>>> dhenwood at panix.com 08/06/01 03:08PM >>>
Charles Brown wrote:
>CB: Is Doug proposing that the _legal_category of race be rejected ?
>But why would he propose this to Black or other racially oppressed
>groups ? Black people do not have the power to obliterate or reject
>the _legal_category. Black people don't have the power to change the
>law, do they ?
I'm not proposing it to anyone specifically - I'm proposing it to everyone.
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CB: My comment above was, via an interjection by Jim H. , responding to your original comment as follows:
>Doug:
>> >Hmm, but if a racial category was invented in the process of
>> >oppression, then how is accepting that category negating it? Looks to
>> >me more like a perverse reinforcement. The negation would be to
>> >reject racial categorization altogether.
(((((((
CB: I took your reference to "accepting the category (not) negating it" and "Looks to me more like a perverse reinforcement" to refer to Black people and other groups oppressed racial groups , not to "everyone".
In other words, it seemed like you were saying it looked perverse for Black people to accept the category, not that it seemed perverse for white people to accept the category. It might be a bad idea for white people to accept the category , but not specifically perverse. Do I misinterpret you ?
Also, I believe you were replying to Art McGee, who is Black, suggesting to him that he should reject the category. That sort of implied you were talking about Black people rejecting racial categories, and rejecting nationalism.
It just seems to me that there is more of a burden on white people to reject the category than Black and other people of color. They have to sort of lead the way, take the first steps.
But another point I would make is that the focus on categories is not good. We should focus on conduct , social actions, not the categories which reflect the social situation.