Do accusations of "racism" undermine the national discourse on race in America?
About.com Guest Commentator Jack Kerwick attempts to answer that question in this this week's column.
From the article:
During this election season, various charges of “playing the race card” and “racism” have been made by and against virtually everyone involved. Often -- though not always -- the two charges are regarded synonymously: to be found guilty of “playing the race card” is to be found guilty of “racism.”
...
So poisonous is the accusation of “racism,” and so susceptible to abuse at the hands of demagogues who appropriate it as a weapon by which to advance their interests, that it may not be a bad idea to suspend the use of the very term indefinitely, until we have had time to really think about it.
| 