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| Kevin Croxen <klcroxen@ls01.fas.harvard.edu> wrote:
quote:
> Greg Kennedy ("NoMoreChess") wrote:
>
> Sorry, but wrong. George may ask uncomfortable questions like this
> one from time to time, but his historical interests are genuine.
I respect George Mirijanian as a writer with both genuine interests
and much knowledge of chess history.
It could be said, however, that his choice of a title for this thread,
"Was Emanuel Lasker a racist?", was perhaps unnecessarily provocative.
It seems unrealistic to expect to have a civil and intellectually honest
discussion of racism in rec.games.chess.politics, of all places, which
long has been recognised as a de facto United States political newsgroup with
many writers who are quite abusive and dishonest (if not sometimes racist).
quote:
> And when he has a solidly-formed opinion on a particular topic, he doesn't
> hesitate to express it clearly and take the responsibility for it under his
> own name.
Kevin Croxen seems to have suggested (above) that most writers in RGCP may
find it 'uncomfortable' to discuss a historical question about Emanuel Lasker
and racism. In my view, it could seem sanctimonious for writers in RGCP to
pronounce judgment on to what extent 'was Emanuel Lasker a racist?' when most
of those writers evidently have been ignoring the racist subculture of RGCP.
Very little, if anything, can be done today to address constructively the
racism of one century ago, but something could be done to ameliorate the
continuing racism of today.
"Thanks for being my Nigger Nick."
--Stan Booz (17 March 2004 in rec.games.chess.politics)
I have to say that it seems far more 'uncomfortable' for most people to face
honestly the often complex realities of racism today than for them to condemn,
at no cost or risk to themselves now, the more transparent racism of the past.
"It's ludicrous to call the Dutch more racist than the Americans. I have
lived both in the US and in the Netherlands and there is no comparison."
--Tobi Usher (30 April 2003 in rec.games.chess.misc)
quote:
> One certainly can't call him a troll.
And someone with Greg Kennedy's ('NoMoreChess') long record of trolling
definitely *should* not refer to George Mirijanian as a troll.
quote:
> There are enough genuine trolls in this group already,
> posting under pseudonymous handles.
And there are many genuine trolls *not* 'posting under pseudonymous handles'.
'I read history a little as a duty, but it tells me nothing that does not
either vex or weary me.'
--Jane Austen (Northanger Abbey)
--Nick
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