Ethnically Speaking from Creators Syndicate

Ethnically Speaking, July 11 for 07/11/2009

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I would like your opinion of all the accolades that have gone to Michael Jackson. I think the guy was weird and should not be made to look like some kind of hero.

I am white, and people have called me a racist for thoughts I have had. I know in my heart I am not a racist. My sister is married to a black man, and their children are near and dear to my heart.

It seems as ...

Updated: Sat Jul 11, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, July 18 for 07/18/2009

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: My employer posted a notice from a legal Web site that stated that supervisors in a diverse workplace need to be given extra sensitivity training to avoid illegal bias.

This need for more instruction happened because a woman from Mexico spoke English with such an accent that her fellow employees often responded to her comments by yelling "what?" or "I do not un ...

Updated: Sat Jul 18, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, July 25 for 07/25/2009

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I would appreciate your perspective and commenting on the incident in Cambridge, Mass., between the police and Harvard University's African-American professor Henry Gates. If you will recall, the professor broke into his own house, and a neighbor thought the home was being burglarized and called the police. The police came and asked the suspect for identification. The professor gave ...

Updated: Sat Jul 25, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, August 1 for 08/01/2009

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I love your column and look forward to it every week.

Can you stand just one more comment about the professor Henry Louis Gates incident?

I have been following the whole incident very closely and read in an article that professor Gates was incensed because "he, as a prominent member of the community, wasn't recognized by this officer."

His words and ar ...

Updated: Sat Aug 01, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, August 8 for 08/08/2009

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: Why are black leaders more concerned about crimes that involve blacks and whites than they are about crimes that blacks commit against other blacks?

Over the years, I have noticed that whenever there are criminal situations that involve whites and blacks, black leaders get involved and come to the aid of the blacks, regardless of whether the blacks are the victims or the accu ...

Updated: Sat Aug 08, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, August 15 for 08/15/2009

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I am a member of a Civil War re-enacting club, and I have a rather bothersome situation. The problem concerns an enthusiastically outspoken fellow who is one of the officers of our Yankee unit. He has proved himself to be friendly and helpful. He also has a great sense of humor with his blunt way of speaking. However, I have difficulty accepting his occasional use of the N-word. He ...

Updated: Sat Aug 15, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, August 22 for 08/22/2009

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I am an avid reader of your column and have wanted to write for a long time. I am a white woman and have been married for three years to a wonderful white man. I love him dearly. He treats me well, and he is an excellent father to our infant son.

The problem is my husband makes racist comments toward African-Americans. I never have seen him say or do anything rude to people o ...

Updated: Sat Aug 22, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, August 29 for 08/29/2009

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I am very upset with all the criticism of President Barack Obama. I think he is doing an outstanding job. He is trying very hard, but people keep trying to stop him from doing what is best for the American people.

I think people are trying to stop him because he is African-American and they just do not like the idea that a minority is in the White House. He should be treated ...

Updated: Sat Aug 29, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, September 5 for 09/05/2009

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I have an issue about the type of people who get jobs in America.

As a former high-school teacher, I tried to get teens after-school or weekend jobs, with zero success. In the past decade, there's been an inundation of unskilled labor from Latin America. The kinds of jobs teens could perform are filled by non-English-speaking immigrants.

Don't get me wrong; I have noth ...

Updated: Sat Sep 05, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, September 12 for 09/12/2009

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I must respond to your reader who wrote about teens who are not getting jobs because businesses are hiring immigrants. I would like to share what a business manager said to me.

I was at a drive-through, and I could not understand what the worker was saying to me. I became quite frustrated because of our failure to communicate with each other.

When I got to the window, ...

Updated: Sat Sep 12, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, September 19 for 09/19/2009

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I am so angry I am shaking. I just heard former President Jimmy Carter say that people are criticizing President Barack Obama because Obama is an African-American and the people are racists.

Larry, I am white and voted for President Obama. I now have some major problems with his policies and feel it is my right to disagree with him.

I resent anyone who tells me I am a ...

Updated: Sat Sep 19, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, September 26 for 09/26/2009

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: Everyone in America should learn to speak English. There is no excuse for anyone who is not able to speak English in this country. I know what I am talking about because I do volunteer work with an adult literacy group.

There are organizations in every state and in many towns and counties where adults can go to learn to speak, read and write English.

These organization ...

Updated: Sat Sep 26, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, October 13 for 10/03/2009

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I cannot understand how a person like former President Jimmy Carter can keep saying that the criticism against President Barack Obama is based upon race and that America is racist. I also cannot believe there are people around Jimmy Carter who are saying racist words about the president. I am sure he knows it was white people who elected Obama.

Larry, you are not a mind reade ...

Updated: Sat Oct 03, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, October 10 for 10/10/2009

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I teach English to juniors in high school, and our curriculum consists of American literature. Quite often, some of the stories contain racial undertones, and others, such as "The Invisible Man" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," contain flat-out racist thinking.

Many times, my students have brought these ideas to light during class discussions. Alm ...

Updated: Sat Oct 10, 2009

Ethnically Speaking, October 17 for 10/17/2009

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I am shocked that Rush Limbaugh has been rejected in his attempt to become an owner of a National Football League team. So-called black leaders and a few others told lies about Rush, and the NFL rejected him just because there was controversy. This is so unfair.

Larry, I would like your opinion. — El

Dear El: For years, I have seen people level charges of racism, ...

Updated: Sat Oct 17, 2009

ETHNICALLY SPEAKING for 10/24/2009

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I believe that as long as ethnic and cultural groups continue to hyphenate their heritage with American, we will continue to live in a segregated world.

A lot has been done since the '50s to eradicate the separation among groups. However, this eradication process will not be complete as long as people insist on bilingual education, foreign-language publications (such as votin ...

Updated: Sat Oct 24, 2009

ETHNICALLY SPEAKING for 10/31/2009

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Larry: I am a young adult librarian, and every year, I take part in a program designed to teach teens leadership skills. One of the classes we stress is how to prevent discrimination.

The class is always a very ethnically diverse group, consisting of students from white to black and all shades in between. One special exercise requires the students to line up according to different a ...

Updated: Sat Oct 31, 2009

ETHNICALLY SPEAKING for 11/07/2009

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Larry: What does a parent do? My 10-year-old son is a very active young child who comes from an interracial family.

He recently went on a field trip with his school. A parent witnessed a teacher being abusive toward my son in front of his peers. This teacher told my son that he couldn't use the restroom and that if he had to go so badly, he should go ahead and wet himself. The teach ...

Updated: Sat Nov 07, 2009

ETHNICALLY SPEAKING for 11/14/2009

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Larry: I discovered your column this past summer. I quickly became a devoted fan when I noted your ability to look at life without glasses of any color. This is so desperately lacking in this country. I am sorry I did not click on to you sooner.

Like many Americans, I am following the tragedy out of Fort Hood with a heavy heart. As I studied the incident, I read that others around t ...

Updated: Sat Nov 14, 2009

ETHNICALLY SPEAKING for 11/21/2009

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Larry: I think the conclusion reached by the librarian who asked a group of teenagers to line up according to their skin color is naive. When they lined up from the lightest to darkest, the librarian failed to recognize that there are two distinct methods for determining who is first in line.

Being first can mean "order of importance" or "first in a series." The ...

Updated: Sat Nov 21, 2009