Why does Earl Holt even matter? Isn’t he just a marginalized moron who has been driven from the public eye?
That is true to an extent. However, Holt is part of that nasty side of politics that has hidden behind code words and obscured their true feelings. The first hint should be anyone who would associate with the modern version of the White Citizen’s Councils–now the Council of Conservative Citizens.
There are legitimate debates over policies that affect race and we should have frank discussions about race and related issues. But Cobb points out an issue in race relations that whites usually don’t grasp (being white I have my blindspots as well,
I’m going to indulge a little and poke whitefolks in the eye for a minute. But I’ll be more specific and poke whitefolks from St. Louis who voted during the 80s. Every once in a while blackfolks get accused of being paranoid about race. But then somebody like say, Mark Fuhrman, gets outed and blackfolks say, where the hell were all you good whitefolks whan this person got power?
There are reasons for African-Americans to be paranoid and recognizing that is vital to a serious discussion. Are African-Americans overly paranoid? I’m sure sometimes they are, but when people don’t listen it adds to the paranoia. So the next time race comes up in an integrated place take the time to listen to the concerns. Listen hard. White folks simply don’t face the daily insults that many African-Americans do. And being angry about those insults or Earl Holt isn’t an invitation to bring up Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson to try and create moral equivalency. It’s an invitation to listen to a friend or potential friend.
When people race bait, don’t use the excuse that some African-American did it so it is okay. Take race baiters to task. Force them to face consequences instead of making excuses that others do it.
Holt is out of public life besides his rantings on WGNU and the CofCC web site, but many have supported him and his allies in the past. Perhaps they were allies because they did not think Holt was that bad. If that is the case, they shouldn’t have a hard time disowning him and the Council of Conservative Citizens. Make them do it.