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People’s column

Racism column was ‘misleading’

Editor, OBSERVER:

I am responding to a column written by Stephen Kershnar on Wednesday.

No easy answers regarding racism? Your supposition that racism is a complex, convoluted, philosophical subject that in the end no one “knows what it is” and that money spent on diversity training during a recession is a abomination, illustrates the color of your privilege: white.

Racism is not a difficult concept to understand. Making it a complex subject based on high brow philosophical suppositions illustrates your own personal difficulty to understand your own racism. Those who have been on the bad end of white privilege in this country certainly understand your justifications that “members of races do not have equally valuable lives” and that “whites live longer and are happier than blacks.” Perhaps you need to consider the result of your own biased conclusions and the results of centuries of bias in this country?

Why do whites live longer than blacks? Why do they appear happier than blacks? Your conclusion that “their lives go better for them” is not a result, but rather a reason for longer, supposedly happier lives.

Newsflash: The simple fact is that a person’s skin color and appearance has become systematically understood to be a reason for different treatment, socially, financially and politically, with preferential action to whites. All the philosophy in the world is not going to change that. Change will only happen if you open your mind and your heart rather than your textbook.

Your article is poorly organized, confusing and difficult to understand, wandering from poorly illustrated statistical suppositions to generalizations about “one who prefers one race over another” is not a racist, but rather making “a rational preference based on a perceived difference in features.” Ludicrous and misleading. Perhaps the editor should edit your work prior to publication.

JUDITH RAGONA,

Gowanda

History, kindness missing in U.S.

Editor, OBSERVER:

It amazes me the younger generation doesn’t know or respect our country’s history. We have failed somewhere.

The Pledge of Allegiance and church have been taken out of our schools by government. A big mistake. Also television has played a huge part in the past 20 years in disheartening our youth. It has taught our children to be violent, heartless and disrespectful.

Our country is led by example which has not been good. No wonder there are so many bullies out there. I raised two fine children but if I had to do it all over again I would at the very least have put them in Sunday school at a young age and raised them by the Ten Commandments.

Moral values are lacking all over this country right now. We all need to regain those moral values, respect and love one another with kindness.

BETTY CROWELL,

Brocton

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