Racism: alive and thriving

This is a copy of an email I received yesterday. It's from the President and Provost of the University of Louisville, and was sent to everyone at the university. THIS IS SCARY SHIT:

This morning a professor at the University of Kentucky discovered an effigy of presidential candidate Barack Obama hanging from a tree on campus.

We join with UK President Lee Todd in calling this action "despicable." As Americans and as an institution of higher education, we know the importance of free speech and free thought. This type of activity, however, is not acceptable as either.

At UofL, we are committed to being a diverse and inclusive university community....

We know you join us in saying within the context of our vision statement and in keeping with our larger mission, that we do not condone hate speech or acts of intolerance that underlie forms of oppression, racism, sexism, homophobia or discrimination; and that we will commit to eradicating all forms of inequality and injustices by building a just, fair and inclusive campus community.

Let's treat each other with civility and respect.

James Ramsey Shirley Willihnganz
President Provost

UofL's diversity statement
UofL's Diversity office

As I have been saying since the beginning of the general election, this election has FINALLY created a clear choice between a moderate candidate and a neo-con candidate; they proudly tout vastly divergent worldviews and policies. While it has been exciting for me to choose from two major party candidates who are actually different (instead of more of the same "Skull vs. Bones", to quote America the Book), it has baffled me (1) that anyone has difficulty making this choice, and (2) that anyone would choose John McCain over Barack Obama. The economy, the war, the last 8 years of neo-con rape of our country and our people, should all make this the easiest, most conscience-clear election of people's lives.

And yet.

And yet racism lives on, so tenaciously. People are so blinded by the cover of the book that they don't want to even pick it up and leaf through it, let alone buy it. Leaving aside the consideration of how arbitrary and stupid it is to dislike someone because he looks different from you, racial discrimination is just self-defeating, both in this election and in life! If nothing else, it should be a matter of self-interest, right? In the case of this particular man, Barack Obama, he is the obvious best choice in this election. In a general sense, white racists should learn that “[Taking] the world as a whole, it’s an eccentricity to be white,” as George Orwell says well in Burmese Days.

So when I hear about Obama being lynched in effigy, I get really worried--for him, for us, for the world. I get worried about the election too: Democrats and Obama supporters are getting a little strident this week. Not Obama or Michelle, but their supporters, have started "measuring the drapes," as John McCain likes to say so often; it would behoove those enthusiasts to know about this incident at UK.

That is to say: the election isn't for 5 days. The inauguration isn't for 2.5 months after that. So don't count yer chickens before they hatch, you optimists. The man isn't president yet, and there are plenty of people who still look at that accomplished, intelligent, eloquent, vibrant, (half-white) lawyer, public servant, and son-of-an-anthropologist, and all they see is a n*gger they ain't votin' for.