Discussion of racism long overdue in local politics

In a letter published Feb. 2, Mr. (Daniel) Santillan raises the issue of “racism,” and it is a discussion that is long overdue in our county and local politics.

Big-city political tactics and anger have come to Imperial County. At times subtle (dog whistles) and at times, not so subtle. For example, in Juanita Salas’ race (for Imperial Irrigation District director), I heard from her challenger’s supporters that she was dating and had spent the weekend with “some black guy.” I heard this repeated several times by different people.

Who a single person dates or the gender or race of that person should not be the subject of any political discussion. It is apparent that this was meant to be judgmental and indicate poor choices on Ms. Salas’ part. And, incidentally, one of persons spreading this “story” was one of Mr. Santillan’s relatives.

Ms. Salas did introduce me to “some black guy,” who it turned out was her fiancé and also a military veteran and a doctor. But then dating a veteran, and a doctor to boot, would have merely been a topic of conversation and not the derogatory, ghetto person as “some black guy” connotes.

Coded racial appeals have reinvented racism. We don’t attack a race directly anymore, we just toss around terms like “ill-educated,” “lacking job experience,” “incompetency,” “laziness” and others to undermine credibility. Should a minority earned their place through hard work and scholarship, then we’re prepared to dismiss them as an “affirmative action hire.” According to Ian Haney-López, Earl Warren Professor of Public Law, there are three aspects involved when politicians use racial dog whistles:

1. Politicians force race into the conversation through “thinly veiled” racist remarks against people of color.

2. They make sure to not directly reference any one racial or ethnic group, so they can’t be accused of direct racism.

3. They shame any critics who try to call them out on the racist comments.

Why do “they” do such things? Because it works!

But let’s not mince words; it is disgraceful and disgusting! In a district in Hudson Valley, New York where Antonio Delgado challenged incumbent, John Faso. Delgado, a Democrat, is a Rhodes scholar and a Harvard Law grad. Antonio Delgado is black. John Faso is white. The district is 80 percent white. Ad after ad called Antonio Delgado a big-city rapper. “Big-city rapper, Antonio Delgado, doesn’t share our values.”

Faso’s supporters put out an ad wherein there’s a group of white people making statements such as “I just think he’s not right for us,” including one of them who says, “No one talks that way around here.” So, no one talks like a Rhodes scholar? No one talks like a Harvard Law grad? Heck, they may just as well have used the phrase “Hand – Picked” further diminishing his credentials.

There is no problem in getting the word out in our county either. All that has to be done is to get “some credible Hispanic” on local media to blow the dog whistle and there you go. So you see, Mr. Santillan, minorities are their own worst enemies. We don’t need “Whitey” to do us in. The best way to state this is to quote the late Richard Pryor.

“They had a movie of the future called ‘Logan’s Run.’ There ain’t no n **** rs, in it. I said, ‘Well, white folks ain’t planning for us to be here.’ That’s why we got to make movies. But we got to make some really hip movies. Not movies about pimps. We done made enough movies about pimps, because white folks already know about pimping. ’Cause we the biggest whores they got.”

If you do not believe it, Mr. Santillan, go to the IID meetings on Tuesdays and you will see them lining up for jobs and genuflecting in front of the IID Board. It would be a kindness to distribute knee pads.

Carlos Zaragoza lives in Holtville.