You’re right about the power of (or the preference for) White men, but you flinched before Kash Patel, who, though a brown-skinned person of South Asian heritage seems to function as a White man. There are so many South Asian men in positions of power that we need a way of thinking about non-White men with White-male status. I’m guessing the privilege doesn’t quite get to women of South Asian heritage, or maybe not so wholly or easily. I’m guessing that the women remain Brown people in a way the men don’t. In any case, we need ways of dealing with the very large population of people with roots in South Asia who don’t want to talk about race in America.
I agree--it's an issue with the format too. When do you stop and give more background without slowing the pace of the show? As Neil was talking, I was thinking of the important role that Hindu nationalists play on the American right, as well as the complicated relationship to whiteness (ie, early lawsuits filed against restrictionist US citizenship policies by Indian immigrants claiming to be variously Asian or Caucasian according the 19th century. race science.) For readers who want to follow up, see Nell Painter's History of White People.
Thanks for the comment, and for drawing attention to this.
I love the conversation this week, the most measured I have heard this terrible week. Beverley reminded me that when she was a child, there was an assassination attempt on F.D.R. in Florida (February 15, 1933) in Miami, Florida. It's an interesting story. The assassin was a "disgruntled, unemployed bricklayer" Giuseppe Zangara. Roosevelt was saved because a small woman in the audience saw Zangara raise his pistol and fought with him to ruin his aim. Five people were hit by the bullets, but Roosevelt was unharmed. The mayor of Chicago, Anton Cermak, was shot in the stomach and later died from his wounds. IfZangara had possessed an automatic weapon, history would've been very different.
You’re right about the power of (or the preference for) White men, but you flinched before Kash Patel, who, though a brown-skinned person of South Asian heritage seems to function as a White man. There are so many South Asian men in positions of power that we need a way of thinking about non-White men with White-male status. I’m guessing the privilege doesn’t quite get to women of South Asian heritage, or maybe not so wholly or easily. I’m guessing that the women remain Brown people in a way the men don’t. In any case, we need ways of dealing with the very large population of people with roots in South Asia who don’t want to talk about race in America.
This is pertinent in New Jersey.
I agree--it's an issue with the format too. When do you stop and give more background without slowing the pace of the show? As Neil was talking, I was thinking of the important role that Hindu nationalists play on the American right, as well as the complicated relationship to whiteness (ie, early lawsuits filed against restrictionist US citizenship policies by Indian immigrants claiming to be variously Asian or Caucasian according the 19th century. race science.) For readers who want to follow up, see Nell Painter's History of White People.
Thanks for the comment, and for drawing attention to this.
I love the conversation this week, the most measured I have heard this terrible week. Beverley reminded me that when she was a child, there was an assassination attempt on F.D.R. in Florida (February 15, 1933) in Miami, Florida. It's an interesting story. The assassin was a "disgruntled, unemployed bricklayer" Giuseppe Zangara. Roosevelt was saved because a small woman in the audience saw Zangara raise his pistol and fought with him to ruin his aim. Five people were hit by the bullets, but Roosevelt was unharmed. The mayor of Chicago, Anton Cermak, was shot in the stomach and later died from his wounds. IfZangara had possessed an automatic weapon, history would've been very different.
Also odd that our mother remembers this--as she wasn't born yet! But yes--and although he had radical ideas was not connected to any movement.
Wow, that is strange! Maybe she's channeling history!
As someone who does a lot of interviewing, it is not uncommon for people to “remember” things they never saw—often quite vividly!