THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 17, 1997 TAG: 9701180016
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 28 lines
In his Jan. 3 letter, Macon Butterworth wrote, ``We have a tyranny upon us under the labels of tolerance, nondiscrimination and political/racial correct dialogue.''
What tyranny? The simple truth is that the historical victims of racism, African Americans and other minorities, are the ones under tyranny, and not the likes of those Texaco executives. Most minorities must contend every day with racial stigmatization, denied opportunities, psychological and emotional abuse, and physical harm simply because of the color of their skin. That, to me, is real tyranny. The $187 million or so fine that Texaco must pay is a small price compared to what the victims of the company's racist practices have endured.
Racism, in whatever form, must not be tolerated by society. It harms not only the victim but society as a whole. It is a breach of the ideal of egalitarianism, that ``all men are created equal'' and each person is an equal moral agent, an ideal that is a cornerstone of the American moral system. A society in which some members regularly are subjected to degradation and harm because of their race hardly exemplifies this ideal.
BRANFORD N. ADUMUAH
Chesapeake, Jan. 5, 1997