Monday, January 25, 2010
"Neither conservatives nor liberals as a whole are racist"
Thus speaks Eric Austin, writing about a post by Leo Pusateri. And of course this is true. Leo's post tries to take the concept of welfare dependency (I hear strains of Daniel Moynihan in Leo's hypothesis) and say that those who support broader social spending encouraging dependency are holding back minority families and children. Even if so, that cannot be attributed necessarily to a racial impetus. (This essay by Larry Dewitt seems to help fill in the history for those unaware.)
I appreciate Eric's distinction between what one says and what one is when it comes to race. I also think Leo's point is clear -- that despite one's noble intentions, the effect of one's policy prescriptions can be to harm those you wish to help. But Leo seemed to bend that further than the point is meant to go.
Labels: St. Cloud
