I cannot remain silent any longer.
Sen. Fowler's statement was not racist per se. He appears to hold every
person with an income under $36,000 in disdain by making the
counter-argument to an amendment to the lottery bill which would have
furnished an addition $1,000 to students from families which fell under
this income threshold (some 88% of Tennesseans, btw). Sen. Fowler's reply
was "what?? so that they can snort it or buy kegs of beer." That is not
racist, it's classist.
The deflection to Tommie Brown merits no reply.
Vicki Steinberg
.
At 01:48 PM 4/26/2003 -0400, Joe Dumas wrote:
>Greg O'Dea wrote:
>>Or maybe she meant that our students are all second- or third- or
>>fourth-rate losers. I don't know. Without a fuller context, there's nothing
>>one can reasonably say about the remark.
>
>The ironic part about the whole thing is that it got started when Rep.
>Brown and eleven other legislators took comments made by Sen. David
>Fowler completely out of context.  At least that is evident to me, as if
>his remarks were considered in context there is absolutely no way that
>any reasonable person could infer that they were "racist".  So if people
>are taking her remarks out of context, she is truly "hoist with her own
>petard."
>
>Kathy Winters wrote:
>>>I still have a big problem with her statements.  As a state
>>>representative, she, because of her position as a state legislator, is
>>>responsible for the state of affairs in which we find the University.
>>>The state allocates the money and therefore the resources the University
>>>has.  This remark made in any context is unacceptable from a state
>>>legislator.
>
>I agree.  Rep. Brown should publicly apologize to David Fowler and his
>constitutents for her original remarks, and to all UTC students, faculty
>and staff for her later comments.  If she fails to do so, her
>constituents should consider changing representatives at the next election.
>
>Joe Dumas
>
>http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_35635.asp

Victoria S. Steinberg
Acting Director of Women's Studies
Asst. Prof. of French
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

423-425-2309 office
423-425-4097 fax