To the Editor:
In response to Gabe Prestol's letter ("Enough With Claims of White Victimization," Sept. 27) I have this to say:
I am outraged. I would like to declare reverse-racism, outright. Cannot somebody help us, the poor white wretches who must suffer beneath these heavy chains of reverse-oppression? Woe, woe is us.
Prestol's (purposeful?) misreading of my response to Jasmine Plummer's opinion column pulled a most devious trick: it subtly morphed the word "vilification" into "victimization," when, in all honesty, the two are polar opposites. I know that white people are not being victimized. The very claim is ridiculous. In fact, I would argue that reverse racism doesn't even exist, because it presupposes the definition of "racism" as being white-on-black. So on that note, I guess we're in agreement. Sort of.
Prestol claimed that my letter conveyed the "insinuation of the types of attitudes people of color have regarding white people." I would disagree. The fact is that white people are just as guilty of this crime as any other race.
Just as the "white" media has us trained to picture a person of color when the word "looter" is mentioned, so too are we trained to conjure up the image of a white person whenever the word "racist" is uttered. If one is looking for proof, simply read Ms. Plummer's column, or easier still, check inside one's own cranium. As a side note, if you wish to add "gay-basher," "corrupt cop," "serial killer," "child rapist," "kidnapper," "psychopath" and "kiddie porn dungeon operator" to the list, I'd say you might begin to see the twinkling of an "observable nationwide trend of white vilification." Are whites being vilified more than other races? Nope. But in the case of bigoted acts of pure malice and/or borderline psychosis, then are whites being vilified more than other races? I'd say so.
In the end, all I'm saying is that the next time a director holds a casting call for the role of "racist cop" or "racist college kid," I'd kindly ask him to refrain from being discriminatory in his hiring practices. Because that would be racist.
Robert Moor '08
Sept. 28
