Learning a New Language

by rick.wilson on Jan.13, 2010, under Culture

By now most of us know what Nevada Senator Harry Reid said last week in a private pre-election comment in 2008 – calling Barack Obama “light skinned with no negro dialect unless he wants one,” (”Game Change.”) The result was a fire storm of political and emotional rhetoric that produced charges and counter charges. The comments were either racist or they had nothing to do with race and Reid should step down or he should stay where he is. What’s really at work here? Race is a an essential conversation but apparently we lack the language skills to have it.

This speech challenge became painfully obvious when I watched the political round table portion of This Week with George Stephanopoulos featuring a group of normally smart, politically diverse and articulate folks like George Will, Liz Cheney, Al Hunt, Judy Woodruff and Robert Reich. As I watch this clip I see conversational chess, an inability to frame any kind of meaningful and thoughtful dialog and a complete lack of focus and definition. It’s so difficult to watch – impossible to understand.

What is it about race that causes all of us to fumble and trip over our own words? Why is the conversation so arduous and incomprehensible? I asked my radio co-host this question long ago and his answer still makes sense. “White people have a deep sense of guilt over the country’s racial past,” Skot Welch said, “and black people have profound anger and deep shame. White Europeans don’t want to appear racist and African Americans don’t want to look like ‘uncle Toms. So we stare across the racial divide and don’t say anything unless the tension boils over.”

And it always does in stories involving Don Imus, Trent Lott, Henry Louis Gates and a private pool in the suburbs of Philadelphia. It’s a good bet that “post racial America” will continue to have these painful conversations until something changes. Let me suggest some possibilities.

Could we begin by listening to one another, understanding our experience and history? Could we move further by spending time just hangin’ out and becoming real friends. And most important could we learn from one another an inclusive, positive and affirming language that doesn’t play racial “gottcha,” but looks at what’s best for everybody?

What do you think? Is a new language possible or should we all just stay where we are?

2 Comments for this entry

Larry Bush
January 13th, 2010 on 4:16 pm
Reid’s comments were certainly on a delicate subject, and give him credit for being brazen enough to go there. He was merely giving his opinion on the electibility of an African-American presidential candidate. And he was probably right, as evidenced by the outcome of the election. I honestly don’t see why all the brouhaha. Thanks for letting me opine, Rick!
Alan Headbloom
February 15th, 2010 on 5:50 pm
I agree with Larry. While Obama WAS the most articulate and visionary candidate through the primaries and general election campaign, I know his speech patterns and complexion were more palatable to many white voters. A Democratic candidate with the speech and complexion of, say, Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton, would have garnered fewer white votes. Look at the contemporary black politicians who represent a group wider than a single voting district: Susan Rice (U.N. Ambassador), Michael Steele (RNC Chair), Harold Ford (Chair of Democratic Leadership Council), Colin Powell (former Sec’y of State) Eric Holder (Attorney General), Condoleezza Rice (former Sec’y of State) among others. They are all fair skinned and have few features of African American Vernacular English (formerly Black English, and pejoratively Ebonics). AAVE shares similar features to Southern U.S. English, and is historically stigmatized, especially in the North and West. It would be naive to ignore such prejudices.

Now, did Reid SAY that Obama spoke poorly or stupidly? No. He pointed out that his skin was lighter on the color continuum and his speech was closer to standard American English than (non-standard) AAVE. It was an objective, not subjective observation. Shoot, Reid voted for the man! Given the fears that many whites still have of people of color, those smaller degrees of difference made Obama more acceptable (= less firghtening) to many white voters. Yes, we’ve come a long way, but the journey’s not over yet, folks. Give Reid a break. He was speaking candidly about a topic which most Americans still avoid. Reid’s comment wasn’t racist. It wasn’t disrespectful. It was just an observation.

So, to come full circle to Rick’s question, I say yes, we need to continue the conversation, stumble though we may. If we enter with pure hearts and intentions, the language will evolve and our partners in the conversation will coach us in the words that work.