Henry Louis Gates issue is more a class issue than a race issue

So some police officer arrives to the scene of a reported breaking and entering. The owner of the home explains that it was a misunderstanding, and he had had a hard time with a jammed door, and he shows idenitification which proves that it’s his house.  End of story, right?

Should have been. Police officers interviewed on yesterday’s All Things Considered concur. (I can’t find the link right now . . . I’ll look again later).

There’s a lot of talk about whether the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was racial. There’s controversy about President Obama’s statement that the Cambridge police acted “stupidly.”  There are questions regarding whether or not Gates’ comments and anger during the confrontation warranted an arrest.

Seriously? What questions? The answer is just no. No matter how beligerent someone becomes in their own home, if they have no warrants for their arrest, no bales of cocaine lying around, then it’s over.

I suspect that Sgt. Crowley entered a pissing contest with Gates, and he won when he got Gates outside and handcuffed. (“Oh, yeah, Mr. Important Harvard Professor? This gun and these handcuffs will show you who has power!”) The fact that the charges were dropped backs me (and President Obama) up on this.

When I first heard the news, I was certain that the entire incident was racial. But now that I’ve had some time to think it over, it seems that the neighbor who called the police is the only one definitely guilty of racial profiling. But as far as the police in question, their actions seem to be more movitated  by class inferiority- a blue collar city employee bent on sticking it to a well-paid intellect.

Also, it didn’t help that Gates is a black man. “A black Harvard professor with a driver,” I imagine Crowley thinking, “ain’t no good reason for that.”

The police groups that are calling for President Obama to apologize can suck it. Sgt. Crowley did act stupidly. He acted on his immature (possibly racist, but definitely classist) bullshit.

* For an interesting analysis of how both parties acted stupidly, check this out: http://gawker.com/5321278/no-henry-louis-gates-is-not-a-railer-a-brawler-or-a-common-street-walker?skyline=true&s=x

New Optimism, New Ambition

Reading Justin’s post was as cathartic for me to read as I imagine it was for him to write:

http://theblarg.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/an-open-letter-to-george-w-bush/#comments

and I feel remarkably light, cool, happy. Seeing W on television didn’t fill me with the anger I usually experience; instead, I felt glad that I don’t wait tables in Crawford, Texas, so I will only have to see that stupid, smug smirk infrequently from now on.

I’m ready to do my part, President Obama (wow, that felt good to type . . . I need to type it again). PRESIDENT OBAMA, I will try to create at least as much as I consume. I will behave in ways that work to improve America’s standing. I will be more tolerant and do what I can to encourage others to also be tolerant. You’ve inspired me.

The nation’s fresh start makes me even more excited about working on the book.  That doesn’t mean I’ve worked on the book lately, per se, but I did change my phone’s alarm clock ring tone to the theme for The Simpsons so that I think about the book first thing in the morning and regularly throughout the day. 

Karma and I got a lovely letter from the president of the publishing company. He gave it a personal touch, talking about how his kids will feel about their dad’s company publishing our book, and he gave his opinion of which title (of the suggestions we submitted) we should give our book: Schooled by The Simpsons.  I like it! We just need to work out the rest of the title. Oh, and write the rest of the book.

In my head, I’ve been working out a new section working with The Simpsons and linguistics, and I’ve also been working on the thanks/acknowledgements section, which now also includes JAY LEVEY and WEIRD AL YANKOVIC, as they have granted us permission to use lyrics.  See, our book is going to include paper assignments and in-class activities that we use to teach certain rhetorical (and other) concepts, and anyone who’s met me knows that I use Weird Al in class, and I’m stoked to share my tactics with other teachers.  Plus.  I’ve got to say, I’m excited to be able to thank Al in the book and to send him his requested copies. It will be an honor.