Hi, I've been lurking for quite a while and registered a few weeks back, but this is my first diary entry. I don't think this is a double post, but please let me know if I'm stepping on anybody's toes. Also, I welcome corrections of any of the information that I post below. Finally, I'll warn you that this diary is quite long: proceed with time on your hands.
So, I've been thinking a lot about 'race,' the 'race card,' and 'racism' in the past few weeks; I'm not the only one. With Reverend Wright's comments making big news, accusations from both Clinton's and Obama's camps flying around about who first played the 'race card,' and Obama's speech calling on us to take the next big step in facing this issue, it's been on everybody's mind.
Many of the claims flying around the blogs are fueled by the passion of one camp or the other's supporters. But much of it is fueled my misinformation, and a healthy dose is fired by misunderstanding. I thought I'd take this chance to weigh in on one aspect of the issue that I have yet to see discussed. If you follow me down, I'll try to be as clear and succinct as possible. (A disclaimer: I'm well aware that racial/ethnic issues in this country extend in many directions beyond the black/white divide. This diary, however, is concerned with that specific divide.)
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