Calling all Race Pimps

Black Barbie doll sold at a Wal-Mart for less than the white Barbie doll. Eugene Volokh discusses the practical import of the race-baiting (my phraseology):

But what puzzled me about the story is that it didn’t discuss the effects of the price cut: (1) It disproportionately saved money for black parents (assuming, as is likely, that black parents are the ones who are more likely to buy black dolls). (2) It also made it more likely that white parents would buy the black doll for their white children, which might have broadened their child’s racial horizons (a symbolic effect on the child, perhaps, but the article is all about symbolic effects).

The Other R-Word

Special Olympics and other groups are working to rid our language of "retarded," or as they call it, the "r-word." I generally oppose efforts to remove words from our language; I think the focus should be placed on removing the perjorative use of the word rather than the use of the word entirely. Despite my views on the PC movement, I am generally sympathetic to their position.

That said, there is another r-word that is overused to a much greater degreee - racism. Some people see it everywhere, because they simply are race-baiters. Some use the word to draw attention to themselves so they can feel like they are somehow more evolutionary advanced than the rest of us. Some use it whenever a white person disagrees with a person of color. I suspect it is misused more often than "retarded" and probably has more long-lasting effects on our culture. Here are a few recent examples of misuse of "racism" or "racist."

Rather than trying to stop the use of words, why don't we just call people out on it when they misuse them? These words serve a useful purpose in that regard. If someone misuses either r-word, we know so much more about what kind of person they are. That is a "tell" that is worth requiring some among us to grow a thicker skin.

Is Illinois Targeting Blacks With Speed Cameras?

The Illinois House has passed a bill approving speed cameras for the Martin Luther King, Jr. bridge in East St. Louis. Prior to making this post, I had no idea of the demographics of East St. Louis; however, my anecdotal experience suggests that bridges and roads named after Martin Luther King, Jr. are more typically found in areas with higher than average populations of blacks. It appears that my conclusion has some basis in reality, as the linked article notes that:

On average, black Georgians constitute approximately 47 percent of the population in a location with a street named for King. In more than 90 percent of places in the state with a Martin Luther King Jr. Street, the black community makes up at least 20 percent of the population. This pattern is consistent with that in other states and predictable given the role of black activists in initiating the street-naming process.

Could it be that Illinois is targeting a specific area of town in an effort to rip off certain segments of the population? According to Wikipedia (for whatever that is worth), the population of East St. Louis is over 97% black. This is an incredibly insidious use of these cameras, despite the politicians' claims that it is about "safety" on the bridge, if that is the case. The looter will always have a facially valid excuse for his games. "It's best for everyone," he will say.

This is just another reason why these cameras should be outlawed. They give politicians power to attack groups they do not like by placing cameras in areas where they travel.

Oppose Obama and be Branded a Racist

Who'da thunk it? When liberals cannot compete on substance, they go for identity politics. They want to send a message: If you do not support Mr. Obama, we will attack you personally and label you as a racist and a hater.

Add David Patterson to the Hall of Idiots

Apparently, NY Gov. David Patterson (D(uh)) believes that references to "community organizer" are racist references. He believes it is a code word for "black." Someone ought to tell Barack Obama. As of today, his website still portrays him as a community organizer. Does Barack not know that some people might read that and actually think he is black?

The impact of racism

This Slate article is another in the never-ending series of articles that we are bombarded with that suggest that if Obama loses, it will be because of racism. It completely ignores another argument which is at least as likely, if not more so: if Obama wins, it will be because of racism.

There are probably more blacks who vote for Obama solely because he is black than there are whites who vote against him solely because he is black. The Obama campaign knows this and will try to take advantage of it. For example, in a possible swing state such as Georgia, watch carefully where the Obama "Get Out the Vote" effort will be focused.

Another Obama Supporting Kook

Speaking of Bill Hobbs, his website posts a letter from Rev. George Brooks. I hope Mr. Brooks continues to correspond with Mr. Hobbs. His letter speaks for itself. For some reason, I cannot get the word "racist" out of my mind after reading that.

"Racial" or "Racist"?

Instapundit dubs this Rasmussen poll a "racial split". Reynolds certainly points out the money quote: "But, among white voters, Clinton leads 41% to 27%. Among African-American voters, Obama leads 66% to 16%." Liberal pundits who suffer from white guilt, such as Chris Matthews, love to attack whites by claiming that whites vote against black candidates on the basis of race. Undoubtedly, some whites do that. Matthews would most assuredly call them racists. But what do you call it when blacks vote for someone because of his race? You don't have to be a statistical genius to see the disparity among whites and blacks in choosing their candidate, apparently based on race. Blacks overwhelmingly support the black candidate, to a much greater degree than whites support the white candidate. This was the same issue I pointed out earlier with respect to Harold Ford, Jr. I suppose one could argue that blacks believe that the black candidate is more likely to support "black issues" whatever that is. Isn't that a racist, stereotypical assumption in and of itself? Is Hillary's record on issues affecting blacks any worse than it is on issues affecting other races?