talking about race: the clinton case

[mix]

like anything with a long and painful past, to talk about race requires sensitivity, self-criticism, historical awareness, and cultural knowledge and insight

it also requires honesty about what the speaker(s) wants, the power dynamics at play: in other words context is all

it is hard for me to see the clintons' and their surrogates' many references to race vis-a-vis obama's candidacy, as simple (and therefore innocent) demographic or sociological terms, for example:

"white americans"

their discussions of race have been coarse, inaccurate and inflammatory; it shows, imo, a failure to understand american society (at best), and race baiting to achieve power and wealth (at worst)

~~ long-time lurker