Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Randall Kennedy on (the) race: Randall Kennedy writes that if Obama loses--whatever the reason--he will have "feelings of dejection, anger and resentment." If someone as reasonable as Kennedy is going to be mad, how is the average street-corner black man going to feel? If there is a perception that the election was stolen or lost because of racist white voters, I recommend that you white folks don't do any driving through black neighborhoods on November 5th.

7 comments:

  1. Historically, riots by weak social groups are self-limiting. In ten or twenty years, when a Hispanic Obama-type candidate loses, then things will be dicier.

    Tensions between the Red states and the Blue do not seem severe enough for the truly serious problem of a riot by the dominant social group. There do seem to be enough unhinged Palinosis sufferers that a June 28, 1914 type attack on her has to be judged altogether too possible.

    Whenever the payoff to violence increases, the incidence of violence increases.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous1:39 PM

    "In ten or twenty years, when a Hispanic Obama-type candidate loses, then things will be dicier."

    Interesting observation. Although I imagine by then the influx from Latin America will make our politics increasingly resemble theirs, which is to say, rigged elections. Under those circumstances, the need to riot will be negated.

    I do think that what we'll see concurrent with the rise of Hispanic political power will be a self-segregating of the different ethnic groups. I don't think it'll happen while I'm alive (I'm 50), but I do expect the country to splinter into smaller nation/states at some point in the future. The southwest will be a Hispanic state in every meaningful way (ethnic, cultural, linguistic, political, economic) which means it will closely resemble Mexico. I wonder if poor Hispanics will be trying to escape California and Texas 100 years from now, hoping to get into what used to be the United States?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous11:24 PM

    I live in Hyde Park (Chicago). On one hand, high class people, of all races. On the other hand, ground zero of Obamania.

    Your prediction?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Be careful what route you choose to leave Hyde Park.
    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ed Glaeser has a paper on riots (including the racial dimension) here.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous7:39 AM

    "Ed Glaeser has a paper on riots (including the racial dimension) here."

    Interesting and thorough. But I don't need a research paper to know what the problem was(and is).

    ReplyDelete
  7. In the USA, riots by the dominant group against the disadvantaged group have not happened for a long time. I really don't think riots by blacks would amount to much should Obama lose. They'd be more of the same, and not anything transfiguring.
    Verklärung only occurs when the dominant group takes action against the loser group. Sarah Palin has brought out the worst in the losers; they may take unpleasantly excessive action. Real riots may ensue.

    ReplyDelete

Are gun owners mentally ill?

  Some anti-gun people think owning a gun is a sign of some kind of mental abnormality. According to General Social Survey data, gun owners ...