them to see that attacking a president and his administration on matters of public policy, whether by serious discourse or even outrageous comedy, is a perfectly legitimate course of action in a democratic society, whereas attacking a person on the basis of her sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and/or physical features is inhumane, unproductive, and just plain wrong?

Fortunately Margaret Cho seems to be a very together person who is able to see through these vicious attacks and advocate for respect and equality for all people (even though she may kick the shit out of some of them rhetorically in her comedy routines!).

Hey, maybe Margaret Cho could write something for this website…don’t know if it’s something she’d take time for or not…Or perhaps she’s already written something on race that would be appropriate to reprint here…

by: Felicity Laurence

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:59:59 +0000

Thank you Kelvin Monroe. I’m sorry for your pain, but in telling it you have made me understand a little.
Racism is cell deep in all of us in the dominant race, all over the world. It’s very hard to recognise it, let alone confront it, but I try constantly and welcome chance encounters (I came across your story completely at random this evening) which open my eyes a little.
I feel your suffering, not as you do of course, but also recognise your courage in exposing it.
I work with people (mainly children) of colour in different countries, and strive always to see things better from their perspective. I also see that I have to reliquish privilege, and this is very hard. Your story has taken me a step further.
I wish you well (and as a fellow musician too, also working on a PhD, in music and empathy…).