Thursday, February 28, 2013

Racial Entitlement Redux- A Reponse to Justice Scalia

Justice Antonin Scalia really touched a chord with me when talking about the Voting Rights Act as an example of "racial entitlement." Even though I live in Brooklyn rather than Alabama, where the Voting Rights Act case was being challenged, I see Racial Entitlement everywhere. Black folks here, along with their Latino brothers and sisters, are entitled to be- *********stopped and frisked while walking down the street **********pulled over and searched while driving down interstate highways **********followed by security guards when shopping **********made the object of inappropriate humor at their workplace **********passed over when trying to hail a taxi **********mistaken for "the help" while going to meetings or public events **********exoticized and eroticized in every form of commercial media ***********not shown apartments or houses in "neighborhoods where they won't be welcome" ***********rejected in jobs where their background my cause offense to customers or clients. **********Clearly, racial entitlement is something we as a society must strive to eliminate if we want to achieve greater justice and fairness. Only not the "racial entitlement' Justice Scalia had in mind.

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