racism of older linguists

[Wilson Gray]

Actually, I think that it's a fairly human thing. You may recall that,
since you said that you were from East Texas, I asked you whether you
were familiar with Marshall. If you had said that you were a grad of
the old Army Language School, I would have asked you what language you
had studied and when, and what your primary duty-station had been.
It's the circumstances in which that kind of question is used that
make it creepy. I would never have asked you whether you knew Otto
Waldrip, just because he's also white and also from Texas.

Once, I was interviewing for a higher-paying position at the Los
Angeles Dept of Water & Power.  The supervisor and I had a pleasant
chat. Then, he took me around the premises to show me what the job
entailed. The tour finished at the unit's primary office, wherein I
could see through the window in the door about forty white men busily
at work.

The bossman explained to me that, though I was certainly qualified for
the position, it was doubtful that I would be able to, um, "fit in,"
shall we say, with the current staff.

Then he laid the "But *I'm* not racist, of course," rap on me.

"It's just that some of my other underlings may become upset,
affecting the unit's efficiency, thereby making the staff's annual
raises somewhat problematic. Naturally, you wouldn't want to be
thought of as being responsible for that. So, rather than force you to
go through that, I'm simply not going to hire you in the first place.
"By the way, would you happen to be acquainted with the Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.? His grandmother used to be our family's
washerwoman and occasional "mammy," you know, if you'll pardon my use
of that somewhat dated term. I remember him as just the potentest
thing! One of the cutest, nappy-headed, little pickaninnies that you
ever saw!" Etc., etc.

That's not exactly the same as, "Oh, you went to M.I.T.? Would you
happen to know Joseph Aoun? He was a well-known professor of
linguistics and dean at USC and is now president of Northeastern."

As a matter of fact, I *do* know him, since when he was still calling
himself "Youssef," as a matter of fact.

This kind of thing I have not a single problem with.

[Needless to say, I don't really recall the "I'm not racist" rap,
there having no point in bothering to listen to it. But, having heard
many variations of this rap, I can easily reproduce the flavor of it
and its bitter aftertaste.]

-Wilson
–––
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
-Mark Twain



On Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 9:50 PM, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: Â  Â  Â  American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Â  Â  Â  Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Â  Â  Â Re: racism of older linguists
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A probable point at issue (in Wilson's earlier communication) is a particular white stereotype of black folks: Â That all back persons seem to know each other.
>
> Of course, there may be some substance to the hypothesis that many black people maintain wider social networks of personal acquaintance than their white counterparts do--for reasons that could be speculated about. Â Or perhaps there's a difference in the style with which individuals are likely to greet one another in public places.
>
> --Charlie
> ____________________________________________________________
>
> ---- Original message ----
>>Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2009 21:34:27 -0500
>>From: Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>>Subject: Re: racism of older linguists
>>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>>Sender: Â  Â  Â  American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster: Â  Â  Â  Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>>Subject: Â  Â  Â Re: racism of older linguists
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>BTW, I wouldn't call this "racism." It's just a case of "What we have
>>here is a failure to communicate." It's nothing for the speaker, but
>>it's a knife through the psyche, for the hearers. In the Army, I had
>>the following very brief conversation with a fellow-Texan from Odessa:
>>
>>Have you ever been to Frau Walters [Gasthaus]?
>>
>>Naw.
>>
>>Why not? That's where all the other _black boys_ go.
>>
>>This guy kept in touch with me after we got out of the Army, called me
>>from Austin to make sure that I was okay, during the Watts Riots (I
>>was, since I lived in a "better" part of town: the old "Wilshire
>>District"), and even had his *wife* talk to me! I was stunned!
>>
>>Now, was this person a racist, based on his habit of referring to
>>Negro men as "black boys," back in the day when "black," alone, (I'm
>>not *black*! I'm colored! -Richard Pryor) was almost as insulting as
>>"nigger"? It depends on one's POV. A lot of other black people would
>>have said that I was tomming out by continuing to associate with a
>>white man who thought nothing of using "black boys" in his casual
>>conversation, back in that day. But he was from Texas, too. What could
>>I do?
>>
>>-Wilson
>>–––
>>All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
>>come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>-----
>>-Mark Twain
>>
>>
>>
>>On Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 2:41 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Ron writes:
>>>
>>> "My experience is that linguistics is one of the least racist, least
>>> "homophobic, academic disciplines I know. I guess the best that can be
>>> said about our
>>> "painful experiences from those earlier days is that young people today don't
>>> "face those kinds of problems. This is not to say that racism and sexism and
>>> "homophobia is dead, but the playing field is a lot more even today,
>>> and I certainly
>>> "hope that younger linguists do not find the need to be constantly looking
>>> "over their shoulders to see who is going to stab them for being
>>> black, or queer,
>>> "or female, or, for that matter, white heterosexual male Red Sox fans."
>>>
>>> Except for the comment about Red Sox fans, I agree completely with
>>> Ron. I don't doubt that, from the POV of the G'town prof, he was
>>> merely expressing polite interest, with the hope of extending the
>>> conversation, given that we had aleady discussed my own Jesuit-trained
>>> background. But, there exist certain strings that tend to cause
>>> members of minority groups to "trip off the line," as we used to say
>>> at L.A. Water & Power. Some of them has become so stereotypical the
>>> both speakers and hearers beginning not to take them seriously,
>>> anymore, e.g., "You know, some of my best friends are [whatever]!" or
>>> "Do you know [internationally-famous Name]?", etc.
>>>
>>> Needless to say, some of *my* best friends are black, too, and I *do*
>>> know some internationally-famous names *in linguistics*. But, even
>>> today, not being one of the very few, internationally-famous black
>>> people, myself, I don't know any internationally-famous black people.
>>>
>>> Hence, that seemingly-innocent question comes across as a put-down:
>>> "I'm white and you're black, but, nevertheless, *I* know more famous
>>> black people than *you* do! You ever get high backstage with Miles?
>>> *I* have! Nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah!"
>>>
>>> Gnome sane?
>>>
>>> As for the Red Sox, I'm a fan of the Saint Louis Cardinals. Enough said.
>>>
>>> -Wilson
>>>
>>> –––
>>> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
>>> come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>> -----
>>> -Mark Twain
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 11:44 AM, Â <RonButters at aol.com> wrote:
>>>> My experience is that linguistics is one of the least racist, least
>>>> homophobic, academic disciplines I know. I guess the best that can be said about our
>>>> painful experiences from those earlier days is that young people today don't
>>>> face those kinds of problems. This is not to say that racism and sexism and
>>>> homophobia is dead, but the playing field is a lot more even today, and I certainly
>>>> hope that younger linguists do not find the need to be constantly looking
>>>> over their shoulders to see who is going to stab them for being black, or queer,
>>>> or female, or, for that matter, white heterosexual male Red Sox fans.
>>>>
>>>
>>
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