In response to Ms. Washington’s article, I would like to say a few words from a white mans perspective. I very much agree with Ms. Wahington that when a person can’t walk down a street with out being called the ‘N’ word, that there’s a problem; a problem with those people who are calling others names. There are rude and ignorant people that just don’t care about any one else.But, when Ms. Washington says she could write a book on how whites treat her, that sounds like every white that she meets, treats her badly. I am white and do not treat any one differently because of skin color. My point here is that Ms. Washington made a blanket statement when she said “how whites treat me”. There is a problem with racism, I don’t argue with that, but there are more people by far that are not racist. I don’t believe what Mr. Barton said either, because his statement was a blanket statement as well. If you don’t encounter racism, then you don’t see that it exists, and that’s Mr. Barton’s perspective, but I also don’t think that he should be called ignorant because of it. As Ms. Washington stated, “he has the right to state opinions just as everyone else!”, even if you don’t agree with it.As far as the statement by Warren Sapp about his white boss being a slave master, I do think that is racist. Ms. Wahington is right when she says that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but this is implying that his boss is making him work for free and treated literaly like a slave, all because he can’t take off his helmet on the playing feild. I am a T.A. at Sam Houston and when I teach labs, I have to wear pants and closed toed shoes, does that make my boss a slave master? NO. When Limbaugh said that McNabb was only getting media because they want him to do well all because he’s black, that’s a racist comment as well. And as far as the white women clenching her purse, any lady usually clenches their purse when I go up behind them too. Does that mean that they are racist? NO. That means that they see someone that could possibly be a bad person. Not because of my skin color, but because I am young. I bet that same white lady doesn’t clench her purse when a 40 year old black lady walks up behind her.
Philip Livanec