Blacks V. Gays, Round 8
This post on the Black support for Prop 8 in California by Ta-Nehisi has quite frankly, flummoxed a lot of people. T-NC himself, I suspect.
After reading the post and the comments I have the sinking feeling that resolving this problem is a generational matter. I initially made the classic mistake of assuming that the intent behind the original post was to advocate rather than educate.
The central point T-NC was getting to is that the generations of damage done to the Black family has made them reluctant to tinker with marriage by expanding it to other groups. Like I said, I thought that this was being used as an absolution. Nope, that’s not what he meant.
At a much deeper level than I credited the post with on my usual quick read, Coates is giving us a way in to the community. You can’t make an argument simply on your own terms, I learned that back on the debate team. The key to making allies is to understand the arguments, especially the emotional arguments, that those who oppose you are reluctant to give up.
So freakin’ simple to say, yet so freakin’ hard to do.
But at least now there is a place to start.
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