Posted 9:29 am Tuesday, March 03, 2009
March 3: All Americans
RESPONSE: Since moving to Tyler from Irving 16 years ago, I have been an avid reader of the Tyler Morning Telegraph. I find it to be fair and well-written. However, I would be remiss if I did not respond to a Feb. 20 article regarding an exchange between State Rep. Leo Berman and Mr. Harry Joe.
Why must the article describe Mr. Joe as “a lawyer of Chinese-American descent?” This term clearly has a racial overtone to it.
I would like to point out how our citizens of “Asian descent” have integrated into society. Many came to the U.S. and could not speak English. The father of the household does manual labor while the mother produces goods for sale in their homes.
And, how do they learn to speak English? They learn from their children who attend school and speak the language. They, in turn, teach their parents. Not only that, but the top 10 students, academically at Irving High School are of “Asian American descent.”
Today, the race group referred to as “African American” in my opinion should be taboo just as the identity of other immigrant groups. Why not just American? When Tiger Woods was asked if he considered himself an Asian or a Black, he said, “I am an American.”
Who encourages these racial slurs? The slanted reporting by some newspapers, radio and television stations stir things up and divide our country into groups, one against the other. Whatever happened to reporting the news without editorializing every article, even on the front page? Would it be too much to expect the media to review the basics?
Ray Modlin
Tyler
And, how do they learn to speak English? They learn from their children who attend school and speak the language. They, in turn, teach their parents. Not only that, but the top 10 students, academically at Irving High School are of “Asian American descent.”
Today, the race group referred to as “African American” in my opinion should be taboo just as the identity of other immigrant groups. Why not just American? When Tiger Woods was asked if he considered himself an Asian or a Black, he said, “I am an American.”
Who encourages these racial slurs? The slanted reporting by some newspapers, radio and television stations stir things up and divide our country into groups, one against the other. Whatever happened to reporting the news without editorializing every article, even on the front page? Would it be too much to expect the media to review the basics?
Ray Modlin
Tyler
