Category Archives: Racism

‘Metaphysical Racism’

Pseudo-intellectualism, Race, Racism, South-Africa

BY DAN ROODT

Sipho Hlongwane had to reach all the way to Slovenia (a little volkstaat that violently revolted against the nation-building of the old Yugoslavia) to discover the term “postmodern racism” in a tract by Slavoj Zizek (Living in postmodern racism, www.bdlive.co.za, November 11). I remember more than 10 years ago Claudia Braude introduced us to “subliminal racism”, which let her label all media in South Africa racist.

No doubt South Africa harbours a large variety of “racisms”: postmodern, subliminal, imagined, symbolic, public, private, and so on. Like the patient on Sigmund Freud’s couch, the country is in search of a “cure”, which could be either a rugby quota or another huge dose of black economic empowerment. Like a manic depressive, the Democratic Alliance seems to be vacillating on how racist South Africa really is, hence its recent volte face on more draconian affirmative action.

If racism had to end tomorrow, most of our academics would find themselves without jobs, not to mention politicians! So South Africa is married to metaphysical racism forever. Even in those “end times” referred to by Zizek, there will always be racism. Even if the dollar is replaced by Bitcoin and peak oil takes us back to ploughing with oxen, racism will survive as both an explanation of the modern world’s origins and its remaining inequalities.

American Craig Bodeker made a beautiful, minimalistic, black-and-white (in the cinematographic sense) documentary called “A Conversation About Race.” He interviewed people of all races on the streets of Denver, Colorado, asking them whether they thought “racism” was still a big problem in the U S. Of course, everybody thought so. Many of the subjects stated: “Racism is everywhere.”

Few people had any direct experience of racism, but they discerned it in other people’s body language, in their use of euphemisms or being patronised by others. One black man “who dates interracially”, as he described it, was complimented on being “a good dancer” in a club by a white man. He thought it was a racist comment as the man would not have complimented a white man in the same way. So the compliment, like the insult, may be construed as racism.

It seems that racism is the real motor of history, as opposed to Karl Marx’s class struggle or Friedrich Nietzsche’s will to power.

It follows that, like sin, metaphysical racism is insurmountable. It permeates our lives and contaminates our discourse. The radioactive cloud recently released from Pelindaba was much less of a danger than racism, which must explain why almost no one took any notice of it, while every day we agonise about racism.

(Also published as letter in Business Day.)

*****

DAN ROODT, Ph.D., is a noted Afrikaner activist, author, literary critic and director of PRAAG (which features my weekly column). He is the author of the polemical essay, “The Scourge of the ANC”.

UPDATE II: Beware Of Liberals In Libertarian Drag (Ditto In Conservative Clothing)

Elections, Homosexuality, Individualism Vs. Collectivism, Left-Liberalism And Progressivisim, libertarianism, Liberty, Racism

“Beware Of Liberals In Libertarian Drag” is the current column, now on WND. An excerpt:

… True to type, Robert Sarvis’ same-sex marriage sanctimony is not only pious, but specious. By Wikipedia’s telling [the libertarian lite, third-party candidate in the Virginia gubernatorial race] “supports same sex marriage and says it is a personal issue for him because his own marriage, which is biracial, was illegal in Virginia 50 years ago.” (By the same token, why not support affirmative action, on the ground that it, too, wasn’t the law “in Virginia 50 years ago”?)

True libertarians toil to keep the state out of marriage altogether. In furtherance of liberty, Uncle Sam’s purview must be curtailed, not expanded. On this score, let our gay friends and family members lead the way. Let them solemnize their commitment in contract and through church, synagogue and mosque (that will be the day!). Once interesting and iconoclastic, gays have become colossal bores who crave nothing more than the state’s seal of approval. Go back to the days of the Stonewall Riots, when the police’s violations of privacy and private property were the object of gay anger and activism.

Invariably deployed to encroach on private property and police subversives, the political construct that is “discrimination” (“sexism, racism, blah, blah”) ought to be opposed by the party of individualism. So long as the individual keeps his paws to himself, let him think, speak, associate and dissociate at will. …”

The complete column is “Beware Of Liberals In Libertarian Drag”. Read it on WND.

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UPDATE I: CNN’s chief national correspondent, John King, offers the “nitwork’s” analysis of Terry McAuliffe’s victory in Virginia, as he segues into an analysis of the New Jersey race, where, he contends, the same variables are at work.

JOHN KING: Chris, this one will be studied because this race was so close. Virginia is the governor’s race and Virginia is a tug of war evenly divided on the big major issues. Let’s take a closer look at Terry McAuliffe’s win. Start by looking at all this red. If you glanced at this map, you would think the Republican won, right? Look at all that red across Virginia.

Terry McAuliffe owes his victory right there, just like President Obama in 2008 and 2012, the more populous Washington suburbs. It’s the fastest growing part of the state, more moderate voters, younger voters, a rising Latino population. That is why Terry McAuliffe has his narrow win, all due to big support in the Washington, D.C. suburbs.

Let’s take a closer look at how he did it. I’ll explain what I mean about that tug of war. Look at this, the electorate, almost evenly divided, 51 percent women, 49 percent men. Women were the majority of the electorate and a majority of those women just barely went for Terry McAuliffe. Higher number in the suburbs, this mattered hugely, a slight gender gap, but enough to help Terry McAuliffe.

Helping him despite this, look at this, here’s one thing that’s changing in Virginia. We used to think of this as reliably red, a conservative southern state, 44 percent of the electorate described themselves as moderate. It is not the conservative state it used to be. Support among moderates and liberals put Terry McAuliffe just barely over the top.

Chris, over the top despite very strong opposition to the president’s health care plan, 53 percent oppose Obamacare in the state of Virginia. This is what kept Ken Cuccinelli close at the end. Look at this, 81 percent of Obamacare opponents supported the Republican for governor. This is what kept this so close, closer than most of the late polls. The recent opposition to Obamacare hurting the Democratic candidate, the president is under water in Virginia and yet the Democrat won just barely, the president’s disapproval rating.

Here’s how. Terry McAuliffe told the people of Virginia that Ken Cuccinelli was part of the Tea Party crowd that shutdown the government. Virginia voters blamed the Republicans more than the president. Those who blamed Republicans for shutting down the government, remember how close, especially Northern Virginia is to Washington, D.C. a big factor there.

Lastly, Terry McAuliffe made the point, not just on Tea Party issues, but controversial issues like gay rights, abortion. Half of the electorate thought Ken Cuccinelli was too conservative for the state of Virginia. Of those voters, look at that. That’s your margin of victory. Push them on the Tea Party, the social issues, get turnout in the Northern Virginia suburbs.

That’s why Terry McAuliffe narrowly will be the next governor of Virginia. People will study the exit polls looking ahead to 2014 and especially 2016 where Virginia is still important when it comes to presidential politics.

CUOMO: Very interesting. Seems to reflect they had the right issue with Obamacare, but didn’t go about it the right way. Let’s go to Jersey where it’s very different there. It’s really all about the man. How did you see what it means for Governor Chris Christie?

KING: Look, he is now the premier brand in Republican politics. You can say that just flat out. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, some of the Tea Party guys are with the Republican base. The way you validate yourself in politics is you win elections. Look at that. This has been one of the bluest of blue states in America especially in presidential politics. Chris Christie filling in everything except urban Newark with red so Chris Christie will carry this forward.

I’m sure this will hang on his wall somewhere and mail this to Republican activists all around the country saying look what I did in my state. Let’s move over to the New Jersey exit polls, a sweep. He’s running against a female Democratic candidate, Chris Christie not only wins men, he wins women and both big.

Of course., Chris Christie Republicans tend to win the white vote but remember, Chris, what happened to John McCain among African-Americans and Latinos in 2008, what happened to Mitt Romney among those same constituencies. Let’s look at this. Now Barbara Buono did win African-Americans, but Chris Christie will brag about this.

Look at this number here, 21 percent of African-Americans voted for their Republican governor to re-elect him. Not only did he get 21 percent, he more than doubled his take from four years ago. So Chris Christie can make the case, I can broaden the Republican base. Have you seen that in a long time? That’s red.

The Latino vote, 9 percent of the vote in New Jersey is colored red because Chris Christie actually carried the Latino vote by five, six points there, 51 percent. Remember what happened to Romney and McCain in places like Florida, Nevada, New Mexico. This a powerful message for Chris Christie that I can put the swing states back into play.

If you move over and look at little bit more. It’s clear the people of New Jersey like their governor, but you want to talk about 2016. I’m going to leave that one for you. Superstorm Sandy 84 percent — 84 percent of the people said he handled Sandy well. That was a big personal factor for him. Now we go to 2016 to see if Chris Christie can make the case as he travels the country.

CUOMO: Here’s the segue way. You showed the numbers there. Last night, the governor won with women, which was surprising, showed strength, but however when we talk about the woman, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the story changes even though a man named John King told me to listen for what you don’t hear said. What do we see?

KING: It’s a close race. The state hasn’t gone Republican for president since 1984. It’s a close race. Hillary Clinton is still ahead by four points. Chris Christie’s message to Republicans can be I can guarantee New Jersey, but if he’s competitive in New Jersey he’s probably competitive in places like Pennsylvania and Ohio as well.

These are the races up in 2014 Republican governors. Iowa, that’s up. There’s a place called Ohio that’s up. There’s a place called South Carolina that’s up. You know where I’m going here. He’ll get a chance to test his appeal in the states that matter most when we pick presidents.

UPDATE II: Beware Of Liberals In Libertarian Drag And In Conservative’s Clothing. Via Mr. Buchanan:

According to Chuck Todd of NBC, though heading for a blowout, Christie rebuffed a desperate plea to come down to Virginia for a few hours to help Ken Cuccinelli, whose late surge almost won the state.

Exculpating Evil: Depravity Or Deprivation?

Crime, Justice, Morality, Pseudoscience, Psychiatry, Race, Racism, Reason

CORRESPONDENT DON LEMON is a (piss-poor) prime-time reporter for CNN. Deprivation was the theme of Lemon’s sympathetic segment on 14-year-old (alleged) slasher Phillip Chism. Chism killed his 24-year-old math teacher with a box cutter.

According to Lemon’s editorializing , the possible source of Chism’s deprivation, boohoo, was not depravity but an absent father. Bill O’Reilly—and all other “conservative” pundits—is also prone to backwards logic, namely that if someone does something evil, then you work backwards in search of exculpating factors. Anything but pure unmitigated evil.

Controlled studies show that well-functioning individuals tend to report as many pathological experiences as do people who don’t function well. The same faulty reasoning must lead us to conclude that their trauma caused their successes.

Investigation Discovery featured a gaggle of Australian lasses who murdered a girl who had made their leader jealous. These feral females beat their victim and then set her alight as she begged for mercy. The stiffest sentence received by one of them was 17 years.

It’s a consolation that here in the U.S., Chism will be tried and sentenced as an adult.

Lemon:

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The students are back at Danvers High School.

COLLIN BUTLER, JUNIOR, DANVERS HIGH SCHOOL: I’m trying to return to some essential of normalcy.

LEMON: The school’s flag at half-staff and pink ribbons on the trees — reminders that thing are still far from normal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would someone do this to someone so nice?

LEMON: Still, more questions than answers as to what made 14-year-old Phillip Chism allegedly kill his math teacher Colleen Ritzer with a box cutter on Tuesday and then dump her body in the woods behind the school’s athletic field. He then went to this theater to see Wood Allen’s “Blue Jazzman”.

Chism’s uncle in Tennessee among those who still can’t understand why.

TERRENCE CHISM BLAINE, UNCLE OF PHILLIP CHISM: This is the furthest thing from reality for me to believe that Phillip could, you know, get entangled in something like this.

LEMON (on camera): His uncle told CNN that Chism’s parents are separated. Chism’s father, a former military man, is now living in Florida. The question is, could trouble at home be one of the reasons behind his alleged attack?

CARRIE KIMBALL-MONAHAN, SPOKESPERSON, ESSEX COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: An investigation is a broad and painstaking effort. So they’re all, any and all information that’s pertinent and relevant to proving our case is taken into consideration.

LEMON: Would something like that be relevant?

KIMBALL-MONAHAN: It could be.

LEMON (voice-over): The freshman student Cambria Cloutier sat near Chism in Ritzer’s math class. She said he was a good student but that something was different about Chism’s behavior on Tuesday.

CAMBRIA CLOUTHIER, FRESHMAN, DANVERS HIGH SCHOOL: He was a little more quiet than usual. He had his ear buds on. He was drawing. He was not doing math. He wasn’t paying attention.

LEMON: Clouthier says Ritzer teacher asked Chism to stay after class to help him with what he missed, telling CNN’s Pam Brown that she walked by the classroom after school and saw the two of them together.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What did you see in the classroom at 3:15?

CLOUTHIER: I saw Ms. Ritizer standing at her desk computer smiling at me. And then I saw Phillip slouching in his chair, staring at me when I walked by.

LEMON: Just 15 minutes later, according to sources close to the investigation, Colleen Ritzer was brutally killed in the school’s second floor bathroom.

CLOUTHIER: If I had walked by there 15 minutes later, what could have happened? If I witnessed that, what could I have done?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And sources close to the investigation say there is no indication that there is anything in this young man’s path that would lead him to this type of behavior. And they also say that reports of him having a crush on the teacher are unfounded. In the meantime, Erin, 24-year-old Colleen Ritzer will be laid to rest on Monday.

BURNETT: Thank you, Don.

UPDATED: Philip Chism, Killer Kid (Allegedly)

Crime, Pseudoscience, Psychiatry, Psychology & Pop-Psychology, Race, Racism, Reason

“He wasn’t violent at all. He was really the opposite of agressive [sic].” Predictably, that’s how a classmate has described a black, 14-year-old, who murdered his white math teacher, near Boston, Massachusetts.

Philip Chism, the alleged killer, was clearly aggressive enough to kill.

The other options the idiocracy will opt for—they set the parameters of the debate on crime—are 1) racism. The white teacher’s or the white kids’, but never the black student’s. When blacks take the life of a white, it is never taken as a sign of racial hatred.

2) An “illness.” From “EVIL, NOT ILL”:

the tele-experts, understandably self-serving, … work to place bad behavior beyond the strictures of traditional morality, making it amenable to their “therapeutic” interventions. … conjuring so-called mental diseases either to control contrarians or to exculpate criminals. To listen to the nation’s psychiatric gurus is to come to believe that crimes are caused, not committed. Perpetrators don’t do the crime, but are driven to their dirty deeds by a confluence of uncontrollable factors, victims of societal forces or organic brain disease.

The paradox at the heart of this root-causes fraud is that causal theoretical explanations are invoked only after bad deeds have been committed. Good deeds have no need of mitigating circumstances.

This mode of thinking amounts to backward logic. It’s logically fallacious.

Poor Colleen Ritzer was only 24. This beloved teacher had “graduated magna cum laude from Assumption College in Massachusetts with a math degree.”

UPDATE (Oct. 24): “A law-enforcement source said authorities believe Chism attacked Ritzer with a box cutter. The source said the boy was seen on school security video pushing a large recycling bin, which authorities believe he used to take her body outside.”

More.