PAULA DEEN became a national villain for using the word “nigger.” It is not too hard to imagine the day when admitting that there are races is similarly scandalous. Below is a letter from yesterday’s New York Times that on the face of it seems laughable and quasi-illiterate, but that points to what is no doubt a serious project. All words for racial categories must go. We will live even more so in that Brave New World where the obvious doesn’t exist.

To the Editor:

I recently completed a doctoral study at the Simmons School of Social Work about people who are commonly ascribed to the black/African-American, biracial or multiracial categories, but who do not themselves subscribe to any racial identity.

These race transcenders refuse to self-racialize, while being fully conscious of the fact that they are and have been racialized by others since the Constitution mandated the census, making racialization legal and compulsory beginning in 1790. We have been knotted up in meaningless terms like Caucasian ever since.

If we are ready to really pull at the terrible tangle of racialization, we will have to be prepared to interrogate the whole irrational bundle (black, white, Hispanic and so on). The participants in my study demonstrate the possibility of refusing to collude in self-racialization.

The next necessary step in truly extricating ourselves from the problems of race and racism is to educate, empower and expect that we will stop racializing one another.

CARLOS HOYT
Andover, Mass., July 10, 2013

 — Comments —

Hannon writes:

Is that what I’ve been doing so thoughtlessly all these years– “racializing” my fellow man? I wish someone had told me sooner. I guess we are all people of the World Race just saying and doing stuff after all. If only the ancients had figured this out we could have been enjoying peace and harmony all these centuries. How could they have missed it? But has this man (?) with his newly minted PhD really found the key to abating racial disharmonies or is his thesis merely the latest attempt to order us all into a tyrannical and equalized system of efficiency?

Bill R. writes:

Yes, Mr. Hoyt, it’s terrible when we “racialize” each other but it’s just fine when colleges and employers do it in their admissions and hiring, isn’t it? Why, if they stopped racializing, people might actually get jobs and be admitted to colleges based on merit. I’m sure the New York Times would love that!

Laura writes:

I bet Mr. Hoyt wouldn’t have his doctorate if he hadn’t been racialized.

Joe A. writes:

Regarding self-racialization:

Carlos,

You go first.

Signed,
Your pal, Joe Honky

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