Race Manners
Navigating the Minefield Between Black and White Americans
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
On a plane, a black passenger nervously scrutinizes an Arab–American passenger. In front of a store, a white woman clutches her purse as a black man walks by. In conversation, the topic of race comes up and both people wonder what they are willing to say—and what they are not. Each scenario reveals that how we act and react to each other on a daily basis stems from racial assumptions, biases, and misunderstandings. Some we acknowledge, others we overlook.
In the wake of 9/11, confronting race relations in America is as daunting as it is necessary. Race Manners shows us how we can begin a civilized, meaningful dialogue—not with evasive abstractions, but with practicality and candor. Bruce A. Jacobs, a tireless speaker, has traveled the country over the past six years, learning and listening as people reacted to the first edition of this book and told him their own stories. In this newest edition, here is a candid assessment of and guide to improving race relations that offers honest clarity on fear of crime and terrorism, the role of “rage talk media,” the problem with tolerance, race in pop music from Elvis to Eminem and beyond, the “N-word,” and much more.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a frank, intelligent guide intended for both whites and blacks, Jacobs explores the resentments that thwart a genuine dialogue on race. He lays bare the "wildly, even hysterically" exaggerated fear of African-American males held by many whites, and he urges white people to recognize that a racial double standard exists in law enforcement. Jacobs, a poet and essayist, describes how, as an African-American, he grew up surrounded by racial hatred in predominantly white, middle-class Rochester, N.Y. Nevertheless, he cautions that many blacks have succumbed to a siege mentality, judging all whites as harshly and as broadly as they feel themselves to be judged. While supporting affirmative action, he acknowledges that this policy comes with a price involving sacrifice by some whites for the greater good. He urges blacks to gain as much competence as possible in Standard English, while at the same time deploring the negative attitude many whites harbor toward speakers of vernacular "black English." Whether he is discussing interracial love, ethnic jokes, African-American TV shows or Elvis Presley's borrowings from black music, Jacobs challenges preconceptions and entrenched myths.
