Blog 7: Race

Link to article: http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/no-such-place-as-post-racial-america/?ref=race

In Touré’s article “No Such Place as ‘Post Racial’ America” the use of the term “post racial” is reviewed. The author talks about the ways that the term is over used and the implications for the use of the term.

One of the first things he does is use a number of negative terms to describe “post racial.” In the first line of the article he uses “bankrupt” and “meaningless” which cause the audience to have an immediate negative connotation with the term. He also uses metaphors to evoke negative emotions as well. He states that the use of the term “post racial” should be like that of “nails on a chalkboard.” The use of the saying “nails on a chalkboard” not only reminds the audience of the physical pain associated with that noise, but also allows for the general overuse of the saying to be recalled. Following that metaphor, the author makes another metaphorical connection by comparing “post racial” to the Loch Ness Monster. He states that the use of the term is dangerous and can cause harm and ruin a civilization, just as a monster would do.

The racial implications in the article are the author’s use of images and statistics that deal with whites and blacks. Touré starts off by saying that there are less unemployed whites than blacks, which statistically is true. The author then moves away from his statistics and makes his audience feel guilty. He states that race is not a “black issue” but an “everyone issue” and that the whites need to pay attention. He follows this by creating a graphic image of a neighbor’s house burning mixed with that of the burning soul of a neighbor. He says that our neighbors, being the blacks, are metaphorically being burned, and that the whites should not be standing by and watching.

A glaring problem with this article is that the author is trying to make a statement about how racism being gone and that blacks are the victims of racism, yet he refuses to acknowledge any of the numerous other races in the United States. He talks about the blacks metaphorically burning, that they have no jobs and that social practices favor the white. The author has a tinge of racism by not using examples involving Hispanics, Asians or any number of other races. Although this could be the author further showing that racism is not dead because the other races can get lost in the mix with the historical struggle between whites and blacks.