A bit over done perhaps, but I didn’t see it as crass. Was interesting how both Obama and Roberts screwed up the oath. They redid it today in the Whitehouse. Happened twice before with Chester Arthur and Calvin Coolidge.

Stopping the conversation about race and racism doesn’t make it go away. Quite the opposite. Talking about it actually can provide an antidote. Prejudices surround us like water surrounds fish and we don’t always even realize it’s there.

Your mention of your son made me think. (And as to not watching the inauguration on TV: hey, home-sick days are a do-what-you-gotta-do scenario…) As a white kid, I was reprimanded if I repeated racist phrases and I think I was even a bit afraid to talk about it because I didn’t want to mess up and do something wrong. I wish I’d been able to talk about it and figure it out more when I was young, without such worry about “being bad” if I said the wrong words. When I stopped talking about it, I lost the opportunity to learn!

I think it’s more important to learn why racism exists, and what we can do about it, than it is to learn “don’t be racist! only bad white people are racist!” …because that line of thinking just makes white folks defensive. Instead, I think we should be more open to learning about how our actions or words might, in fact, be racist even when we don’t want or mean them to be — and how we can help change that water we swim in by keeping a truly open ear to what people of color have to say.

Not a big fan of socialism myself, but the peaceful transference of executive power is worthy of note.

I hope your child will be well soon.

Best Regards,

jbarntt