?Being White? article sparks uproar in Philadelphia | The Scoop Blog

Just finished reading a lengthy article in Philadelphia Magazine that has that city in an uproar. Titled ?Being White in Philly,? the story was slammed last week by Mayor Michael Nutter, who called it ?disgusting? and demanded that its writer and editors be investigated by Philadelphia?s human relations commission.

The article, in some respects, echoes the kind of let?s-have-a-frank-talk-about-race discussions that are periodically promoted here in Dallas. It goes a step further, though, by suggesting Philadelphia?s now-minority white population is too fearful of being labeled ?racist? to speak their minds on the topic.

Writer Robert Huber goes on to recount conversations he had with unnamed white residents who did speak their minds ? some of them in terms that did, indeed, come across as racist. Huber and the magazine have taken a beating by African-American journalists who characterize the article as, at worst, bigoted and, at best, clueless. Many commenters were offended that the article did not include interviews with black residents, resulting in a ?one-sided? point of view.

My take was that that the article probably tried to do too much with its aim of characterizing the city?s complex race relations from a white perspective. I think the writer took pains to be honest, and that some of his effort to provide a genuine view of white racism backfired on him: In trying to say, ?Well, yes, some of the things they said to me were indeed racist,? he stands accused of sharing those views. It was an interesting read, and many of the points it raised ? and the criticisms that have been made against it ? would certainly be applicable to Dallas.

The bottom line, I guess, is that before we can even have a ?frank talk about race,? we have to agree on what exactly a ?frank talk? is ? and I don?t think we?re there yet. Clearly, a lot of people thought this wasn?t it.

Source: http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2013/03/being-white-article-sparks-uproar-in-philadelphia.html/

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