In a message dated 00-10-24 18:07:01 EDT, Bill Mandel writes:
<I most certainly did not write that raping a white woman is a
<political, insurrectionary act.
And most certainly nobody on this list attributed such a statement
to you.
<I wrote that reserving the death penalty for that
<crime exclusively for Blacks during the 300-year
<history of Virginia was a politically repressive act,
<as every African-American knew. Moreover, in light of
<the high religiosity of the Black population, the fact
<that the bodies of rapists were given to medical
<schools for dissection in Virginia while those of
<persons executed for any other crime were given to
<their families for burial was another form of
<discriminatory repression.
This exchange began with William Mandel having objected
to the statement, "repression is truly color-blind," which he
attributed to me. In my critique of Bruce Franklin, I actually
wrote, "Repression of dissent is truly color-blind." By virtue
of having listed various indictments of antiwar activists, it was
obvious that I had in mind state-sponsored repression of political
dissent.
Since Mandel is not willing to argue that rape is a political act,
I don't see how he can sustain the position that his evidence
about discriminatory sentencing practices against black rapists
in Virginia in any way is relevant to my statement about the color-
blindness of political repression. If rape is not a political act,
then obviously it is not an act of political dissent.
Without a doubt, the kind of discrimination in sentencing he
reports was racist and abominable, but it does not amount to
state-sponsored repression of political dissent, and does not
provide evidence that white radicals identified as "reds,"
"subversives," etc. by the ruling elites have enjoyed a special
exemption from reprisals on the basis of our white skins. Such
a notion, I think, trivializes and does disservice to the memories
of Sacco and Vanzetti, the Rosenbergs, scores of white antiwar
activists indicted in the major conspiracy trials of the 60s, and
many others.
<I am not aware that other former slave states differed
<from these practices.
Really, Bill, the above statement is kind of gimmicky, isn't it?
What it really means is that you don't know what the record
of the other former slave states is on this matter, but want
to plant in our minds the idea that maybe they were as bad
as Virginia.
~ Michael Wright
Norman, Oklahoma
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