[ 
Mood: Sleepy ]
[ Currently: Breastfeeding my son ]
As a teacher, I have been accused of racism by a student who is frustrated and/or angry. Usually, I deal with this by informing the student that racism is a serious allegation, and if they are serious about it, they will submit it, in writing, to the prinicipal by the end of the day. So far no one has followed through.
So it was with great interest that I read The Race Card by Richard Thompson Ford. Ford looks at how the race card is "played" in situations where race has no bearing on what actually happened.
Ford does believe that racism exists, but not as much as some laywers would have you believe. His thesis is that the race card has been overused to the point that it raises cynisism and anger in the white community. In doing so, minorities lose a lot of good will from the white liberals whose support they need.
Not any easy book, as it points out everyone’s falicies and short=comings, but still a very good read.