Tag Archives: diversity

In Springfield, Missouri

30 Wednesday Jul 2025

Posted by in social media

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[….]
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A “whites only” community says they are looking at coming to the Springfield area.

The group, called Return to the Land (RTTL), did not specify where in the Springfield area they were looking to potentially locate.

[….]

According to RTTL’s website, they are a private member association exclusively made for white people. Jewish people are also barred from membership. [….]

Yesterday:

City of Springfield, MO
[July 29, 2025]

The Springfield City Council and City Manager David Cameron have been made aware of media reports regarding a group calling itself “Return to the Land” and its alleged proposal to create a “whites-only” enclave in the Springfield area. While no one from this group has contacted the City directly, we want to state in the strongest possible terms: there is no place in Springfield, or anywhere, for such a divisive and discriminatory vision.

Efforts to create developments based on racial exclusion are not only contrary to our laws, it also runs counter to the spirit of who we are and who we aspire to be. Segregationist thinking has no place in our city’s present or future.

While it is improbable that such a project could legally or practically occur within city limits, silence is not an option. As a regional leader, we will not stand idly by in the face of attempts to revive outdated, harmful ideologies. Springfield moves forward by bridging differences, fostering belonging, and building a stronger, more united community for all.
[….]

Some of the responses:

I appreciate your visibility and loud denunciation of this group. Thank you for taking a stand.

Easily the best thing y’all have said all year. Diversity is one of the most beautiful things we can ever embrace as human beings.

I think this statement is a good first step. It would be helpful for the city to demonstrate exactly how they are “bridging differences, fostering belonging, and building a stronger united community.” What actions are being taken to meet those goals, and what data do you have to show growth in those areas?

Thank you for stepping up leaders. There is absolutely NO place in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, or this great nation for racially motivated groups who isolate themselves and segregate against others, regardless of what ethnicity they fall under. We MUST get past this racial divide. It says more about the individual who hates than it does about the group that is hated. Introspect leads to respect.

but there is lots of room in springfield for classism…. which is one of the leading causes of racism. gotta keep someone on the bottom and its easy when you divide people & other them.
anyways….. cant say you are anti-racist while supporting classism. just remember that

Why do you believe that “classism” exists?
How are these ”classes” created?
What’s really preventing anyone from reaching any level of “class” they desire to reach?
Aren’t there many races included in this “classism” that’s thrown around often?
If you’re not where you want to be, you have the power to change that. There’s no one holding anyone back except the individuals themselves. Some have to work harder than others to get there, but the opportunities are there.
The people who seem to love to camp out on terms like “classism” as excuses for their current state are the same ones who complain when others succeed in spite of their circumstances. They celebrate a success story, for a short time, then expect the successful to bow down to those who refuse to grow themselves out of their mental state of scarcity. The same ones who when given the chance would otherwise complain that it wasn’t enough or that it should be made easier for them to achieve. Anything worthwhile will always be uphill. Consider the hills the successful had to climb, and the hills they continue to climb.
If you’re not happy with where you are in life, don’t blame “classism”, blame the person in the mirror. I personally know many people from around the world who have come from a long line of nothing to achieve greatness and massive success. They didn’t stay in a scarcity state of mind or inabilities. They believed themselves capable of abundance and potential! And they worked hard to get there. Some of them are now motivational speakers and authors. If they can, you can, others can. My personal story is a testament to this truth as well, which I won’t go into here, but is in the book I’m writing and the speeches I have given.

pretending that every single person who works hard “makes it” is a really ignorant viewpoint. but clearly you have been someone to benefit from people being “less than you” so there isnt an argument to be had.
you see how you instantly reduced my life to one of “scarcity” and “not working hard” – when that isnt my life at all.
the truth is america is set up to cheer on the people who have worked the least – who have the most generational wealth, while telling people who literally do not have access to better jobs or opportunities (lest they risk their life many times over – like i had to to gain opportunities) that they need to “work harder” while someone is profiting off their work and they dont get paid enough for food or shelter…..
poor people DO WORK HARD. and that is the problem with classism. classist people like you* refuse to recognize that our society point blank screws people over.
typical white male who cant admit any privilege.
funny how i can admit i have privilege just because i was able to get a car to start working at 16 – an opportunity lot of teens dont have, who are stuck in abusive homes – who then get released into an abusive, classist society that doesnt value labor and doesnt have a government to protect people from corporations. – but you think you just “wOrkEd HarDer than everyone else”

Glad to see this statement. I was concerned that silence was all we would hear.

Ya know, Springfield, I like you sometimes.

This is the only correct statement. Bravo!

Thank you for addressing this. I hope you do everything you can to make Springfield diverse and inclusive.

Good job, Springfield

Thank you for making a statement

Appreciate the proactive & definitive statement!

Thank you for this statement! I had every confidence this would be the City’s response but am so happy to see it!

Yes!! The absolute right stance to take!!!

Thank you for speaking out and letting others know where our community stands on this matter! United We Stand! #diversitymatters

Springfield still has a LOOOONG way to go in mitigating racial & socioeconomic tensions, inequality & disparity..but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

slamming the door in the face of ignorant groups like this is definitely the correct response. I bet they put ketchup on their steaks.

Thank you for issuing a formal, strongly worded statement. At the very least, we know where our city leaders stand in the matter and that makes a difference.

Thank you so much for this strong statement in opposition to this “Return to the Land” endeavor. I appreciate the City speaking out on this!

Thank you for not staying silent on this matter!

This was an important post. Let’s continue the words with actions. I was horrified to read Springfield is in their sights, I want a hometown that’s inclusive and thriving with kindness.

Thank you for standing up for what is right. I say, if they want this so badly, they can all go far away and form their own little bigoted community island and stop spreading hate.

Excellent model for speaking against hate for our city! Well done.

Better than Kehoe who declined to make such a statement.

Thank you for standing up for the city we all love and the folks who all make it what it is.

Thank you for issuing this statement. Give the times we’re are living any voice calling for unity and non discrimination is very welcome.

This statement makes me proud to be born, raised, and residing in Springfield. Thank you for being true leaders! Thank you for standing up for what is right!

And on.

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

23 Wednesday Jul 2025

Posted by in Eric Schmitt, social media, US Senate

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Apparently, an outdated concept for far too many.

Eric Schmitt (r) [2022 file photo].

“….Irrationalism also depends on the cult of action for action’s sake. Action being beautiful in itself, it must be taken before, or without, any previous reflection. Thinking is a form of emasculation. Therefore culture is suspect insofar as it is identified with critical attitudes. Distrust of the intellectual world has always been a symptom of Ur-Fascism, from Goering’s alleged statement (“When I hear talk of culture I reach for my gun”) to the frequent use of such expressions as “degenerate intellectuals,” “eggheads,” “effete snobs,” “universities are a nest of reds.” The official Fascist intellectuals were mainly engaged in attacking modern culture and the liberal intelligentsia for having betrayed traditional values….” – Ur-Fascism – Umberto Eco

Yesterday, from Eric Schmitt (r):

Senator Eric Schmitt
[July 22, 2025]
DEI isn’t about diversity, it’s about discrimination.
Tomorrow, I’m chairing a Senate Judiciary hearing to expose how it’s corrupting corporate America and our universities.
[….]

Some of the responses:

Senator Eric Schmitt No. DEI is about giving everyone a fair shot, and recognizing that discrimination still happens.

You: It’s a free country.
Eric Schmitt: Not so fast!

Schmitt, you can hold all the useless hearings you want. At the end of the day, your Fascist Fatass is STILL a CONVICTED FELON, an ADJUDICATED RAPIST, and a KNOWN PEDOPHILE. Come on, we all know it, including you. You can stall and delay until the cows come home, but WE will NEVER let you forget that your Dear Leader is one sick fuck, and so are you for excusing him and praising him.
In the meantime, he’s making AI videos, yammering about how Obama is “SEDATIOUS????” Pretty sure the dumb ass meant “seditious,” but nevertheless, we all know that whatever he is accusing others of is merely his OWN CONFESSION.
You’re sick, Schmitt…very, very sick.

Nope.

Eric Schmitt, is there a reason black women have a higher maternal mortality rate than women?

Eric is a flat out bigot and he’s proud of it

DEI includes your children; female, disabled. People deserve to be treated fairly and that has never happened. DEI was trying to change the history of red lining, prejudice based on a name, women not being able to have their own charge card. I could go on and on. But, you have your MAGA blinders on and twist and lie to try and support your bigotry. It’s all based on FEAR; fear of change, fear of perceived differences, fear of brown skin. Shame on you.

—–

DEI is not a fear of brown skin. It should be who is best qualified for the job.

bless your heart – if it were ACTUALLY EVER about qualifications or “merit”, no one would need anti-discrimination education and job stats would show a general dispersion among races that mirrors the population.

open your eyes and mind. It’s already happening. None of that bullshit and it keeps people down, like the democratic party has for years.

keeps WHO “down”? and HOW? Women still only make 80% of white men, disabled workers make about 70%, and black workers are only making about 80% of white workers… and y’all are pissed?? WHY?

—–

Why are you protecting pedophiles?? Are you one?

Right out of protect 2025. Got to make sure only white people can get educated and work.

“….I’m chairing a Senate Judiciary hearing to expose how it’s corrupting corporate America and our universities….”

Training, not education.

You forgot your hood, racist.

Congress needs to get its butt in gear and keep up with Trump.

Is somebody going to tell her?

Liar. Resign you complicit pandering christofascist hack

The entirety of this anti-DEI narrative that was fed to you by your tangerine daddy is diabolical.

—–

When y’all gonna vote to release those Epstein files?

ya’ll going to address the Russia collusion hoax?
Any reason the Dems didn’t release the files?
Or is this the left’s new “taco” attempt?

Chicken taco.

it wasn’t my Orange Crush who ran a political campaign saying he’d release it. Check with your Fanta Führer

So that’s a no?
Cool reliable Hitler reference. Cuz yeah it’s the right that are the Jew hating socialists.

No wonder you lost. Keep it up.

pick up a book! They don’t bite, promise 😘😘

—–

WWJD?

Of course you don’t know that DEI is about being fair, treating everyone equally and with respect, making sure everyone has equal opportunity to a good education that insures a good job. How can you have a moral compass when you only value law and order for the non-wealthy and think the wealthy can get away with all kinds of financial crimes including the greatest transfer of wealth to the top 5% income in the budget bill. This also includes lots of officials guilty of sexual assault. That’s no surprise when your president, the leader of the party is a convicted criminal x 34, hiding payments so voters wouldn’t know about adultery, cheating the vote, defamed a woman that he had bragged about grabbing by her genitals which the judge said was rape, and now it looks like he is extremely scared of the discovery of the “secret” of what he and Epstein did to girls. He liked to look at teenage beauty contestants changing clothes. He met Melania where rich older men party to meet young Eastern European ladies, at the Kit Kat Club. He was attracted to his 13 y/o daughter. Witnesses have testified that they saw him have sex with a 13 y/o. Shame on all of you supporting this. RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES! But I know you’re all too cowardly to release it all. You’re already picking out the pieces with T’s name on it.

White unqualified traitor says what?

You’re a dumbass

Senator Eric Schmitt you’re a joke dude, give the dei shit a rest already

LOL! What a FUCKING waste of taxpayer money and time!
Is that why Trump fired every single black, trans, gay, and female QUALIFIED person from their high-ranking military positions???
Give us a fucking break. YOU are the bigots, hiring UNQUALIFIED, UNEDUCATED, and UNTRAINED imbeciles.
Your idiot Dear Leader doesn’t even like to be photographed with people in wheelchairs! MY GOD!
And, you can run, Schitty, but you can’t hide…WE STILL WANT THE LIST.

“….Ur-Fascism is based upon a selective populism, a qualitative populism, one might say. In a democracy, the citizens have individual rights, but the citizens in their entirety have a political impact only from a quantitative point of view — one follows the decisions of the majority. For Ur-Fascism, however, individuals as individuals have no rights, and the People is conceived as a quality, a monolithic entity expressing the Common Will. Since no large quantity of human beings can have a common will, the Leader pretends to be their interpreter. Having lost their power of delegation, citizens do not act; they are only called on to play the role of the People. Thus the People is only a theatrical fiction. To have a good instance of qualitative populism we no longer need the Piazza Venezia in Rome or the Nuremberg Stadium. There is in our future a TV or Internet populism, in which the emotional response of a selected group of citizens can be presented and accepted as the Voice of the People….” – Ur-Fascism – Umberto Eco

Kissing the giant orange….ring

18 Tuesday Feb 2025

Posted by in Missouri Governor

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Mike Kehoe (r) [2024 file photo].

Today:

Governor Mike Kehoe Issues Executive Order to Eliminate DEI Programs in Missouri State Agencies

FEBRUARY 18, 2025

Jefferson City — Today, Governor Mike Kehoe signed Executive Order 25-18, directing all Missouri state agencies to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and ensure compliance with the constitutional principle of equal protection under the law. The order bars the use of state funds for DEI and prevents agencies from considering DEI in their hiring decisions.

“Missourians deserve a government that treats all individuals equally, without preferential treatment or discrimination based on immutable characteristics,” said Governor Kehoe. “Our state agencies must operate under a framework that ensures fairness, equal opportunity, and merit-based decision-making. This order reaffirms Missouri’s commitment to a constitutional, color-blind approach that serves all citizens fairly.”

The executive order includes the following key directives:

Equal Protection of All People: State agencies must uphold the constitutional principle of equal treatment under the law;
Elimination of Public Funds for DEI: State agencies are barred from using public funds for DEI-related positions, organizational structures, policies, procedures, practices, activities, training, programs, or contracts;
Prohibition on Considering DEI in State Hiring Decisions: Agencies are prohibited from considering DEI factors in hiring decisions; and
Compliance Review: Agencies must conduct a comprehensive review of existing contracts, programs, and policies within 90 days to ensure full compliance with the directive.
While this order directs the removal of DEI-based programs, it does not apply to any requirements in federal or state statute that uphold the rights and freedoms of Missouri citizens. State agencies will continue to enforce all laws that prohibit discrimination and ensure fairness for all citizens.
[….]

EXECUTIVE ORDER 25-18
WHEREAS, the principles that all people are created equal and entitled to equal protection under the law are enshrined in the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Missouri; and

WHEREAS, all individuals should have the freedom to pursue their aspirations and participate in society without discrimination based on immutable characteristics; and

WHEREAS, in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, 600 U.S. 181, 206, 230 (2023) the Supreme Court stated that the “Constitution is color blind” and “[e]liminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it[.]”; and

WHEREAS, the State of Missouri is dedicated to the compelling governmental interest of remedying unlawful discrimination in a manner consistent with state and federal law, in that business practices within the State of Missouri should not discriminate, through disparate treatment or disparate impact, against anyone in violation of any law, executive order, rule, regulation, or judicial decision; and

WHEREAS, the State of Missouri is committed to developing and maintaining a talented workforce reflecting the citizens of Missouri and the customers which government serves; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, MIKE KEHOE, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of Missouri, hereby order the following:

I. Color Blind and Equal Treatment:

I hereby order all Executive agencies to comply with the principle of equal protection found in the United States and Missouri Constitutions and ensure that all rules, policies, employment practices and actions treat all persons equally.

II. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Prohibition:

a. I hereby order that no state funds shall be utilized by Executive agencies toward policies, procedures, practices, trainings, contracts, positions, organizational structures, programs, or activities that solely or primarily support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, as defined in this Executive Order.

b. Executive agencies are prohibited from considering diversity, equity, and inclusion in their hiring decisions.

III. Definitions:

a. Diversity, equity, and inclusion” includes:

i. Efforts to manipulate or influence the composition of an organization based solely on race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

ii. Policies, procedures, practices, trainings, contracts, positions, organizational structures, programs, or activities intended to promote differential treatment of, or special benefits to, individuals based solely on the factors listed under subparagraph i. above, except as authorized by state or federal law.

b.“Executive agency” is any administrative governmental entity created by the Missouri Constitution or statutes of this state under the executive branch, including any department, agency, board, bureau, council, commission, or committee, supported in whole or in part by state funds, any subdivision of an executive agency, and any legally designated agent of such entity.

IV. Timelines:

This Executive Order shall take effect immediately, and all Executive agencies shall review and take appropriate action on existing policies, procedures, practices, trainings, contracts, positions, organizational structures, programs, or activities within their agencies within 90 days to ensure compliance with this directive.

[signature of Michael Kehoe]
MIKE KEHOE
GOVERNOR

ATTEST:

[signature of Denny Hoskins]
DENNY L. HOSKINS
SECRETARY OF STATE

Performative bullshit.

The reviews aren’t good:

Jess Piper ‪@piperformissouri.bsky.social‬

The governor of Missouri eliminates diversity, equity, and inclusion in a ceremony with five white men and one white woman…

I’m surprised they let her in.
[….]
February 18, 2025 at 4:46 PM

Comments:

So Mike Kehoe was basically putting on a show to impress racist, sexist, and ableist people with how well he can kiss someone’s saggy orange keister? Color me unsurprised.

“…saggy orange felon keister…” Fixed it for you.

Bad combover. Check. Too long red tie. Check. Orange spray tan. Check. Tiny hands. Check. Cluelessness. Check. Conviction. Check.

These people are going to be FOREVER remembered in history for their disgraceful behavior. Their future generations will be ashamed of them.

They’ll control history, too.

Is anyone surprised.
It’s MISSOURI.

The only thing missing is the “Mission Accomplished” banner.

We see what you did there.

Ah, the classic rewriting of history. Love the religious imagery, which in itself is a joke, considering that Jesus was a Palestinian…far from white and American lol. Also, the fact that Jesus himself said not to worship him or idols, but God. Weird. Gotta love the corruption.

Seems about white to me. JFC I am so sick of this shit and it’s just getting started.

This state is getting on my last nerve. Gee, wonder why folks aren’t just flocking to live here?

A ceremony? Did they bow to a statue of supreme leader Musk afterwards?

He literally said he wants equality, while removing equality? Dumb politicians need be removed ASAP.

What?! No sheets?!

I did not see that coming.

he dismantled DEI and, in the same breath, said the definition of DEI for future hiring practices. These people are truly dumb.

When is he going to put up the Whites Only signs?

I don’t even know what you call this level of exquisitely ironic un-self-awareness.

Our current reality.

Why are people proud of doing this? Because some yahoo who has zero business ruling this country said so?

“White People Butthurt Other Kinds Of People Exist, Makes Life Harder For Them”

It’s funny how 99.9% of all right wing postings in 2025 have Nazi marching music in the background if you listen closely enough.

I did not see that coming.

“Confederates and Nazis: Fucking Losers”

He literally defined the reason DEI exists in the second paragraph.

When I was in school, I thought the concepts of Newspeak and doublethink from 1984 were a bit over-the-top to make a point.
Nope. 100% accurate.
Now fairness and merit = mediocre white men only.

You read the book. That’s the difference.

Tell me you did NAZI that coming.

Heh.

It is so funny to me that in one line they say they’re eliminating “diversity equity and inclusion initiatives” and in the next they’re replacing them with practices that ensure “fairness and equal opportunities” like come on, honeyyyy… you have got to see how stupid this is.

Banning equity, with a tweet that demands equal opportunity. Now that’s profound leadership.

What kinds of terrible things fall under DEI? Braille lettering in elevators? Handicapped parking spaces? Service dogs?

Ah yes, nothing screams fairness and equal opportunity like a bunch of white people huddled around a table signing the death certificate for diversity. Next up: an executive order banning seasoning, rhythm, and cultural awareness in the great state of Missouri.

What color is the sky in your world?

29 Saturday Jul 2023

Posted by in Eric Schmitt, meta

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We don’t allow ignorant comments out of moderation to be linked with the original post, but we will present some of them in subsequent posts for the purpose of public derision and mockery. As we see fit.

We see fit.

An attempted trolling comment submitted today in response to Eric (r) voted for something (July 29, 2023):

Why does it matter about all the differences? Thought all wanted equal treatment. When you set yourself aside from a group and cry inequality then you are indeed making yourself different.

What color is the sky in your world?

By the way, the IP address and email address of all comments are attached to the original comment in our blog operating system.

Understand white resentment, but don’t condone it

17 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Uncategorized

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Lots of people no longer remember the riots that ensued in Boston when African-American children were bused to predominantly white schools. Mothers and grandmothers spitting, jeering and tossing trash and bricks at buses loaded with children. I bring this up as a prelude to a story about one of my aunts, a redoubtable, tough-as-nails Irish-American woman with a hard-scrabble background; in the 60s, thanks to decades of union effort to better the working classes, she and her family were just beginning to experience a little of that material comfort that so many identify with the American dream. In short, she was just the type of woman one would expect to see rioting in the streets to ward off the invading hordes.

But my aunt’s story is different. She lived in a quiet suburb where integration happened, for a blessing, relatively quietly and her children attended a school with many African-American children. As a result, in 1976 when Jimmy Carter was running for president, my aunt, a staunch Democrat, had to be reassured that Carter, a Southerner from Georgia, was not a racist, but had, in fact, spoken out against segregation. She explained her attitude in terms of her concern about the African-American children who were friends of her children and their parents, people she had met through school-related activities. In this case diversity in the classroom did what it was supposed to do – foster understanding and acceptance. I know that my aunt was an uncommonly open woman and her experience was not necessarily typical, but I bet there’s more like her out there and we’re a better country for it.

I bring this up because of Bill McClellan’s column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch a few days ago, titled “Understanding Anger at Transfers.” The column addressed the court-ordered transfer of a contingent mostly African-American children from the failing Normandy district to the heretofore  mostly lily white Francis Howell School District in St. Charles County. I want to be clear. I’m not going to rail against McClellan for racism. He’s a clever writer who specializes in empathy – real empathy, I think – especially for those who get short shrift almost everywhere else. I’ve always liked reading McClellan’s columns because he never presents himself as too good for the down-and-outers he often writes about.

I had a certain empathy myself for the point McClellan was making which focused on his father and McClellan’s perception that his upstanding, working class father would have had sympathy for the folks in the Francis Howell District. After all, McClellan implies, these white American who are responding with anger because their children may be exposed to poor, African-American children are actually only concerned that their children continue to enjoy the advantages they, their parents, have sacrificed to provide for them. McClellan concludes his column by acknowledging that he understands that anger too. He, like his father, saw solid neighborhoods decline after an influx of African-Americans.

Well-and-good. I understand what the fuss is about as well. I’ve had my own clutch of relatives who would have felt right at home with McClellan’s father. They were mostly people I loved and respected although I disagreed with them often. Because of them I know that frightened people often react angrily, even violently.

I part company with McClellan, however, when he neglects to point out that indulging this type of fear is destructive and prevents positive change – and when he fails to speak out about what’s really motivating the folks who label the transferring children as “trash.” I remember, after all, my aunt, one of the most hard-core members of her tribe, and her about-face when she learned first-hand that folks from other tribes aren’t necessarily as bad as they’re often cracked up to be.

In fact, McClellan seems to think (or not – more about his waffling later), that there’s a chain of facts that justifies the white flight that helped populate St. Charles county:

These are facts. Uncomfortable perhaps, but indisputable. The blacks arrived. The schools declined. The whites left. You can debate the underlying reasons, but you can’t argue the facts.

I’ll give McClellan the benefit of the doubt here. It’s possible that he is trying to say that this is the perception of the facts that fueled white flight, rather than the actual, complex sequence of events that led to the decline of inner-city schools. He must be aware that the sequence of events he outlines is itself questionable?  Perhaps things happened this way in St. Louis – I wasn’t here then – but it’s not the story in Detroit and many other once thriving American cities where, instead, (1) the blacks arrived, (2) the whites left, and (3) the schools declined. And that decline had lots to do with loss of property tax revenue and jobs that fled to the suburbs where white folks continued to live their rosy lives while black poverty intensified in the inner city. Some folks, like McClellan’s father, tried to stick it out, but the majority of whites began the race to the suburbs as soon as the first black family hit their blocks. And when the money and jobs go, so goes the neighborhood and the schools.

McClellan’s column was weak-tea, nothing to get anyone really worked up. But, in the context of a society where real racists seem to feel more and more emboldened, it’s maybe worth it to take the time to note that he’s not telling the whole story. Understanding ugly emotions is not enough. In a world where a young,unarmed black teenager can be harassed by a gun-toting vigilante neighborhood watchman, inappropriately confronted, ultimately shot dead, and the shooter is then found not guilty of anything at all, we can’t afford to go too easy on “white fear.”