August 10, 2004, 08:00 AM
Chron: 'Articulate' = 'Racist'
I'm establishing a new rule — if you can't do intelligent political commentary, don't even try. I bring this up because, in a Sounding Board column that ran in the Chronicle yesterday, Andrea Georgsson made the following comment in reference to the selection of Alan Keyes for the Republican senatorial nomination in Illinois:
I like Alan Keyes, but let's face it: he's virtually defined by his verbose right-wing tirades. He's never achieved an elected federal office before, and his previous presidential campaigns have been less than awe-inspiring. If you want to compliment Alan Keyes, then, you're likely to reference the one thing he's been really good at, and that's giving impassioned speeches.The Illinois Leader, a conservative online newsletter, endorsed Keyes' candidacy on Friday, actually referring to the former U.S. ambassador as “articulate.” It's just a little thing, but “articulate” is a term that activates black people's insult radar. It is meant as a compliment, but overuse by whites to describe blacks gives it a patronizing ring. As in, “U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is very articulate.”
Now Georgsson undoubtedly knows this, but she couldn't resist trotting out the old, tired mantra that referring to a black person as 'articulate' is somehow universally patronizing. That's dull, unoriginal, and inaccurate. In other words, it's standard practice for the Chronicle.
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