Blogcritics Comments on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Comment by Lisa Swanson on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:40:04 EDT

Dear Baronius, Obnoxious American, etc.: What it means to call oneself an anti-racist is an important topic, and your questions & comments have inspired me to choose that as the subject of my next Nubiano article. I hope you'll keep an eye out for its posting on Blogcritics in the next month or so.

Comment by Baronius on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 15:58:47 EDT

Lisa, I'm with Obnox on this one. You wrote about matters of race and signed your writings as an anti-racist. It puts any critic at a disadvantage.

Comment by Andy Marsh on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 06:32:17 EDT

reparations to myself...guess I'll buy myself a beer! whiskey and limes? Tequila and limes sounds much better, even better would be a tequila good enough to not require groceries and I'd prefer a bb gun to a sling shot!

Comment by Franco on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 21:40:20 EDT

"It would be interesting to see an analysis of how much looting was opportunistic thievery vs "shopping" for needed supplies." Fair questions Clavos, but that is only going to get the left and right battering it back and forth. So I will let the liberal Mayor of New Orleans make an argument to those on the left who would try to deny it was opportunistic thievery. Let the left argue with itself. The Mayor Ray Nagin thought the opportunistic thievery had come to so dominated the streets that he ordered the police to stop trying to save lives and instead ordered them to stop the looting! Only opportunistic thievery would have justified such an order. Associated Press - September 1 2005 - NEW ORLEANS - Mayor Ray Nagin ordered 1,500 police officers to leave their search-and-rescue mission Wednesday night and return to the streets of the beleaguered city to stop looting that has turned increasingly hostile. "They are starting to get closer to heavily populated areas — hotels, hospitals and we're going to stop it right now," Nagin said in a statement to The Associated Press. Looters used garbage cans and inflatable mattresses to float away with food, blue jeans, tennis shoes, TV sets and guns. Outside one pharmacy, thieves commandeered a forklift and used it to push up the storm shutters and break through the glass. Looters waded through hip-deep water as they ripped open the steel gates on the front of several clothing and jewelry stores. Police were asking residents to give up any firearms before they evacuated neighborhoods because officers desperately needed the firepower: Some officers who had been stranded on the roof of a hotel said they were shot at. Police said their first priority remained saving lives, and mostly just stood by and watched the looting. But Nagin later said the looting had gotten so bad that stopping the thieves became the top priority for the police department.

Comment by Jet in Columbus on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 20:01:18 EDT

I shudder to think Andy... I shudder to think. A case of Whiskey, limes, and a slingshot?

Comment by Dr Dreadful on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 19:28:38 EDT

You have to give reparations to yourself.

Comment by Andy Marsh on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 18:50:52 EDT

What do us mutts get?

Comment by Clavos, aka Mr. Rogers on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 16:19:03 EDT

Reparations for us Messicans that lost Aztlan to you gringos...

Comment by Dave Nalle on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 16:04:46 EDT

Finally, my identity and work as an anti-racist, to quote Katrina Browne, come "not out of personal guilt, but grief." My advocacy for reparations is not an effort to assuage a guilty white conscience. Rather, it is my deepest, truest response to an honest look at race-based economic and cultural injustice in our nation. I'd submit that you're suffering from a delusional syndrome or else a tragic ignorance of the facts surrounding the entire argument (such as it is) for reparations. To punish one generation for the sins of another 3 or 4 or more generations removed is the definition of injustice, just as rewarding someone for the suffering of their great-grandparents would be. Do you think that I deserve reparations for my ancestors who came here as indentured servants being cheated out of the land they were promised after they served a decade or more of indenture? Sure it was 350 years ago, but the descendants of the Tidewater Aristocrats who played this bait and switch game on us MUST be made to pay! While we're at it, let's give reparations to all the Okies who were forced off their land by rapacious banking practices during the 1920s and 1930s. And how about some reparations for my wife because her ancestors were forced off their tribal lands in Oklahoma in 1886 and forced to settle in Texas and pretend to be white. More reparations, dammit! Let's have reparations for everyone for everything that ever happened in the past. Reparations for the descendents of heretics burned in Spain. Reparations for the descendents of Jews deported from England in the 14th century. Reparations for all the Scotts and Irish transported to Australia and America. Reparations for Arabs forcible converted to Christianity in 1492. Reparations for the Irish who were raped by Vikings. Reparations for the Etruscans who were conquered by Romans. Give me a break. Dave

Comment by Dr Dreadful on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 14:01:28 EDT

I'm sure Mr Rogers would be able to tell us.

Comment by Clavos on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 13:58:21 EDT

Fact is, both kinds of looting were going on. I have a friend who was there (he lived yards from the 17th St. canal levee break) throughout the storm and a week of its aftermath, when he finally left, in search of power. The conservative media focused on the thieves, while the lib newsies concentrated on the victims. It would be interesting to see an analysis of how much looting was opportunistic thievery vs "shopping" for needed supplies.

Comment by Dr Dreadful on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 13:43:57 EDT

I don't recall seeing looters with candy bars or diapers or water....but that's just me. Were you there, Andy, or were you just relying on the news media to bring you unsensationalized, unbiased and comprehensive coverage of what was happening on the ~~ground~~ surface? If the latter, I think I see where your problem may lie...

Comment by Andy Marsh on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 07:26:36 EDT

Yeah...maybe it's time I got an HDTV???

Comment by Jet in Columbus on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 07:18:17 EDT

It depends on your contrast settings Andy.

Comment by Andy Marsh on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 06:25:08 EDT

After reading comment #49 I just have a couple of questions...what does "People are dying, in the streets, on live television. Fathers and mothers are watching their baby's eyes bulge in their skulls from dehydration, and you are begrudging them some Goddamned candy bars, diapers and water?" have to do with people looting TV's and stereos and liquor? I don't recall seeing looters with candy bars or diapers or water....but that's just me. And all those people left to fend for themselves at the Superdome, by their own "chocolate city" mayor, do they see their black mayor as a racist as well? Oh no, that's right, it's Bush's fault! Some friends of mine in MS pointed out to me that there's a neighborhood in New Orleans that was just as devestated as the ninth ward, but somehow, we never saw that on tv...guess those white folks in Bernard Parish just don't show up on tv as well as the ninth ward folks...

Comment by Cindy D on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 14:20:06 EDT

Oh, I nearly forgot, that Katrina post was for you Brian aka Guppusmaximus.

Comment by Cindy D on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 13:55:58 EDT

Here is an excerpt from an interesting (to me anyway) essay by Tim Wise called: A God with Whom I am not Familiar "Those Looters Should be Shot, Praise the Lord, and Pass the Guacamole!" This is an open letter to the man sitting behind me at La Paz today, in Nashville, at lunchtime, with the Brooks Brothers shirt: You don't know me. But I know you. I watched you as you held hands with your tablemates at the restaurant where we both ate this afternoon. I listened as you prayed, and thanked God for the food you were about to eat, and for your own safety, several hundred miles away from the unfolding catastrophe in New Orleans. You blessed your chimichanga in the name of Jesus Christ, and then proceeded to spend the better part of your meal--and mine, since I was too near your table to avoid hearing every word--morally scolding the people of that devastated city... -snip- Your God--the one to whom you prayed today, and likely do before every meal, because this gesture proves what a good Christian you are--is one with whom I am not familiar. Your God is one who you sincerely believe gives a flying fuck about your lunch. Your God is one who you seem to believe watches over you and blesses you, and brings good tidings your way, while simultaneously letting thousands of people watch their homes be destroyed, and perhaps ten thousand or more die, many of them in the streets for lack of water or food. Did you ever stop to think just what a rancid asshole such a God would have to be, such that he would take care of the likes of you, while letting babies die in their mother's arms, and old people in wheelchairs, at the foot of Canal Street? Your God is one with whom I am not familiar. But no, it isn't God who's the asshole here, Skip (or Brad, or Braxton, or whatever your name is). God doesn't feed you, and it isn't God that kept me from turning around and beating your lily white privileged ass today either. God has nothing to do with it. God doesn't care who wins the Super Bowl. God doesn't help anyone win an Academy Award. God didn't get you your last raise, or your SUV. -snip- Why did they loot? Are you serious? People are dying, in the streets, on live television. Fathers and mothers are watching their baby's eyes bulge in their skulls from dehydration, and you are begrudging them some Goddamned candy bars, diapers and water? If anything the poor of New Orleans have exercised restraint. -snip- Can you even imagine what you would do in their place? Can you imagine what would happen if it were well-off white folks stranded like this without buses to get them out, without nourishment, without hope? Putting aside the absurdity of the imagery--after all, such folks always have the means to seek safety, or the money to rebuild, or the political significance to ensure a much speedier response for their concerns--can you just imagine? Can you imagine what would happen if the pampered, overfed corporate class, which complains about taxes taking a third of their bloated incomes, had to sit in the hot sun for four, going on five days? Without a Margarita or hotel swimming pool to comfort them I mean? -snip-

Comment by Cindy D on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 12:23:06 EDT

RE#40: I can agree with you OA with a slight change in your comment. I believe we are all equal, equal in rights, and equal in our responsibility. Shame so many think [that merely claiming a personal belief in] equality means not having to be responsible [for correcting the injustice done by the racial privilege that has benefited them].

Comment by Lisa Swanson on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Fri, 4 Jul 2008 22:48:27 EDT

Dear Obnoxious American, You wrote, ". . . Categorizing someone as a 'white anti-racist' implies other whites are racist, unless they have somehow earned the 'anti' moniker." In my mini-biography, I used the word "white" in order to clarify my cultural/racial background for interested readers. I used the word "anti-racist" to describe my personal philosophical orientation with regards to the politics of race. "Anti-racist" can be used by a person of any race to describe him or herself. It is not a term reserved for whites. Using the word "anti-racist" to describe someone simply communicates that that person (of whatever color) opposes discrimination based on race. Does this imply that people, or white people specifically, who do not describe themselves as anti-racist are racist? I don't believe so. This is a statement about how I personally identify. I do not believe that describing myself in this way somehow levels a charge at all other whites as being racists. I do, however, believe that it acknowledges that our society upholds racist power structures as a norm. There is no official accreditation process for calling oneself a "white anti-racist," just as there is none for calling oneself a straight ally of BGLT people or a pro-feminist ally of women. However, for me, using terms like these to describe myself indicates a commitment to opposing oppressive power structures and viewpoints, to learning about relevant issues and engaging in personal growth, and to maintaining accountability to the affected populations. I like to use the word "anti-racist" not only because it reflects my beliefs, but also because I hope that using the term will invite others who have not heard it before to ponder how they may or may not feel comfortable identifying as an anti-racist person. I hope that using the word will help to make anti-racism more visible so that more people (of all races) can find a positive identity for themselves in combating racism. Finally, my identity and work as an anti-racist, to quote Katrina Browne, come "not out of personal guilt, but grief." My advocacy for reparations is not an effort to assuage a guilty white conscience. Rather, it is my deepest, truest response to an honest look at race-based economic and cultural injustice in our nation. For more information, and to read someone else's take on white anti-racism, see here.

Comment by Clayton Perry on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 16:21:42 EDT

Obnoxious American: Should you wish to contact Lisa Swanson, feel free to e-mail her at the address listed.

Comment by Baritone on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 13:16:59 EDT

It seems like I submitted a brief comment in this regard here or somewhere in the last day or two, but can't find it. The gist of it was that I find it odd and disingenuous that those who seem to discredit any notions of racism having any effect on society in general are white. I guess us pale folk have a better perspective on whether or not people of color remain victimized owing to their race, than they do. We're doubtless more objective. We are, I guess, indeed superior in our ability to confidently make such pronouncements. Blacks, Hispanics and others just don't understand how good they've got it - owing largely to white folks' largesse and benevolence. B-tone

Comment by The Obnoxious American on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 10:10:09 EDT

"As a white anti-racist woman, Lisa Swanson..." I'd like to know what this means exactly? Are all whites considered racist, unless they earn the moniker of "anti-racist"? I think Clayton, that Lisa, and perhaps you, are seeing the world through a permanently affixed lens of racism. I'm not saying that racism doesn't exist, we all know it does, as a Jew I've had my share (although anti jewish views would be "prejudice" more than racism, still fruit from the same tree). My point is, categorizing someone as a "white anti-racist" implies other whites are racist, unless they have somehow earned the "anti" moniker. To me, this article, if written by a white person, sounds like a lot of misplaced white guilt (unless her great grand parents had slaves). If she's African American, then she is just making a whole lot of excuses.

Comment by Brian aka Guppusmaximus on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 09:11:24 EDT

As a white anti-racist woman, Lisa Swanson has stepped outside of herself to interpret the world around her. Whether you agree with her or not, that's a hard act to follow. Still, she lumps in Katrina with what our Government has supposedly turned a blind eye to as an injustice and/or racist event. HELLO!! I think interpreting our world,especially on this issue, on a race basis is a f*cking cop out!. You should re-read comments #11 & #12, as I agree with them wholeheartedly!

Comment by Andy Marsh on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 08:57:40 EDT

Lumpy - have you been to Cape Charles? There's a reason those homes aren't empty. It might have something to do with waterfront property and two golf courses, one designed by Arnold Palmer and one designed by Jack Nicklaus. As far as some of the monster homes here in Va Beach, they'd probably have more appeal if, like I said before, FA-18's weren't buzzing them all the time. As far as tax assesments go, our city council didn't waste any time reassessing EVERYTHING in this town...of course, the rate adjustments come much slower...we're supposed to be a vacation city, which means we should be able to get some revenue from all those freaking hotels that block the view of the beach...but our city council likes to put the burden on the locals!

Comment by Clayton Perry on What the Housing Crisis Can Tell Us about Racism, Sexism and Homelessness

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 19:41:03 EDT

Obnoxious American: One's belief in something does not make it real. That's where faith enters into the equation. In the end, you hope that your faith in ________ (e.g. God, government, the system) pays sufficient dividends for a lifetime of obedient service. Yes, too many Americans placed BLIND faith in a system BROKEN by UNETHICAL human spirits. And yes, naivety was a key factor in this sad tale of events. It is preposterous, however, to assume that this crisis had equal distributive impact. Like you, I believe that all human beings are equal. The key word... BELIEVE! For better or worse, my experience---as an African-American male---has shown that my beliefs are dreams that have yet to become fully realized. But... I continue to BELIEVE that America and her citizens will learn, one day, to develop and sustain a "communal ethos." As a white anti-racist woman, Lisa Swanson has stepped outside of herself to interpret the world around her. Whether you agree with her or not, that's a hard act to follow.