By Danny M. Lavery
There is a New York Times article arguing that black males born into the upper middle class do not stay in the upper middle class into adulthood as often as their white male counterparts. I am a politically conscious black woman, and one of my (nonblack) friends sent me the article, asking me my opinion of it. The friend said that he can see the conservative side against the article. When I asked him to clarify what conservative arguments he was referring to, he sent me an article arguing two things. One: There is a lack of research conducted without the underlying premise that racism is the cause of America’s ills. Two: Some races, specifically sub-Saharan Africans, have lower IQs on average than other races.
I was very upset! My friend said that he doesn’t agree with everything in the racist article, just that he’s heard these arguments made. I think that he should not have sent it to me and that in sending it he is saying that there is some logic to those two points. Am I in the wrong for being upset? Is it ever OK to share articles with inherently racist ideas to make a point?
— African Queen