Presidential hopeful Ron Paul published four newsletters a month for 10 years.  That’s 48 newsletters a year—or close to 500 newsletters.  That’s a lot of content and a lot of work to go out in your name.  Why would you do that if you never read it—suggesting you really don’t care what it says.  Marketing 101 says that’s really stupid.  Or Paul is lying.

You may have heard that the newsletters were rife with racist propaganda.  Here’s the issue as outlined in the Washington Post Biography Fact Checker:  “The national media latched onto the issue during Paul’s 2008 presidential bid, after the New York Times and the New Republic highlighted derogatory statements about blacks and gays from the bulletins…The issue resurfaced as Paul moved to the front of the GOP pack in recent weeks.”    Paul has denied any knowledge of the existence of the racist content, saying “I never read the stuff.”

The stuff he is talking about is four monthly newsletters published by his company, Ron Paul and Associates, and included Ron Paul’s Freedom Report, the Ron Paul Survival Report, the Ron Paul Political Report and the Ron Paul Investment Letter.   The newsletters included constant themes of racism against African Americans, Homosexuals and Jews.  While I prefer not to reprint them here (I hate perpetuating racism by repeating it), here’s a sampling of the awful things about which Paul said “I honestly do not know who wrote those things,” (to CNN in January 2008.)

Marketing 101

So for exercise sake, let’s step back from politics and the content of the newsletters, to strictly look at Paul’s statement that he never read and was unaware of the content going out in his name, from 1985 to the mid-90’s, through a marketing strategy lens.

As Director of Marketing, Communications & Business Development for Jewish Child & Family Services in Chicago, I am 100% accountable for everything that goes out the door, whether internally to employees, or externally to the public.  Strictly from a CYA perspective, somebody is ultimately accountable for the content that goes out to the public.  Somebody does the final proofing to make sure there were no typos, inaccuracies, or errors.  The CEO signs things that come from him, be they the “Message from the CEO” or communications to donors.

 Your print (and now increasingly online) publications are the vehicle to create your brand and position yourself as a thought leader in your field—they take too much time and expense not to have a pre-determined return on investment (ROI), usually to increase your connection to your constituents or followers, your clients and customers. 

In this case it’s not even Paul who says he doesn’t know who wrote the articles, no one seems to know who wrote them, including one suspect, Lew Rockwell, citing seven or eight free-lancers who wrote for the publications.  At a bare minimum it’s poor management and irresponsible, not good qualities for a Presidential candidate anyway.  

Things Happen as a Result of Specific Decisions

Janet Reno’s taking full responsibility for what happened in Waco Texas was the ultimate statement of accountability.  Daniel Mendelsohn, in his book “The Lost:  A Search for Six of Six Million,” said  “The Holocaust is so big, the scale of it is so gigantic, so enormous, that it becomes easy to think of it as something mechanical. Anonymous. But everything that happened, happened because someone made a decision.”  His book traces the specific people, decisions, that led to his family members’ deaths.  

Ron Paul Knew That

But, wait, it looks like I’m preaching to the choir.  Here’s Paul in a 1995 interview talking about his newsletters and their purpose and intent and how he uses them to spread is ideas to his followers.  Okay, maybe he’s senile and just forgot almost 10 years of his life.  Possible.   But, again, probably not a good quality for a Presidential candidate.

Any other Marketers?  Ever see a publication be created and distributed by magic (I wish!)?  Your boss ever give you free reign to write what you wanted, regardless of company image or branding?

Photo credit ibtimes.com

Found this movie, A Day Without a Mexican, in the ‘returns pile’ at the Library, and had to see it.  What would happen if you woke up in the middle of a bustling US City (Los Angeles) and all of the Mexican’s were gone?

That’s what happens in this great mock-documentary, directed by Sergio Arau.  White people in business suits are washing their own cars and taking care of their own children;  the tourism industry is strangled as food and dirty dishes languish in kitchens, professional baseball stops, schools close for lack of teachers, crops rot on the ground, the weather by LA’s favorite weatherman goes unreported…

“How do you make the invisible visible?” asks starring actress Yarelli Arizmendi, “you take it away.”  Yarelli is Lila Rodriguez, a TV News reporter and the only Hispanic left in LA, until she discovers she is really Armenian, only adopted and raised by Mexicans.  Although once she says, upon the revelation by an aunt of her “true” ethnic identity, ”In my heart I’m really Mexican,” she disappears, too. (This prompted a great discussion with our son about what determines cultural identity…nature or nurture).

Respondents on “Rotten Tomatoes” were not all kind, commenting that the movie is based on a single premise, and clearly has a single opinion, but watching in the comfort of our home, with our son, it gave us plenty to think about and talk even two weeks later.  The behind the scenes–how the movie got started, interviews with the actors, etc., all were very interesting as well.

What do you watch together as a family?  Did you grow from it?

Just ask Ryan, who’s overweight, or Samantha who doesn’t quite know how to socialize—because of a developmental disability, or maybe not.  Kids know when they are different, but do they know how to make others feel included?

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day my mom, a 40 year veteran of teaching Religious Education at two reform Jewish congregations, asked me to be the “guest speaker” last weekend for her kindergarten class about the legacy of Dr. King.

I had 20 minutes, and they were 5.  In the world of “coulda, shoulda, woulda” could I have prepared more?  Should I have included more biographical information on Dr. King?  Would it have been better for her to have selected someone else?

Sure, but here’s what I say.  1.) Put your money where your mouth is.  If someone asks you to volunteer to speak about something about which you feel passionate (equitable society, combating prejudice, etc.) you say yes, and 2.) If adults will only remember three things that you tell them, kids will remember one.

The Government was denying people rights because of their skin color.  That was wrong.  Dr. King acted and fought for what was right.

Alright kids, what does Judaism say we are obligated to do when we see something wrong in the world?  “Fix it!” they shouted.  Lesson learned?  Hope so.  Lesson lasting?  Hope so too.

Here’s what we did in 20 minutes or less:

ACTIVITY 1:  “Same and Different”

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:  None

ROOM SET-UP:  Helpful to have two to three distinct corners, tables, or ‘bases’ within room where kids can go.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE:  We really don’t know anything about a person or what we might share in common with them, just by physical appearance.  Getting to know someone is what shows his or her character.  Judging before knowing is called prejudice, and might prevent a child from making a good friend.

HOW TO:  Select 4 to 6 questions that will allow the kids to self-select based on things called out by the leader.  Examples might be “boy or girl;” “oldest, middle, youngest, or only child;” “food preferences, such as liking fish or chocolate.”

“If you are the oldest child, go to table 1. If you are the youngest child, go to table 2. If you’re the middle child, table 3”

“If you are a boy, got to table 1; if you are a girl, go to table 2”

“If you are Jewish, go to table 1.”  (Also good to show that just because we are all the same, Jewish, doesn’t mean we all like the same things.)

“If you like to eat fish, go to table 1.  If you don’t like fish or you’re a vegetarian, go to table 2.”

Each time the kids were told to look at who was in their group.   Sometimes kids were similar or different based on physical characteristics. Sometimes all the kids were the same.  And sometimes kids found things in common with each other that they didn’t know just by looking.

“So what can you tell just by looking at someone?”  “Nothing!” answered one child.”

“How can you tell if you might be friends with someone?  “By what’s inside,” said another.

ACTIVITY 2:  Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes (VERY truncated version derived from hearing about the original experment)

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:  None

ROOM SET-UP:  Helpful to have two to three distinct corners, tables, or ‘bases’ within room where kids can be in the same room, but separated.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE:  Recognizing Institutional Bias and standing up against it, just like Dr. King.

“Everyone with blue eyes go to table one.  Everyone with Brown eyes go to table 2.”

“Now, what if the teacher said I’ve got lots of juice, but today only the kids with blue eyes can have more juice.  There’s no juice for the brown-eyed kids, even though I have plenty.  Is that fair?”

“NO!” shouted the kids.

“Well that’s exactly what happened with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  In his case it was actually the United States Government, not just the teacher, who was being unfair and not sharing everything that was available with all of the people.”

“And what does Judaism teach us that we have to do if we see something wrong in the world?”

“We have to fix it” said Emily, “just like Martin Luther King.”

You’re at a black tie event.  You’re looking for the restroom.  Who do you ask?

“Me,” joked our new friend who spontaneously joined us at our table at a recent black-tie-event, jovially laughing at the third time in the last 10 minutes he’d been asked for directions.  “It’s hard to be a black man in a tuxedo at a formal event—everyone assumes I work here!”

Which is absolutely ridiculous, when you look around and realize that ALL THE MEN at the event are wearing tuxedos.

Our friend made light of the situation, playfully making fun, but it does belie unconscious bias/prejudice that may accompany first, immediate reactions to others.

So how do you combat your own biases?  How do you ‘humanize’ others around you?  Just for fun, listen to your gut, and then do or say the exact opposite.  Such as…

1.  At a very fine event, ask the older woman who’s dressed the best where to find the bathroom (or step out of your comfort zone…ask the person who’s least like you.)

2.  At restaurants, events, etc., ask your server’s name—he/she too is a person, and actually has a big influence on your enjoyment of your evening.

3. If you meet someone from Brazil (or fill in country name or neighborhood in City, etc.) don’t say “I would never go Rio, I’ve heard the crime is terrible.” (Yes, it has happened enough that it warrants mentioning.)

4.  When speaking with someone with an accent, listen for content.  “And treat them like a person, not an accent,” adds my husband, a native Portuguese speaker.  And never say “don’t you speak American?” (Yes, I’ve overheard that, too)

What other things have you seen others do (or fess up, what have you done?) that reveal an underlying bias?  What was the reaction?

I just spent 1/2 an hour watching Rhett and Link’s local commercials at ilovelocalcommercials.com,  which are absolutely wonderful snippets of middle America and small town businesses that have been nominated (by anyone…nominate your favorite business) to have a free local commercial made for them by Rhett and Link, sponsored by MicroBilt.

Some local commercials beg the question as to whether it’s stereotypes in advertising if it’s a real person just being himself, and others are multicultural simply as a natural reflection of the people working  at the business.

But what led me there was that I woke up this morning thinking about the time in college when all of the African-Americans on my dorm floor starting started stopping by and visiting my dorm room.  It was after a weekend when two close friends from High School, one black and one white, had made a surprise visit for the weekend.

Before the visit from my black friend, cordial.  After, it felt like I was “in.”

But what got me thinking about that was a comment by moderator Tyrone Stoudemire, Global Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Hewitt Associates, at a panel discussion last week, “How Diversity Positively Impacts Business, about unconscious bias, this time on the part of young African-Americans who resisted or questioned motives when a senior White leader within a company tried to help or mentor them.

And that circles us back to the ad above.  Okay, I found it by (cringe) searching YouTube for “White people being nice to black people.”  I was just curious.  Was I missing something?  Was it really that uncommon?

By having to state that Blacks and Whites both love Red House Furniture, the unconscious assumption is that Blacks and Whites getting along, or having something in common is not the norm…we have to show how we are different.

Do we unconsciously assume that someone from another race won’t like us, BEFORE we assume a neutral first connection?

WIXX (101.1FM) rightly decided to stop airing a peculiar 1950s ballad about a love-struck Native American couple after listeners complained about the banter surrounding the song, “Running Bear.” Listeners told Menominee tribal member Richie Plass, a Native American activist, that whooping and inappropriate comments regarding Native Americans accompanied the song, which aired regularly on Fridays on “Murphy in the Morning” until last week.

Another recent event that screamed cultural ignorance was the students who dressed as the KKK to create a film for a history class in Lumpkin County, and caused concern and fear when they walked through the cafeteria at their school.  One response of the school district (in addition to putting the teacher on leave while the incident is investigated) was to “review all class films for approval before proceeding.”

I would love to create a “tool kit” sort of dialogue box that would be required any time an incident like this happens.  As the Greenbay editorial says, ignorance should no longer be an excuse for perpetuating stereotypes.  That said, the dialogue following an event like this usually gets stopped at”what were they thinking,” or in a contrast between “you’re racist” and “you’re too sensitive.” (If you’re not sure what I mean, read through the comments following reporting of any incident of this kind.)

And in the end, the solution is usually “we will never do this again.”  That sounds good–public institutions, media, etc. should not be perpetuating racism. 

But the unfortunate side is that in the absence of good, deep facilitated dialogue to understand the origins of the stereotype, the different cultural perspectives and how we can learn from this incident, we end up silenced. 

And it was silence and complicity that allowed racism to grow in the first place.

What conversations are you not having?

Yes, I stayed nearby to make sure he didn’t get burned on the stove, but that isn’t the point of the story.

The point does tie into his problem with math, and the need to learn his multiplication tables.  And all of this ties into teaching children good intercultural skills.

Did you catch that word?  It was teach.  Dillon was able to cook his own meal because I have involved him in the process of cooking for years now.  He has stood side-by-side, helped mix, been allowed to dig his thumbs all the way through the eggs and get mess on the floor before mastering cracking them into a bowl. 

And, he’ll learn his multiplication tables when he studies his flashcards and memorizes them.

None of this is an accident, and none of it is by osmosis.  It’s a combination of setting an example, but mostly  by explicitly giving lessons and teaching.

I was reminded this by reading the article “Bigotry, Blindness and Basketball” by Kristin Howerton that was cross-posted on loveisntenough (formerly Anti-Racist Parent).

In the post, Howerton talks about taking her kids, who are black, to a basketball program where another child, who is white,  said out loud that he didn’t want to hold her son’s hand because he was black.  Luckily her sons didn’t hear this, and had a great time at practice.

When Howerton approached her, the mom of the other child became defensive, saying she didn’t believe her child would say that, because they had taught him to be colorblind.  And that there was the problem.  In teaching one to be colorblind, we in essence are saying “Don’t talk about race.  It’s bad to notice.”

I  could be wrong, but I bet you will never hear a parent of color say “I raise my children to be color blind, to not see the color of a person’s skin.”  For someone of color, living in a majority white culture, I imagine it’s impossible not to be reminded constantly of your color.  It’s the privilege of someone white, against which much of US society is normed, to say “I don’t notice color.”  Well, of course not, if all discourse is normed around you (aka me)!

So setting an example and teaching about intercultural communications with our children is critical.  Just as a child can learn to cook and do his math equations, he can learn language and reflection on social justice. 

Our children may mortify us by what they say at times, but look at how to use it to open an dialogue.  If a child doesn’t want to hold hands with someone who is different and you swear you didn’t teach him that, know that he/she got it from somewhere.  And if you don’t like what he/she has learned, then provide the language that you hope will guide his/her ideas as he/she grows.

Dillon, bless his little heart, at only 8 years old had to get a root canal last week.  He had broken his tooth while playing last March, and unfortunately it had gotten infected.

But that’s not the real story.  My husband was in the room with him as the Dentist got started.  “Would you like some gas before I give you the novacaine?” he asked.  Don’t all Dentists offer that before a procedure?

“Is that the gas they used to kill the Jews?” my son, who is Jewish, asked.  Despite all reassurances otherwise, Dillon refused to let the Dentist administer the gas.

I know we’re not the only ones who have these moments.  Love Isn’t Enough is a blog devoted to ‘anti-racist parenting,’ and Stephen Caliendo talked about his experience of visiting the Lincoln Museum with his nine year old daughter, both in an edited version on Dawn Turner Trice’s blog at the Chicago Tribune, Exploring Race, and in a longer version on his own blog, This Week in Race at the raceproject.org.

Sometime’s we’re speechless because of the depth of insight from such a little person.  Sometimes we’re speechless because we’re not sure how the comment comes across to those around us.  In this case, the Dentist was the only Muslim in a practice with three other (presumably, by name) Jewish Doctors.  “Will this dentist think we are racist?” crossed my husband’s mind, as though Dillon really thought the Dentist meant to do him harm.

I imagine the context in this case is twofold:  We visited the Holocaust Museum in in Washington DC last month, and he also recently brought a book home from the library, Someone Named Eva, by Joan M. Wolf, about (per Dillon’s description, we haven’t read it yet) a blond haired, blued eye Jewish girl who gets taken from her family and adopted by a German Famly and forgets her family and that she is Jewish.

As a Jew, I felt obligated to do the former, when we were in DC.  Now, perhaps the latter, reading the book together chapter by chapter at bedtime, will give us a chance to help him process what he saw as we build discussion of his feelings and thoughts into our conversations around the book.

Just forgetting about it and hoping it won’t come up again is one way to respond, but I don’t think that works.  For me, my “MO” has been to remember what was said, think about it, and reapproach the subject when I’ve had a chance to frame the discussion.  Starting with a book or work of art as a prompt is helpful.

What do you do?  What has your child said about race that stumped you?  How did you respond? 

Photo credit James Glave