tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283562383623991009.post4255451122470635924..comments2023-10-28T01:54:40.171-07:00Comments on Blowing in the Wyoming Wind by Rodger McDaniel: When they say "It isn't about race" you can bet it is.Blowing in the Windhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08643449161509337335noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283562383623991009.post-87625163027805876762012-04-10T10:25:21.841-07:002012-04-10T10:25:21.841-07:00Thanks for the thoughtful writing from the Equalit...Thanks for the thoughtful writing from the Equality State. So sad to hear about the death of this woman in Cheyenne. Where are the community-based support services in SE Wyoming?PacEth: Applied Anthropology Just About Everywherehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06858799537484560879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283562383623991009.post-71250862666528682102012-04-07T14:31:59.710-07:002012-04-07T14:31:59.710-07:00You've made a provocative plea, but it's n...You've made a provocative plea, but it's not a plea to end racial discrimination. Race is a misnomer. If people can interbreed, as we now know even homo sapiens could with neanderthals, then they're not part of different races. What you've called "race" is cultural differences between groups who don't always look different. That is "ethnicity." The woman who took her own life and that of her child was not part of a different race. She was from a different country where Spanish is the most prevalent language and Catholicism is the most prevalent religion. That made her culturally different from people in most parts of the US, but she'd have been quite at home in large parts of South Florida, South Texas, or Southern California. The US has always had a fragmented culture. We are "united" politically, but more competitive with each other than united in every other way. Here languages compete for speakers. Religions compete for members. Individuals compete for educations, careers, wealth, prestige and, yes, citizenship. <br /><br />Most illegal immigrants get deported over and over again, but they persist if they think it's worth it to them. Crossing the border illegally can be risky, but it's not the end of the world if you get caught. She committed suicide and homicide because she was mentally ill. There's no way to get around that last part. People who are just economically desperate don't kill their children. She was being sent home because developed welfare states won't tolerate immigration unless those immigrants already have the skills to earn more than the average citizen in those developed states. Otherwise, unemployed citizens revolt. We've seen the worst ethnic conflict in the US where more established ethnic groups resisted competition from newcomers. That includes the obvious Native Americans taking on the Europeans, but English vs German, Protestant vs Catholic, Italians, Irish, and Poles vs established English and German immigrants, then there's the freed subSaharan African slaves. The more we harp on those differences as though they have some kind of permanent genetic foundation, though, the harder it gets to overcome those differences. <br /><br />I'm very surprised that Trayvon Martin's shooting isn't more of a rallying cry for gun control advocates. Gun nuts have been pushing laws to make carrying concealed weapons legal everywhere. People who go around with concealed weapons often have fantasies where they become heroes in showdowns with "bad guys." This neighborhood watch "captain" was an obvious wannabe cop who was out looking for, no, HOPING for, trouble. Eventually the feds will insist on prosecuting him because of public outrage over the local prosecutor's cavalier attitude. Trayvon Martin was an unfortunate teen-aged stranger wearing a hoodie. He crossed paths with a paranoid gun nut looking for an excuse to be a hero. Vilify the gun nut and gun nut culture. Vilify the local prosecutor for being soft-headed. Vilify the Old South's irrational segregationalist traditions that made people afraid of each other. <br /><br />Just don't be so quick to shout racism. It doesn't solve any problems. It provokes ethnic conflict where there are other issues at play, issues that need to be resolved by people with the dispassionate courage required to tackle serious problems. <br /><br />By the way, "white people" don't all think in materialistic terms, psychologically compartmentalizing their lives, etc. That is, actually, a racist statement. Why not, more accurately, say "secular, college educated people from the suburbs who like to call themselves 'professionals.'" Trust me, those people are more of a problem for us earnest, spiritual types than whites, blacks, Hispanics, or any of those other misleading group labels.russmillerwyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01783210160894182477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283562383623991009.post-22220695145400694522012-04-07T09:04:38.714-07:002012-04-07T09:04:38.714-07:00If you are in doubt about these points, please rea...If you are in doubt about these points, please read "The Warmth of Other Suns" by Isabelle Wilkerson, which is very positively reviewed and tells of the black migrations from the south and of the participants experiences across the last several centuries in all corners of our country. Not many of us would choose those experiences and it is terribly convenient that we ignore that they are real.wyocloudshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14835377852621597594noreply@blogger.com