More Letters

I had a letter published in the Daily Item on Friday, a "response to a response."

Steva Stowell-Hardcastle, a CSCC member, had an excellent "My Turn" essay published on 10/9/08 about some of the intolerance and racism that canvassers for the Obama campaign have encountered in this area. A few days later, this letter was published. Not only did it try to equate Steva's essay with "race-baiting," but it also made an outrageous assertion, suggesting (without sarcasm) that Republicans might actually get killed if they try to canvass in "any major city" (which seemed to be some kind of secret code for places where scary people live). I felt compelled to respond with the following letter:

I believe Steva Stowell-Hardcastle's essay about encounters with racism in the Susquehanna Valley was misinterpreted by the gentleman who described it as "race-baiting." She never suggested that racism is limited to Valley residents, or conservatives, or even white people. Her point was that racism is not a family, Christian or American value and should not be tolerated anywhere. The writer, in contrast, seems to suggest that because some black or liberal people may be racist, then people like Ms. Stowell-Hardcastle should not point out racist remarks or attitudes where they see them. I do not understand how he makes this connection. He is right that racism is not just a white behavior. But it is a learned behavior, often passed down between generations, and it can be "unlearned," too. The first step is to recognize it, call it out and be vigilant in making clear that our society will not tolerate it anymore. That goes for Americans of all races and political persuasions.

Finally, the writer claims that Obama campaigners should be thankful to campaign "freely and safely" here because if a Republican campaigned in "any major city" (meaning where non-white people live?) they would be physically harmed. It is exactly this kind of unfounded accusation that allows otherwise well-intentioned people to continue believing that racist words "aren't hurting anybody," and racist fears and attitudes are justified. Besides the fact that the writer offers no evidence of any such incidents, McCain has offices in most major cities, including Philadelphia and even Los Angeles. Let's agree that to change racist attitudes in the Valley and this great country of ours -- from all sides -- we need to hold everyone to a higher standard as the writer suggests and let facts, not fears, be our guide.

I am glad that my letter got published, but man! I couldn't believe that they published the other letter in the first place.

The link to Steva's original essay seems to have disappeared from the DI site, but I will try and find a link or post an original copy soon, because it is well worth reading.