Ethnically Speaking by Larry Meeks

Dear Larry: I usually agree with you, and when I don't, I can see the sense in what you say. Thank you for writing forthrightly on difficult issues.

In a recent column, you wrote that former President Bill Clinton offended you by telling Ted Kennedy that "a few years ago (Barack Obama) would have been getting us coffee." You lamented how the media and black leaders had not spoken out against his intemperate words but had become all excited by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's using the word "Negro."

I also noticed that Clinton's comment didn't seem to ruffle feathers. I have two thoughts as to why. First, maybe the black leaders and media didn't know about it. Second, maybe it had something to do with his policies.

The second thought also applies to Sen. Reid's comment. If you will remember, Sen. Reid is on the forefront of changing our health care policies, to which most of the nation is opposed. If that is not the reason, it could be that he was opposed to establishing a nuclear waste dump at Nevada's Yucca Mountain.

There are people who would love to discredit him in order to discredit his policies. Challenging him on any issue will help bring him down. They are more concerned about his policies than they are about the word he chose.

I think both Reid and Clinton were speaking from their life experiences when they used their poorly chosen words. I believe both of them could have said those words without ever having a racist thought.

For example, you said yourself that in your mother's time, "Negro" was an acceptable term. Larry, I am sure you can picture a time in Clinton's life when the black people he saw around him were farmers, blue-collar workers and, yes, waiters. He probably thought (as I do) that it is wonderful that opportunities for blacks have increased in a relatively short time. — Kathy

Dear Kathy: I agree that Sen.

Regardless of how I look at President Clinton's words, they were intended to be a put-down. He was trying to persuade Sen. Kennedy to support his wife, and he was trying to find arguments for why Kennedy should side with her. Telling Kennedy that "a few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee" is nothing but a disparaging remark.

The black leaders have remained silent because they are politically aligned with Clinton. That means they will give passes to those who agree with them. Remember that the greatest sin a minority can commit is "to fall off the plantation," or not to think black. This is why Justice Clarence Thomas and other black conservatives are hated.

Read on for a few other thoughts.

Dear Larry: The word "Negro" is neither archaic nor a faux pas. It is used by the United Negro College Fund. Am I wrong?

At what point is a light-skinned black man white? At what point is a dark-skinned white man black? This is all very confusing.

Regarding the PC community's pretending nothing was said: If a conservative says something dumb, he must resign, as Dick Armey did. However, if a liberal, such as Sens. Robert Byrd and Harry Reid and President Clinton, says something wrong, he is ignored. — Ernie

Dear Ernie: The word "Negro" still is used when the name of an organization (e.g., the United Negro College Fund) is ingrained in our society. Another example along those lines is the NAACP, which stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

A person's ethnicity is determined by what a person chooses. A light-skinned black can be black if he/she so labels himself/herself and vice versa.

Conservatives resign because their peers tend to abandon them and call for their resignations.

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.

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