Re: Absolute truth, the testament of truth.
James Patterson, the author, is American, and as far as I know does not live in England. I think it unlikely, albeit not impossible, that Bashue is family friends with him.
And regarding white privilege, Rashid, I take your point, and I am not the sort to try and dismiss all problems and put them at the feet of white privilege. Bear in mind, of course, that I also believe in male privilege and class privilege and whatnot. I'm not prepared to say that all struggles faced by women, or people of colour, or those who would identify as lower-middle-class or lower, are always the fault of those who do not identify the same way. By no means am I saying so. And as a white male, I'm also not saying we don't have our share of problems. We absolutely do, foremost of which is that a whole pile of stuff is changing and there is a vocal minority more interested in everyone else than in helping us acclimatize. Many white men are angry, feeling robbed, feeling blamed, feeling dispossessed, as if all the stuff they were used to has suddenly been deemed toxic and dangerous and offensive when they haven't yet seen the problem. Suddenly it feels like a crime to be white and male and middle-class or above, and these people are often ill-prepared to deal with the righteous anger of those they and their systems have oppressed for centuries. The fact that the common person is often not aware of these systems isn't the point. The fact that most white men I know are generally good people who are simply ignorant also isn't the point. When you have a mob howling for blood and claiming that your being white and male is suddenly a problem, then I can understand that first basic reflex to cover up and say "Oh no you don't. You can't take this away from me. You can't weaponize who I am if you want me to respect who you are".
I get it. But I've thought about it, and I still recognize the problems. I confront them instead of just getting stiff-necked and proud and defensive. I wish more people in my position would be willing to do this. It's the only way we're actually going to be able to help. I am glad that there are so many out there who are willing to share their respective experiences calmly and without too much judgment, since that's the best way we're going to learn. That outrage is understandable, but it doesn't help us. I also think it is incumbent upon the men who do get it to help those who don't, or to try at any rate. It's why I keep sticking my neck out and diving into this issue when it comes up.
Anyway, that's sort of a ramble.
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