The White Echo-Chamber

I'm offering these reflections honestly, as part of my own thinking and growing, and to share what I see. I'm claiming no special awareness or insight, and I really don't want to compare how enlightened I am to anyone else. Spoiler: not very. You probably have more non-white friends than I do, and that's cool.…

Race and Assumption in “The Hunger Games.”

So apparently, there's a large segment of the Hunger Games fan base that doesn't read very closely. This excellent article from The New Yorker follows one man's efforts to compile racist and angry responses to casting choices for the movie version of "The Hunger Games." Apparently, several people were upset to learn that Rue and…

Letter to the Editor– Associated Press

An article appeared yesterday in the Associated Press with a headline that I felt was way off. Here is my letter to the editor of the AP. Dear Editor, I am writing to express my disappointment and anger over a very poorly worded headline "Was Fla. shooter a vigilante or good neighbor?" article by Mike…

You’ve got to be carefully taught

The other day, my daughter asked me about Abraham Lincoln at breakfast. I explained who he was, and why he was important, which led to a conversation about slavery. I don't think she believed me when I described that people had once bought other people to do work for them. I didn't even get into…

Another comment about race

President Carter came out and said it: some of the noise around President Obama is because of race. Some of the people who attack him personally-- not politically, mind you, not those who have a legitimate debate about his policies-- but those who rant and yell and make outrageous and erroneous claims about his nationality…