Comments on: To Sonia Sotomayor: A White Man’s Experience http://moderncounterculture.com/political-commentary/to-sonia-sotomayor-the-white-mans-experience/ Nonpartisan, conservative opinion, news, forums and satire. Tue, 23 Mar 2010 03:01:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: admin http://moderncounterculture.com/political-commentary/to-sonia-sotomayor-the-white-mans-experience/comment-page-1/#comment-144 admin Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:37:42 +0000 http://moderncounterculture.com/?p=586#comment-144 There I have to disagree with you. First of all, even using the inherent superiority definition, her speech has a quote that speaks of this very thing. She explicitly says I hope that a Wise latina women would make a better..." While you could argue that she is trying to say she might understand citizens from a background similar to hers in a way that a white man could not (and she said she hoped that it were true, not that it is always true), but the point of my entire piece is that this (her having a better understanding), at least according to the evidence that Sotomayor presented in her speech, isn't true. Like I said, EVERYONE has a different experience. To try to categorize those differences by skin color goes against hundreds of years of effort in our nation. There is no intrinsic difference between different races. To legally or socially say that there is and legislate accordingly brings to mind the phrase "separate but equal." Let's not revisit that. There I have to disagree with you. First of all, even using the inherent superiority definition, her speech has a quote that speaks of this very thing. She explicitly says I hope that a Wise latina women would make a better…” While you could argue that she is trying to say she might understand citizens from a background similar to hers in a way that a white man could not (and she said she hoped that it were true, not that it is always true), but the point of my entire piece is that this (her having a better understanding), at least according to the evidence that Sotomayor presented in her speech, isn’t true. Like I said, EVERYONE has a different experience. To try to categorize those differences by skin color goes against hundreds of years of effort in our nation. There is no intrinsic difference between different races. To legally or socially say that there is and legislate accordingly brings to mind the phrase “separate but equal.” Let’s not revisit that.

]]> By: Pete Fitch http://moderncounterculture.com/political-commentary/to-sonia-sotomayor-the-white-mans-experience/comment-page-1/#comment-137 Pete Fitch Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:56:40 +0000 http://moderncounterculture.com/?p=586#comment-137 "If you consider racism the belief that one race is fundamentally different from another and this difference cannot be overcome (the common definition of the word), then yes, it is racist." You leave out the most important part of the entire definition: "Racism is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race." Simply recognizing that races have differences isn't racist. It become racist when you believe in the "inherent superiority of a particular race." Reading her essay, its clear she doesn't think Latinos are better than whites or blacks, but that they may have different life experiences in America. “If you consider racism the belief that one race is fundamentally different from another and this difference cannot be overcome (the common definition of the word), then yes, it is racist.”

You leave out the most important part of the entire definition:
“Racism is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.”

Simply recognizing that races have differences isn’t racist. It become racist when you believe in the “inherent superiority of a particular race.” Reading her essay, its clear she doesn’t think Latinos are better than whites or blacks, but that they may have different life experiences in America.

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