Althouse: "One of them came right up in my face and yelled, ‘CAN YOU READ?... This confrontation is just one of many instances in which black intelligence is questioned on this campus."

March 4, 2014

"One of them came right up in my face and yelled, ‘CAN YOU READ?... This confrontation is just one of many instances in which black intelligence is questioned on this campus."

"This campus" = Harvard.

138 comments:

rhhardin said...: It's the moron project.; 3/4/14, 9:11 AM
SJ said...: Is it "Black intelligenc" being questioned, or the literacy abilities of particular Black students?

More importantly, why is a Liberal bastion like Harvard so racially insensitive?; 3/4/14, 9:13 AM
Levi Starks said...: I feel so guilty.....; 3/4/14, 9:16 AM
Tank said...: Harvard students, the most privileged people in the world, working hard to be victims.

It's working?; 3/4/14, 9:19 AM
SteveBrooklineMA said...: To point out the obvious...

"Can you read?" is a common expression. It's not meant literally. It's used when someone is ignoring what is written.

I find it hard to believe that this young woman felt someone was really questioning her ability to read.; 3/4/14, 9:20 AM
Bob Boyd said...: “One of them came right up in my face and yelled, ‘CAN YOU READ?’”

Maybe the guy wasn't racist at all. Maybe he was a sexist.; 3/4/14, 9:25 AM
The Godfather said...: Student # 7 says, “I read the article [Affirmative Dissatisfaction, by student Sarah Siskind], and when she was saying, ‘giving black people entrance into schools like Harvard was the same as teaching a blind man to be a pilot’ I read that, and I just cried. My heart ached, you know, I was so excited to be in this place, and they didn’t want me here.”

Student # 7 needs to learn how to use quotation marks, and how to be honest. Siskind didn't say that "giving black people entrance into schools like Harvard was the same as teaching a blind man to be a pilot", she said "Helping those with primarily low academic qualifications into primarily academic institutions makes as much sense as helping the visually impaired become pilots."

This dishonesty impairs the credibility of the entire "project".; 3/4/14, 9:25 AM
William said...: My life, to date, has been kind of oppressive, and I'm not black. It's akin to suffering a grievous injury that's not a tort offense.......The best fate is not to be injured. The second best fate is to be injured by someone with deep pockets.; 3/4/14, 9:26 AM
Bob Ellison said...: Harvardians, get over yourselves.; 3/4/14, 9:28 AM
rhhardin said...: It started going downhill when Harvard let girls in.; 3/4/14, 9:30 AM
Peter said...: "Can you read?" could just be normal within a working group that tolerates in-your-face confrontation. It's certainly not uncommon for working groups to be like this, although as a general rule people should learn to confront a person's work, and not the person.

Nonetheless, if strong criticism of a black person's work can't be tolerated then the black person won't be able to fully participate within such groups.

For those who are not black, it's just the usual damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't.

And it does mean that black persons who do wish to fully participate will need to do something others need not do- specifically, make it clear that they are as open to strong criticism as anyone else.; 3/4/14, 9:31 AM
rehajm said...: why is a Liberal bastion like Harvard so racially insensitive?

They have a difficult time recognizing racial differences, or at least difficulty knowing when it's advantageous for Harvard to recognize them, or not recognize them.

But perhaps it's only Native Americans.; 3/4/14, 9:31 AM
Fen said...: This is actually a consequence of affirmative action. Minority students who are not qualified are admitted because of their skin color. When they struggle with the courseload, they reflexively blame racism.

And it cascades downward. These 2nd tier students being admitted to 1st tier schools leave slots open at 2nd tier schools for 3rd tier students. Who experience the same problem.

What you're left with is alot of black students failing or dropping out and then blaming racism.; 3/4/14, 9:35 AM
Robert Cook said...: "'Can you read?' is a common expression. It's not meant literally. It's used when someone is ignoring what is written.

"I find it hard to believe that this young woman felt someone was really questioning her ability to read."

How do you know in what context this question was asked of her?; 3/4/14, 9:37 AM
Anonymous said...: How many of the complainants would be in Harvard if they didn't 'check the box' on their admission applications.; 3/4/14, 9:37 AM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/4/14, 9:38 AM
Moose said...: Are you allowed to call a black person stupid?; 3/4/14, 9:39 AM
hawkeyedjb said...: Having an opinion makes me an Angry White Man. So why shouldn't it also make you an Angry Black Woman?; 3/4/14, 9:39 AM
jr565 said...: Considering how badly public schools teach kids its very possible that she, in fact, couldn't read.; 3/4/14, 9:41 AM
Robert Cook said...: "...why is a Liberal bastion like Harvard so racially insensitive?"

IS Harvard a "liberal bastion?" How so? By what criteria?

If it ever was, does it remain so?

Even if it ever was and still is, why assume all those working or attending there are "liberal, or even that "liberals" are free of prejudice, acknowledged and unacknowledged? (They're not.); 3/4/14, 9:42 AM
Michael said...: Harvard students appear racist to their marrow. The quotes on the students' slates are appalling. I expect that most of the white students at Harvard have spent zero time in the vicinity of black people and are horrified at their glaring racism, an ailment that I am sure they think afflicts others.; 3/4/14, 9:43 AM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: Must be rough, being at Harvard.

Try working for a living and see how people treat you.; 3/4/14, 9:43 AM
madAsHell said...: "You are basically white"
"You aren't black on the inside"
"My name is Monica, not my nigga"
"Never seen black people do that"

There might be a problem in the black community.; 3/4/14, 9:43 AM
MadisonMan said...: How do the black students know that students who aren't black aren't asked these exact same questions -- or some variation of them? My advice to them would be to grow a thicker skin.

Rude people are everywhere. Rudeness does not equate to being racist. Or am I being micro-aggressive?; 3/4/14, 9:44 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: What a bunch of fucking spoiled brats!

Since so many of them are quota admissions, questions about their intelligence and competence is probably justified.; 3/4/14, 9:47 AM
Robert Cook said...: "Considering how badly public schools teach kids its very possible that she, in fact, couldn't read."

It is not reasonable to assume any student admitted to Harvard cannot read. To assume so does betray either racial bias--if the person being presumed about is a member of an ethnic group--(we're all the same race)--or class bias--if the person being presumed about has no evident ethnic appearance but is known to have attended public school.; 3/4/14, 9:48 AM
madAsHell said...: Ohhhh....it's a play. This is the Vagina Monologues for black people.; 3/4/14, 9:51 AM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: Yeah, it's rude.

Big deal. People are rude to me every day. If I'm rude back, I lose my job.

Grow a thick skin.; 3/4/14, 9:52 AM
Robert Cook said...: "Since so many of them are quota admissions, questions about their intelligence and competence is probably justified."

Ah, Shouting Tom! Here to prove his assertion that there is no racism anymore...or very little, so little as to be insignificant..."not so much...around that it's worth wasting your time bitching about."; 3/4/14, 9:52 AM
Wince said...: All the comments don't seem to have been uttered at Harvard. Some say "oldfriend" or "ex-boyfriend".

Many of them are statements by the sign holder, stated as retorts, implying something offensive said to them with no mention of where or when.

By contrast, could you even get away with holding up signs that imply stupid things said by black people at Morehouse College?; 3/4/14, 9:52 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: @Robert

So, why am I supposed to give a shit?

Why don't you forget this racial bias shit and stop being a sanctimonious pain in the ass?; 3/4/14, 9:52 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/4/14, 9:53 AM
George Grady said...: Diversity has been presented as important to universities' educational goals because these students are supposed to give viewpoints that would otherwise not be represented. However, if asking these students about these viewpoints is mere racism--"mak[ing] me the voice of all black people"--then, what's the point?; 3/4/14, 10:02 AM
Curious George said...: Sign at a Duke basketball game against North Carolina back in the day:

Can JR Reid?; 3/4/14, 10:02 AM
Michael said...: Sign in the snow across from the house of Cornell Carl Sagan: Bite me Carl.

Long time ago but still pretty funny; 3/4/14, 10:06 AM
khesanh0802 said...: Tank @0919

Exactly. They are extremely privileged and will do well after graduation. I do think the project is a good one and appropriate in the setting.
I also think that the project illustrates the tendency of many blacks to look for and imagine racism in what are otherwise ordinary interactions.; 3/4/14, 10:09 AM
Seeing Red said...: Welcome to the backlash of affirmative action & quotas.

I read about this a few years ago on Northwestern's campus.; 3/4/14, 10:13 AM
Henry said...: Shouldn't all the posters have started with the phrase "There I was, minding my own business, and ..."; 3/4/14, 10:23 AM
KCFleming said...: The complaints of gays and blacks about mistreatment have accelerated over the last decade, not least here by Althouse.

And most recently they have become increasingly desperate and strident, to my ears, nearing fever pitch.

Not sure I understand the timing, but what with Obama's many failures here and abroad, maybe the left sees their utopia slipping away.

But I don't know.; 3/4/14, 10:37 AM
Sam L. said...: The left KNOWS that affirmative action is racist, and doesn't cope well with that.; 3/4/14, 10:40 AM
Rosalyn C. said...: Of course, after they get finished whining we'll have to listen to them gloating. Martha's Vineyard, etc. etc.; 3/4/14, 10:40 AM
Mary Beth said...: Needs context. Two (possibly) drunk guys yell, "can you read?" at some people. Were those people walking where there was a "keep off the grass" sign? Or smoking in a non-smoking area? Or had someone earlier ask the drunk guys if they could read and now they think it's hilarious to yell it at everyone they see. Inside jokes are only funny to the ones inside the group.

Or they could just be dicks.; 3/4/14, 10:45 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Affirmative action undermines minorities and women.; 3/4/14, 10:46 AM
Bob Ellison said...: Robert Cook, Harvard is a liberal bastion.; 3/4/14, 10:51 AM
Hagar said...: I do not know, but just from reading the news and TV, I think that many universities - and possibly particularly, the Ivy League ones - give black professors and students their own sandboxes to play in.
This is a very damaging practice for young black people who are taken in by this, and also for those that aren't, but get tarred with the same brush.

I also think I see that very little of the protesting in the media is done by actual black people; it is mostly "people of pallor" demonstrating their moral superiority while actually contributing to and maintaining the problem.; 3/4/14, 11:01 AM
Rusty said...: It isn't unusual for inner city public school graduates to do poorly in college. This holds true for inner city whites, hispanics, and blacks. before you call me racist. However it IS inner city blacks that have made it a cultural liability to be educated. The reason being to be educated is to be acting "white".
I am, of course, speaking of Chicago Public Schools.
Then there is Chicago public colleges that specialize in "Studies" in order to gve a diploma to those Chicago Public School high school graduates who managed to learn how to read at something better than an eighth grade level.; 3/4/14, 11:07 AM
YoungHegelian said...: If you read the signs that students are holding some of the "micro-aggressions" are clearly coming from their fellow blacks.

Unless you think that non-black Harvard students casually refer to their fellow black students as "My Niggah", which I can only believe would result in a one-way ticket out of Cambridge for any non-black student who had the temerity to say it to a black Harvardite.; 3/4/14, 11:16 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Levi Starks said...
I feel so guilty…..

Racists are funny - thinking anybody wants your guilt - what good does it do?

What we want is for you to join America and quit being a dick.

I know - that's too much for any dick to master.

You're more ignorance on parade, waiting to be brought low,...; 3/4/14, 11:27 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: I would love to know what fields they are studying. I have this question for every group that does the internet signboard thing -- I would love to see one where they are all engineering or medical students.; 3/4/14, 11:30 AM
SJ said...: @Crack,

if I don't feel guilty, does that make me non-racist?; 3/4/14, 11:34 AM
Robert Cook said...: "Robert Cook, Harvard is a liberal bastion."

Oh, I forgot. Restating a prior assertion suffices as proof of the truth of the initial assertion.; 3/4/14, 11:36 AM
Bob Ellison said...: Robert Cook, Harvard is a liberal bastion. Saying it ain't so don't make it not so.; 3/4/14, 11:43 AM
SGT Ted said...: People like Cook and Crack are really concerned and probably scared deep down that their guilt trip isn't working anymore on ordinary whites that support true equality and they are really trying to pour on the ideological policing here.

That's what all the name calling is about. They even have to resort to anti-Western propaganda memes of the white leftists and failed Communist States. Thing is, Eastern Europeans are very racist. They told us to not let any of our black soldiers go out alone to the cities in the Ukraine, because the local toughs would most likely kill them in the street.

So, I find it darkly hilarious that folks like Cook and Crack would fall for and parrot verbatim the propaganda written by folks that hate blacks as much as the KKK does.; 3/4/14, 11:44 AM
Sigivald said...: At first I was vaguely interested in the topic.

Then I saw it was a Buzzfeed link.

Don't feed the Buzzfeed clickbait monster, no matter what they post.; 3/4/14, 12:01 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: GT Ted said...
People like Cook and Crack are really concerned and probably scared deep down that their guilt trip isn't working anymore on ordinary whites that support true equality and they are really trying to pour on the ideological policing here.

What part of "we don't want your guilt" didn't you notice?

I did post BEFORE you did, didn't I?

Oh, I forgot - white supremacy - whites don't see the words they don't want to see, and just keep on talking anyway about how "scared" we are to make themselves and other racists feel better about being America's historical scum.

You should look up "self-delusion" and seek help,...; 3/4/14, 12:07 PM
MadisonMan said...: Coming soon to BuzzFeed, a bunch of white students with blackboards. Not black students with whiteboards.

Someone called me a name and I am so thin-skinned I whine about it.

An ex f*ck-partner is mad at me and knows how to push my buttons.

I ignore signs that give clear instructions.

Drunk people insult me.

I am uncomfortable owning my own shortcomings and don't want others to see them in the classroom.

I'm the only one here from rural Pennsylvania, but I don't own a shotgun.

I dress to please myself, not to make a statement.

You're the shortest tall person I know!

What I listen to is none of your business.

I go to Harvard and never got a B. I'm afraid to fail.; 3/4/14, 12:07 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: SJ said...
@Crack,

if I don't feel guilty, does that make me non-racist?

Again - don't want or need it - the question then becomes, are you down or not?

Do you desire staying with the status quo (whites steal and keep everything, post-slavery, etc.) or are you down for justice in this country?

If you're status quo - yeah, you're a racist,...; 3/4/14, 12:10 PM
David said...: I saw something like this at another school recently, but now I can't remember what the school was. So apparently it's a trend, which invites my suspicion.; 3/4/14, 12:10 PM
David said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/4/14, 12:11 PM
Anonymous said...: Comedy Stage Open Mic Night Comic says:

So I'm sitting down in my room in my parents' basement -- or, as I like to call it, The Place Where Hope Goes To Die -- and I get an email from an old high-school pal, Trenton. Now, Trenton is black, so this makes me one of those white guys who -- when they say they have black friends -- really does have one: I'm authentic. (laughter) A side note to white guys: the black guy that works at the Seven-Eleven that you joke around with when you are buying your case of beer doesn't count as your black friend. Friendly, yes, black, yes, but not a friend. Friends know each other's last names, for one (laughter). Friends can also spell a friend's name correctly, even if it is LaDeMon'tel: the 'D' and the 'M' are capitalized, apostrophe after the 't': c,mon, you can do it, you've seen his name-tag a hundred times, right? No fair peeking. (laughter). Still can't get it? Okay, keep on calling him 'Bro', I'm sure he's used to that (applause).

Anyway --- where was I? -- oh yes, I got an email from Trenton. Trenton lives in a basement, too. At a dorm at Harvard. (laughter) Back in high school Trenton was one of those 'white' blacks -- c'mon, don't Boo, you know exactly what I'm talking about: he always studied, did his homework, worked extra projects, stayed out of trouble. Me and my other friends, we were 'white' whites, meaning we got stoned and some of us made it to community college for a year (applause).

So Trenton tells me how he is doing -- he's doing fine, thanks for caring about a black man you don't know (laughter) -- but he's having trouble with his white roommate; his white roommate, by the way, is named Denzel (laughter). Really: Denzel. Obviously his parents were down with the Struggle (laughter). So Denzel had asked him if he had to deal with the Crips and the Bloods growing up (groans); Trenton told him, No, I had to choose between the Wimps and the Geeks (laughter). Trenton says a lot of the whites at Harvard are like that: very smart idiots (laughter). Then he paid me the highest compliment I have ever received -- other than the one I received for not shitting my pants in second grade (laughter) -- He liked the dumb white guys like me a lot better than the smart ones (applause). Thank you for celebrating me being dumb (laughter), it warms my heart... Thank you, you've been great...; 3/4/14, 12:15 PM
Seeing Red said...: Via Insty, meanwhile Rutgers faculty doesn't want Condition to speak at graduation, even tho the admit sharing her background may be beneficial.; 3/4/14, 12:18 PM
David said...: To those of you who questioned the context of the "can you read" quote, I would ask:

CAN YOU READ?

The context is laid out in the article, if you choose to read it.

"Speaking about her own portrait from the photo campaign, Matsuda-Lawrence told BuzzFeed that while walking through Harvard Yard last Friday night with black friends, they were approached by two white males who appeared to be drunk.

“One of them came right up in my face and yelled, ‘CAN YOU READ?’” she said. “This confrontation is just one of many instances in which black intelligence is questioned on this campus.”

The reporter does not appear to have asked her if she had any idea whether the two drunks were Harvard students. If they were not, it puts the comment in a different light, at least insofar as judging Harvard is concerned.

I would say to the students that there are fools, idiots and racists everywhere. You don't have to acquiesce in this, but be careful how you generalize. After all, racism is at its core malicious or careless generalization.; 3/4/14, 12:19 PM
Chance said...: I think "can you read?" is significantly less racist than "you can read?".; 3/4/14, 12:20 PM
Gahrie said...: whites steal and keep everything

...and we can't dance or play Basketball either.; 3/4/14, 12:22 PM
William said...: You can't pass through life without getting damaged and inflicting damage. I have some stories of childhood deprivations that would break your heart. I've done some things that a just and merciful God would consider worthy of hell. That's the way it goes. If you absorb a certain amount of toxicity in your youth, you leak a certain amount of toxicity on those who squeeze you later in life......None of their stories seem especially heartbreaking. File them under gripes, not grievances. I can top them......To be fair, the kids don't present their gripes in high dudgeon. It looks very low dudgeon to me.....My only complaint is the subtext that racial slights are especially harmful and poignant. They're not, and I'd venture to say that most of these kids have said some far more damaging things. A Harvard education is a gilt trip.; 3/4/14, 12:31 PM
Trashhauler said...: Unfortunately, the greater lesson for many is simple:

"Don't talk to black people. Your words, even if well meant, will be used against you."

This is not a lesson we want to encourage.; 3/4/14, 12:32 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: SGT Ted said...
People like Cook and Crack are really concerned and probably scared deep down that their guilt trip isn't working anymore on ordinary whites,…

It just dawned on me what a stupid comment this is, and how it can only be said by a white guy who's into practicing this "disregard history" thing y'all are into.

I mean, after slavery, bombings, killing little girls, raping black women, lynchings and mutilations (this is reading like an episode of "White's Greatest Hits") writing unjustifiable laws, the KKK, bus riots, etc. - after all that and, still, the "ideological policing" keeps coming back - only the white man will be dumb enough to turn to another white man and actually say "they're scared of us".

Let the Michael Dunn/Jordan Davis case stand as Exhibit A:

Whites may be dangerous-as-fuck, but even black kids aren't afraid of you,...; 3/4/14, 12:37 PM
Unknown said...: I'm not sure why (maybe primed by AA), but I thought this had something to do with racism at Harvard until I went through the entries which appear to be from anywhere and anytime USA.

Apparently those "Can't you read?" comments I've collected in the past are a subtle (dog whistle?) way of calling me black, I'm just too white to recognize it.

And apparently Crack needs to read #12. Or maybe he DOES represent the totality of his race (I hope not).; 3/4/14, 12:38 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Trashhauler said...
Unfortunately, the greater lesson for many is simple:

"Don't talk to black people. Your words, even if well meant, will be used against you."

It's funny - non-racist white people don't have to do that?

Why is that?

Maybe, just maybe, it's because you really are trash,...; 3/4/14, 12:38 PM
Anonymous said...: Did you get in by "Affirmative Action" or by individual merit? The defenders of "Affirmative Action" insist all you black students are idiots, who can't get in unless you're judged based on the color of your skin, not the content of your transcripts.

You don't like that? Fight to get rid of "Affirmative Action."; 3/4/14, 12:41 PM
SJ said...: @Crack,

My understanding of the status quo doesn't fit the simplistic description of "whites steal and keep everything, post-slavery, etc."

I'm down for justice, but my definition of justice means I don't get charged for the sin of racism when I am not acting out of racist intent.; 3/4/14, 1:03 PM
Trashhauler said...: The Crack Emcee wrote:

"It's funny - non-racist white people don't have to do that?

Why is that?"

If I understand you correctly, CE, yes, they do. Everyone fears being misunderstood. The difference being just thought of as being stupid or ignorant, rather than racist.

Before college, my only previous experience with black people had been summers on a truck farm with migrant workers. They had us separated into three field teams, black, Hispanics, and poor white kids. I never learned much about the other groups, except they worked fast. And the Mexican ladies would occasionally feed us, if they made too much. We didn't get much free time to gab.

When I roomed with a black guy in college, I must have asked a thousand such stupid questions. I'd hate to think any were used as an example of racism.

We are always told we need to encourage conversations to promote understanding. If we mean that, we must expect to hear stupid things. If such things are used to shame people, they just won't talk. As I said, we don't want that outcome.

And, yeah, back when I was a kid I reckoned my family was trash when the town IGA owner told me they wouldn't cash my mom's ten dollar check for bread and bologna. Shamed me in front of a line of people.

But I call myself a trashhauler now because I was a transport pilot in the Air Force. We hauled beans, bullets, tampons, and people all around the world.; 3/4/14, 1:07 PM
President-Mom-Jeans said...: Crackie, no white person wants to steal your worthless website that you pimp incessantly.; 3/4/14, 1:30 PM
Seeing Red said...: Meanwhile down in Mexico...I learned from the guy I work with that the Mayans protest the holiday that acknowledges Spain's arrival or something they did wayyyy back then. Personally I'd be protesting the French...; 3/4/14, 1:34 PM
Howard said...: Hey racist assholes: It's not a guilt trip. It's a pussy-trip. Stop being girly-men with your posturing and braggadocio. You are fucking sinking any chance at competing with democrats.; 3/4/14, 1:36 PM
Seeing Red said...: That's what makes this coming out of Harvard so precious.; 3/4/14, 1:38 PM
Trashhauler said...: Jeez, I just remembered a remark I made to my black roommate about another black cadet who had some facial blemishes. I'd never seen that before.

"I didn't know black people got pimples."

My roommate replied, "Mike, you're a moron."

I must have blushed for ten minutes.; 3/4/14, 1:44 PM
Anonymous said...: Comedy Stage Open Mic Night Comic says:

So I hear all this laughter coming from upstairs, so I pull my sweatpants back above my knees -- I was 'reading' the internet, right? (laughter) -- and go up to find my parents watching 'Blazing Saddles.' And here's the thing: I can't tell if I should be laughing or not. I mean, most of the jokes are racist, but they are also poking fun at racism, but which way am I finding them funny? Being white, I have the time to worry about these things (laughter). Now, fart jokes: we can all agree on fart jokes, I believe (laughter) -- except, the more I think about it, I begin to wonder if there can be racism in fart jokes, too? Say I made a fart joke involving Ice Cube -- am I being racist? I mean, I imagine Ice Cube farts, but I also know I'd be too damned scared to ever ask him (laughter). So -- of course -- I try to come up with an Ice Cube fart joke, but I can't do it, even in the confines of my own head I am too scared to pull it off: I am my own 'punk-ass-bitch' (laughter). So I try harder: in what context would Ice Cube fart? Where would this particular incident of farting occur? (laughter) If I have Eminem fart, too, does that make me more politically correct? (laughter) What does the fact that I can come up with ten jokes, easy, involving farting and the Korean dude who did 'Gangnam Style' say about me? I mean, say about me more than the fact that I 'm a loser living in my parent's basement (laughter)?

So I choose the easy route, and make myself the butt of a fart joke. As it were. (laughter) So -- from personal experience -- here goes:

What is the quickest way to make a girlfriend an ex-girlfriend?

Fart when she is giving you a blow-job.

Okay, not my best work, but it involves farts and blow-jobs, so most of the tools are there (laughter). The problem with this joke -- nothing for me is easy -- is that my ex-girlfriend was black (groans). I know, I know: again -- I live in my parent's basement. Still, I can't help but wonder that -- if she were white -- would I have held it in better? (laughter) Do I need to fart on a white girl now to prove I'm not racist? Any volunteers? Anyone? God knows I'm not picky.... (applause) Thank, Thank you, it's been great to be here...; 3/4/14, 1:45 PM
Anonymous said...: I think this is one of those areas where I can get on board with the Crack Emcee's platform.

Until Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and all the rest of those schools have a 90%+ black enrollment, the USofA and these schools can be considered racist.

To fix this, we need to take every black youth in the United States who wishes to attend college and give them free tuition (Paid for by that particular college or university) for all the years of racism that has come out of those institutions of higher learning.

We should start with Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Starting with the next semester or quarter, they should be required to have 90% or more black enrollment, free of charge.

It's time we ended racism in the United States and this is how we're going to do it!; 3/4/14, 1:50 PM
President-Mom-Jeans said...: Awww, Howard has his widdle feelings hurt.

Boo hoo hoo. Please continue going all stompy foot about it.; 3/4/14, 1:53 PM
wildswan said...: I thought the story of the woman who wouldn't ask questions in electrical engineering because her fellow students might think she was stupid was sad. I've been in that situation but I did ask questions and some did think I was stupid, partly because some of my early questions were stupid. But I learned - not only what I needed but also who to ask. All the other students are asking each other questions and she should too, if she wants to compete on an equal level. There would be people who would help.

And all this talk about sins of the past is probably why she's become unable to ask for help and learn that there are different kinds of people. The division is not skin color; it goes through the heart.; 3/4/14, 2:00 PM
Robert Cook said...: "Robert Cook, Harvard is a liberal bastion. Saying it ain't so don't make it not so."

Dang! I guess it must be so now that you've sprung this unassailable argument on me!

By the way...I didn't say Harvard wasn't a "liberal bastion," I asked: Is it? And, by what criteria? According to whom?

More specifically, what does that mean? Do they have an institutional credo that is deemed "liberal?" Does this mean every individual enrolled and working there must be "liberal?" If not, how many enrolled and working there are "liberal," or must be before the place can no longer be deemed "liberal?"

And so on.

BTW, smart people would hope that ALL institutions of higher learning are liberal, in that they should encourage the attainment of new knowledge and unfamiliar perspectives, the casting away of received wisdom and ignorance of the world, (or ignorance of one's own ignorance, the first step), and encourage the consideration, if not necessarily always the adoption, of novel ideas.

Far too few do this, now, or ever.; 3/4/14, 2:27 PM
Scott M said...: Holy shoveling sheep shit, RC. How high are the waders you wore to write that?

"Liberal" has a specific political connotation that you're wholly ignoring. You know it, and yet...

...I couldn't even finish that thought. I'm not wearing waders high enough and your bullshit choked it off.; 3/4/14, 2:46 PM
Seeing Red said...: What do the political donations say?; 3/4/14, 2:47 PM
Fen said...: Crack: Maybe, just maybe, it's because you really are trash

Yay! Crack is back to calling white people trash again.

You guys do realize we'll be seeing him on the news, yes? "He was such a quiet young man, when never would have guessed he would ____ "

Get your interview scripts ready. Mine's already done. He's a black panther activist calling for the destruction of the white race. It gets better, but you'll have to wait till he snaps to read it.; 3/4/14, 2:55 PM
Fen said...: Crack: Whites may be dangerous-as-fuck, but even black kids aren't afraid of you,...

Actually they are very afraid. A black activist once asked a Black Panther "why not start the race war now?" The black panther (wise beyond his years) basically responded: are you kidding? Did you see what they did to the indians? Whites may look tame to you, but if you push them to far they will extinguish your entire race.; 3/4/14, 2:58 PM
Fen said...: Thats why Crack caterwauls here like a little bitch instead of actually taking his hate to the streets.; 3/4/14, 2:59 PM
Fen said...: It is not reasonable to assume any student admitted to Harvard cannot read. To assume so does betray either racial bias -

Take a tour through the freshman remedial math classes. Mine were all black.; 3/4/14, 3:01 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: SJ,

"I'm down for justice, but my definition of justice means I don't get charged for the sin of racism when I am not acting out of racist intent."

Where's intent come into it? Curb Your Enthusiasm shows Larry David being a dick he never intends to be.

This isn't about your intent but your character.; 3/4/14, 3:04 PM
david7134 said...: I once was talking with a lady that was checking us out of a shop in Washington, DC. As we talked, she inquired where we were from, when we answered Louisiana, she became very sad and stated that she wished she could live in the South again. I asked why and she said that the racism was so bad in the North that it made life miserable. I almost fell over as I thought we were supposed to be the really bad guys. I subsequently have heard the same sentiment from others and seen worse racism in current New York than I ever saw in 50's Mississippi.; 3/4/14, 3:11 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Trashhauler,

"If I understand you correctly, CE, yes, they do. Everyone fears being misunderstood. The difference being just thought of as being stupid or ignorant, rather than racist."

Nice change of tone. Then why didn't you just say that and quit it with the chest puffing bullshit? I told you before, it's your general unwillingness to speak this way that causes friction, that makes it a "struggle". I've had to develop STRATEGIES to try and get you guys to even deal with this shit beyond the traditional Right-Wing boilerplate.

You do understand I've been calling you "white" to try and shake this guy out of you, don't you?

Nice to meet you,...; 3/4/14, 3:17 PM
Fen said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/4/14, 3:21 PM
Fen said...: Friends. Episode 28. The one where Crack realizes that publicly telegraphing violence against whites might end his fantasy life at Althouse. And in the real world.; 3/4/14, 3:21 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Trashhauler,

My roommate replied, "Mike, you're a moron."

I must have blushed for ten minutes.

LOL - that's cute. See? You got it.

I don't know where the shame comes in. Even when discussing slavery and shit. Which is what I see as a fundamental different/problem with most others here:

I keep coming back to America and history and ethics - the Right's looking at the other, ignoring history, and judging everybody by their standards and outlook, ethics be damned - and those two are not the same.

That's where shame comes in. When the weight of history is all on one side, what are you doing on the other? What do you think you're protecting? In America, where most of this shit just stopped in my lifetime, what else is there?; 3/4/14, 3:32 PM
Smilin' Jack said...: ""One of them came right up in my face and yelled, ‘CAN YOU READ?... This confrontation is just one of many instances in which black intelligence is questioned on this campus.""

That's a horribly offensive statement. Dyslexia is a handicap that has nothing to do with intelligence. I think it's even federally protected or something. That bitch needs some remedial sensitivity training. Doesn't Harvard care about providing a supportive environment for the handicapped?; 3/4/14, 3:32 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: eric,

"We need to take every black youth in the United States who wishes to attend college and give them free tuition (Paid for by that particular college or university) for all the years of racism that has come out of those institutions of higher learning."

Ooh, that would be a long time, since most of these institutions got their start-up money from what?

SLAVERY.

There aren't too many major endeavors that weren't.

But here's the thing: do you feel "guilty" about that? Probably not. So don't think anybody's trying to guilt you about the rest of it. This is an ethical issue. As I said, it's about character, not wanting to pressure anybody - unless it's pressuring them to do the right thing.; 3/4/14, 3:39 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: BTW - just so you know:

I don't read comments by Fen or MomJeans.; 3/4/14, 3:46 PM
Trashhauler said...: "quit it with the chest puffing bullshit"

I think you were reading too much into it. My chest was as flat as it ever is.; 3/4/14, 4:02 PM
Trashhauler said...: "LOL - that's cute. See? You got it."

Yeah, I did. But, then, Spence never suggested it was racist of me to say it. The way those Harvard kids did it does imply nasty, nasty racism. And in most cases, I'd bet it wasn't anything of the sort.

If we can't get beyond stupid remarks, there's no way deeper communication will take place.; 3/4/14, 4:33 PM
President-Mom-Jeans said...: You don't read them Crack?

CAN'T YOU READ?????

I have strategies for dealing with people too, although I don't feel the need to use all caps.

You worthless racebaiting old failure.; 3/4/14, 4:37 PM
President-Mom-Jeans said...: Bitchtits chest is definitely not flat.

The amount of web traffic for Crack however, is comparable to an ekg hooked up to a corpse.; 3/4/14, 4:38 PM
Peter said...: "This is actually a consequence of affirmative action. Minority students who are not qualified are admitted because of their skin color"

Actually, Harvard is probably the exception- perhaps the only exception.

But Harvard is not merely "highly selective," it is insanely selective. As a result it can choose to fill its incoming class from practically any demographic and still obtain top-quality students.; 3/4/14, 5:03 PM
Paddy O said...: psogos

It's a classical rhetorical technique.; 3/4/14, 5:11 PM
Paddy O said...: Crack is intentional about it here.; 3/4/14, 5:11 PM
fivewheels said...: I'm an Asian-American born in this country. Every few weeks some dipshit asks me, "Do you speak English?"

I don't see this as an unforgivable insult, a soul-shattering tragedy or an opportunity for an op-ed about microaggressions. I just say, "Better than you," in a joking manner and we move on. BFD.

(And because I'm Asian, I'm good enough at math to recognize that the people who do this are disproportionately black -- way more than 12 percent. This also informs my view of racism.); 3/4/14, 5:31 PM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: There are students on that page that I wouldn't have pegged as "Black." (Central American? Indian subcontinent?) Then again, it took me a couple of years to learn that Mariah Carey was Black.

The only thing the old Southern racists got right, IMO, was attempting to define their terms. Classifying people by race is ugly and stupid, but if there are to be racial terms in use (and no one seems particularly interested in abandoning them), it would be as well to know what they mean.

We could start with why Tiger Woods isn't a prominent Asian-American golfer, why Barack Obama isn't our first mixed-race President, and why George Zimmerman belatedly became a "white Hispanic." (The answer to that one is easy, actually. I can only imagine the self-pity in the pressrooms. "But he looks white to me, and his name's Zimmerman. How was I supposed to know that his mother was Peruvian?"); 3/4/14, 5:42 PM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: I ought to have added the weird double-think we have about Black non-Americans.

Haitians are Black, by consensus. But are other very dark-skinned people from Central and South America Black? It's a question that comes up every time someone starts a discussion about race and American sports, and someone laments how few Blacks there are in baseball.

Of course, there are lots of Blacks in baseball; they just weren't mostly born in the US, so for some people they don't count. Neither do the African students who make up a pretty hefty fraction of the Black admissions at our elite universities. Nor ought the President, whose Black heritage has little to do with the American Black experience.; 3/4/14, 5:53 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Trashhauler,

"Yeah, I did. But, then, Spence never suggested it was racist of me to say it. The way those Harvard kids did it does imply nasty, nasty racism. And in most cases, I'd bet it wasn't anything of the sort.

If we can't get beyond stupid remarks, there's no way deeper communication will take place."

Ah, but now you're comparing a personal relationship to a group dynamic.

I get along with whites a hell of a lot better than most blacks, one on one even, but that doesn't mean I'd agree blacks are wrong in how we're perceived as a group. Blacks endure dirty looks, people "testing themselves" physically and emotionally - all kinds of (odd) stuff -and, being outnumbered 6 to 1, there's probably more bad intent than you're giving blacks credit for. Very few people, of any color, wants to be mad.

I'm not saying everyone's racist, but that being grounded in the historical reality helps.; 3/4/14, 5:53 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: You are a racist pig, Crack.

Almost a parody of the black Race Man.

You are so awful that the best thing for you to do would be to STFU.

You are quite stupid, too.

The very epitome of the stereotype of the stupid black Race Man.

Hilarious.; 3/4/14, 6:03 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Michelle Dulak Thomson said...
I ought to have added the weird double-think we have about Black non-Americans.

Haitians are Black, by consensus.

No, by cultural experience - including slavery.

But are other very dark-skinned people from Central and South America Black?

Follow the Trans-Atlantic Slave Route. It's a start.

It's a question that comes up every time someone starts a discussion about race and American sports, and someone laments how few Blacks there are in baseball.

It's never been the same after Curt Flood.

Of course, there are lots of Blacks in baseball; they just weren't mostly born in the US, so for some people they don't count.

Some people? For blacks it depends. There's culture to consider.

Neither do the African students who make up a pretty hefty fraction of the Black admissions at our elite universities.

They're Africans.

Nor ought the President, whose Black heritage has little to do with the American Black experience.

Obama is culturally black American.; 3/4/14, 6:06 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: Are you ever going to do anything, Crack?

You are ridiculous.

Can't even wipe your own ass and you've got the solution to everything.

Shut up and listen to people who know how to make a living and do productive work.

Stop the stupid garbage mouth act. Shut up.

The reason you're here all the time is because you don't have diddly shit to do... because you're useless.; 3/4/14, 6:11 PM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: fivewheels, that would be the ideal reaction. Stuff the racial drama and interact like adults.

(And because I'm Asian, I'm good enough at math to recognize that the people who do this are disproportionately black -- way more than 12 percent. This also informs my view of racism.)

That, OTOH, is a joke in not such great taste. Any American who's gotten out of fourth grade or so ought to be able to say that 12 out of a hundred is a bit less than one in eight. Slanty eyes are unnecessary :-); 3/4/14, 6:13 PM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: The Crack Emcee,

So what is "Black"? If a college student from Nigeria or a baseball player from the Dominican Republic gets stopped [heh, heh] "randomly" by the police, is it for "Driving While a Nigerian National"? "Driving While From the Dominican Republic"? Or is it for "Driving While Black"?

I don't think the cops are going to consider "culture."; 3/4/14, 6:26 PM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: As for "Obama is culturally Black American," permit me to doubt.; 3/4/14, 6:28 PM
Craig Howard said...: Even if it ever was and still is, why assume all those working or attending there are "liberal, or even that "liberals" are free of prejudice, acknowledged and unacknowledged? (They're not.)

Why assume? Because he read the article.

No one but a liberal would whine like this. Look, the human brain calculates the odds based on what's fed into it.

Ooh, car coming down the road just as I'm ready to cross. Little old lady careening from one side to the other. Maybe, I should stand right where I am and let her pass.

In this case, the odds are that the writer is a [serious] communist as are the rest of the featured whiners.; 3/4/14, 6:51 PM
david7134 said...: Crack,
I don't know why you go on about slavery. Only whites with White Guilt are offended by the history of slavery. White guilt is present in only a small percentage of whites and those are the ones that don't know or understand history, even the history professors that faint over the word. The majority of whites and the world don't give a rats backend that slavery existed. Except me, my family owned slaves and they were taken from us and I want my reparation check. Now, I live in Louisiana and can tell you that the majority of slave owners in this area where black. Look up Melrose Plantation. That was a very large, black owned plantation in north LA that is now a national park, celebrating the accomplishments of a black slave owner. In fact, there were at least 5000 black slave owners. In fact, the word slave comes from slav. Which is what I am and so my ancestors originated the term slave due to the abuse we suffered being sold to African owners. So get off the pity trip, it don't work.

Then there is the moaning of these privileged people in Yankee land. The reason that people don't give them credit for their achievements and never will is because of affirmative action. A good example of affirmative action is the treatment our great president receives. He is a genuine stupid fool, yet the Yankee press will not say a word about him. He is trying to destroy the country, but even the Republicans will not do a thing. Only Putin will put him down, but we will never hear of it.; 3/4/14, 6:54 PM
Big Mike said...: “Our voices often go unheard on this campus, our experiences are devalued, our presence is questioned,” the website says. “This project is our way of speaking back, of claiming this campus, of standing up to say: We are here.”

Clarence Thomas has been trying to warn you for decades now, young man, that the downside of affirmative action is that many white people will question whether you earned your way into Harvard, or anything else you do with your life. If you really were smart enough to be in Harvard, you might have had the brains to listen a little.; 3/4/14, 6:59 PM
Big Mike said...: Here's a piece of news for Crack. We will stipulate that slavery was a bad thing. But it ended both legally, as a matter of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and at the point of a sword, at Appomattox Court House almost 150 years ago.

Get with the program.; 3/4/14, 7:02 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Michelle Dulak Thomson said...
The Crack Emcee,

So what is "Black"?

It's a cultural construct, as opposed to a racial one.

If a college student from Nigeria or a baseball player from the Dominican Republic gets stopped [heh, heh] "randomly" by the police, is it for "Driving While a Nigerian National"? "Driving While From the Dominican Republic"? Or is it for "Driving While Black"?

Driving While Black - that's all the cop knows he's stopping.

I don't think the cops are going to consider "culture."

It's like attack dogs in Europe, trained to kill Africans - they don't know I'm American, either.; 3/4/14, 7:37 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Michelle Dulak Thomson said...
As for "Obama is culturally Black American," permit me to doubt.

You can doubt all you want, but if you're looking at his heritage, that won't cut it. Culture tops everything - especially politics. But think about it another way:

Eminem's got an even whiter heritage than Obama and even he's practically black.; 3/4/14, 7:39 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: david7134,

I'm sorry, but I understand the game you're playing and, other than saying so, refuse to dignify it with an answer.; 3/4/14, 7:43 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Big Mike,

Get with the program.

No - it's the white program - blacks have never gone with it.

Sorry.; 3/4/14, 7:45 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Big Mike,

Get with the program.

You know, it just dawned on me, but that's one of the funniest things a white man can say in 2014.

What are you going to do if we don't? We never have. What makes you think we will?

How many lies have you swallowed to believe any of it?

You're fucking hilarious,..; 3/4/14, 7:49 PM
Big Mike said...: What are you going to do if we don't? We never have. What makes you think we will?

You won't. Some do. More will, eventually.

You are with a program, of course. It's the program that says Black men can have six or seven children by three or more women, none of them married and all of them underage. But it's the fault of those honkies, of course. It's the program that says your kids don't have to study in school, because affirmative action will see to it that they get a good job anyway. And if not, then it's the fault of those evil white people. It's the program that says you -- meaning you, personally -- don't have to take responsibility for yourself because those white folks will look after you.

That program.; 3/4/14, 8:06 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: Crack, the guy without a life, offers more sage advice.

Crack is the stereotypical black guy. Race man preacher without a clue about how to manage his own life.

The guy is Exhibit A in why black guys fail, and he's too fucking stupid to even get that.; 3/4/14, 8:39 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: Let me try to clear this up for you, Crack.

What you are doing here is your problem.

This shit you are doing here is why you are fucked up.

Is there any way that I can this simply enough that a fucking idiot like you can understand?; 3/4/14, 8:41 PM
Grimstarr said...: Crack, you ever consider you are who you are because of 400 years of slavery? I mean, think about it. If slavery had never existed on planet earth where would you be?
Living in a mud hut in the darkest heart of Africa? Maybe beating on a dead tree every Saturday night so the rest of the village could dance?
If some white devil hadn't enslaved an ancestor of yours 400 years ago and put them on a boat to America, you wouldn't be able to come in to Chez Althouse and piss on her rug every night.
You should be thankful.
Think about it.; 3/4/14, 9:02 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Big Mike,

"It's the fault of those honkies, of course."

You don't think so, Mikey? ALright, I'll tell you what - you and I are going to participate in an exercise. I'm going to ignore everyone but you for this. Here we go:

You and I are standing at the Appomattox Court House almost 150 years ago.

Now what happens?; 3/5/14, 12:56 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Grimstarr said...
Crack, you ever consider you are who you are because of 400 years of slavery? I mean, think about it.

This is the last thing I'm answering before Big Mike (also?) makes a fool of himself, historically, but - I just had to say - I sincerely hope you're kidding.

If not, please report to the first black man you can find, offline, and try that line on them - in person.

Do it for me,...; 3/5/14, 1:03 AM
Kirk Parker said...: david7134,

Interesting vignette, but given that woman had lived in Louisiana and DC, what did she know of "the north"?

Crack,

"Obama is culturally black American. "

OMG, now you've totally lost it. Growing up with a single white mom, then living overseas (NOT in Africa, fwiw), then staying with his totally-white grandparents and going to an elite private school... man, talk about being surrounded with Blackness!; 3/5/14, 3:46 AM
Kirk Parker said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/5/14, 3:57 AM
Kirk Parker said...: Crack,

"If not, please report to the first black man you can find, offline, and try that line on them - in person."

Ahem.

For the rest of you, RTWT. The anecdote about trying to get back into Zaire from a visit to genocide-torn Rwanda is priceless.

And FWIW, the main thing I've heard from black Americans in Africa, the great majority of whom have some white ancestry too and thus a somewhat lighter complexion, is that Africans just think they're run-of-the-mill Americans. I mean, what would your average Dinka or Igbo think of Thurgood Marshall? Or Andrew Young?; 3/5/14, 3:59 AM
Anonymous said...: Harvard is so forward-thinking for providing this new-fangled type of therapy, whatever it's called.; 3/5/14, 6:27 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Kirk Parker,

Growing up with a single white mom,

Who's American.

Living overseas (NOT in Africa, fwiw)

Oh, when it comes to exposing the racist conditioning of whites, it's worth a lot. How many times have racists here squeezed "Africa" into a discussion for no apparent reason? And the best part is, you guys do it over and over again, and don't even know what you're saying about yourselves and your racism. Bravo!

Staying with his totally-white grandparents

Who are American.

Going to an elite private school...

An American school.

man, talk about being surrounded with Blackness!

man, talk about not having a CLUE how culture works!

Some of you guys are convincing me your parents, schools, etc. TOTALLY failed you beyond the 3 Rs,...; 3/5/14, 6:39 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Kirk Parker,

You did it again - I tell a guy to talk to a black person and you go where?

AFRICA!

Why?

It's because you want to tie us to Africa beyond what we've done ourselves. Good thing you told the white people "Africans just think they're run-of-the-mill Americans" because guess what?

BLACK PEOPLE ALREADY KNOW THAT BECAUSE WE'RE AMERICANS.

So not only are you wildly ignorant, on a subject you obviously want to appear knowledgable about, but you're obnoxiously so,….; 3/5/14, 6:45 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: I can see why you guys gather together the way you do. Because, if you didn't, you'd be getting your hat handed to you by everybody.

Most of you are so ignorant it's staggering.

Seriously, go out today and try your view of history on a black person, and see if you don't get laughed out of existence.

Even better, test it against history, somehow.

Now, where the fuck is Big Mike?; 3/5/14, 6:48 AM
Rusty said...: The irony. The irony.
Educate the brutes.; 3/5/14, 7:09 AM
SJ said...: @Crack,

as an aside, the last African I talked to was white-skinned.

I've met many Blacks here in the U.S., and I've chatted history with one or two.

Some thoughts about your last statement to me:

A. The Black people of the United States used suffer some pretty harsh, official-in-the-law-books, discrimination.

B. That discrimination is pretty much gone.

C. There are many problems in the Black community.

C.1. Some of these problems are caused by social patterns inside the community. (Ask Jesse Jackson why he would be more afraid of a Black teen on a dark night in a urban area than of a White teen on a dark night in said urban area.)
C.2. Some problems are caused by mutual distrust between portions of the Black community and portions of the White community.
(I said portions, because communities-of-skin-color are still divided internally by other factors...)
C.3. Some problems are caused by the historical effects of the discrimination mentioned in (A)
If I were God, I would do something about this. However, not being God, I don't have the wisdom to judge the best way to fix those problems.

D. Blaming all the problems from (C) on the White community is easy, but inaccurate and prone to cause trouble.; 3/5/14, 11:25 AM