The Problem With Jon Stewart: Your Thoughts
Dozens of readers dissent and assent over my clash with Stewart and his woke mob.
A reader writes:
After watching your appearance on Jon Stewart’s show, I’m going to bed with a lot less respect and affection for him. At the same time, you simply must improve the way you discuss race in America, especially when it comes to black Americans.
Having read you for years, I do not think you’re racist, and I largely agree with you on this issue. But when I see / hear you discuss it, it almost always makes me cringe. I don’t think you articulate properly what you want to say, and you come across as blaming black Americans and black culture for the massive wealth gap that exists.
If I may, what I think you want to say is that while racism obviously still exists, what a lot of black Americans are dealing with is the terrible legacy of historical institutional racism. Slavery, Jim Crow, housing policy, welfare policy, poor policing, and mass incarceration have caused incredible damage to black communities and culture. Despite the elimination of those policies and the widespread improvement of attitudes among all Americans, the impact of that history is still being felt. It’s a simple idea, but one that most people seem to talk around.
Instead of going right to discussing how great America is and then (partially) blaming black culture, turn the conversation around on these performative nitwits. The injustices of the past were horrible, perpetuated by the American establishment and have resulted in the disparity we see today. The damage done is so deep that it can’t be undone in HR presentations, or by the self-flagellation of white people. Investment, investment, investment.
I wasn’t proud of my performance. And I think my reader’s approach is best. I expressed myself better in my 60 Minutes interview, where I wasn’t ambushed. But no excuse for my piss-poor appearance on the Stewart thing.
Speaking of HR, this next reader goes full DiAngelo:
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