General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: We see regular, often harsh criticism of the media for their decisions on what and who to cover [View all]H2O Man
(73,537 posts)I was good friends with Rubin for 40+ years. I have a massive amount of letters, essays, legal documents, etc from Rubin and the legal team. My children knew him as their uncle. When I was in high school, one of my classes communicated with him on cassette tapes -- the teacher got fired! In college, a philosophy teacher used some of his letters from what we (legal team, supporters) called his "Buddha phase," when I was one of two people he communicated with. Rubin was a fascinating man.
Over the decades, I have witnessed -- as I'm sure you have -- people who feel they are on a hot seat during honest conversations about race. "Not me! Some of my best friends are black!" was rather easy to identify. It can be difficult for some to recognize that they are not the target of every discussion of racism ...... sitting in the Longhouse at Onondaga, when my friends spoke about racist injustices, I was never tempted to jump up and yell, "But not me!" It might have gotten a good laugh if I did, though, as Onondaga humor is as subtle as a razor's cut. But if I said, "Um, let's not talk about this. It's divisive," no one would have laughed.