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Farewell
Dear Larry: You are the sanest man in America! I look forward to your columns because I ALWAYS agree with your answers. Great work! Thanks for speaking the simple truth about all issues — racial, political, parental, common sense, etc.
I often …Read more.
Hate Groups
Dear Larry: I want to forget for a moment that it is their constitutional right, because I detest the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and all other groups that preach hate. A long time ago, they came into cities across America without any protest. Now …Read more.
Troubles With Raising Teenage Son
Dear Larry: I am African-American and a single mother with three children, ages 15, 10 and 8. All of them are boys. I am having a lot of problems with them, especially the eldest.
He argues with me about almost everything. He thinks he is the man/…Read more.
How To Get Race Relations Back on Track
Dear Larry: So many of my friends are upset with the way things are going, especially race relations. They are not saying anything openly, but among themselves there is constant complaining and fear. There is something simmering and brewing that …Read more.
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Ethnically Speaking, August 29Dear 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 just like all the other presidents, who have happened to be white. Larry, I am white, and you, as an African-American, should say something about racist attacks against our leader. To prove my point, the other day, I saw a bumper sticker that said, "He Is Not My President." If this is not racism, what is? Racism is alive and thriving. — Grieving Citizen Dear G.C.: I agree with you that President Obama should be treated like all the previous leaders. Failure to treat him the same because of his race is, by definition, racism. But your example of racism is not accurate. That bumper sticker first appeared when President George W. Bush was president. President Obama is not treated the same as previous presidents. So far, he has escaped the severe criticism and analysis that has plagued previous officeholders. I believe giving our president a pass because he is black is an example of paternalism and racism. All presidents should be challenged. This is what keeps our country from going too far left or right. Dear Larry: I always enjoy your column, and although I agree with the advice you gave regarding Civil War re-enactments and the use of the word "Negro" rather than the racially charged N-word, I have to disagree with your assertion that the particular epithet was not as loaded in that day as it is today. That word may have been more casually used then without all of the heat and backlash.
A perfect example is Stephen Douglas. Sen. Douglas was an out-and-out racist. He was never above using the N-word in speeches or for political race baiting. But he was also very aware of the social disapproval of the word and always had it replaced by the word "Negro" in print. Reporters and his contemporaries reported how he could powerfully use that word with a sneer. He is fortunate there was no YouTube in his day. — James Dear James: What you say about Stephen Douglas is true; he was a devout racist. However, he was not much different from most politicians and leaders in those days. It was only a question of what level of racist. Using that word was considered crude and unrefined. The meaning was not something people had serious objections to, though. In California, there was a place along the American River where African-Americans panned for gold during the 1849 gold rush. All the maps and official documents called the place "Nigger Bar." No one objected to the name. As an aside, the signs and names were changed to "Negro Bar" in the 1970s, as America became more aware and sensitive. To find out more about Larry G. Meeks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM
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