Op-Ed: Reid's Word Choice & Keli Goff's Response

Keli Goff writes clearly and eloquently about the essence of the problem that Harry Reid created for himself. I agree with her on many points, most emphatically that the real issue is not about the actual words that Reid used but what the choice of words says about him as a political leader... someone who is very disconnected from African-Americans and overlooks the importance of racial/cultural sensitivity.

Goff's article in the Huffington Post and her interview on NPR act as a meaningful counterbalance to the reactionist and somewhat superficial outrage on the part of the GOP's Michael Steele. Steele seems more concerned about exploiting Reid's mistake for political leverage than to use it for creating a meaningful national dialogue regarding race. Goff points out that it is essential to look beyond just the words themselves and try to understand the intent before calling someone racist for using outdated language. In Reid's case, Goff doesn't see him as racist but lacking in understanding and experience with people of color, which is to some degree a lesser crime but one that merits examination.

Goff's identification of Reid as one who lacks the interest, understanding or experience with people of color is astute. It begs the question of how capable he is of being the leader of a party that claims to be one "diversity & inclusion." If any good has come from the Reid controversy - it is that we as voting citizens have been shown his true colors, his lack of sincere involvement in any groups of color. This apathy toward groups of color expresses itself in different ways, and Reid's comments was one way.

This discussion opens up lots of food for thought as it relates to our Arts 13 African American Art History class and the inherent problems associated with art history specific to any one group. Not unlike Reid, at times in the past (actually for some, the recent past) Art historians researched and treated the subject of African art history and African-American art history in an outdated manner that still treated African and African-American artists (as we learned in the mini-lecture) as if they had a singular voice. To overlook the diversity and variety within the genre is short-sighted and very "Reid-like" in the way the historian is out of touch with the actual community of artists to overlook how diverse they are.

In answering the question of how powerful "representation" is, we see from countless examples how difficult it is to separate the idea of representation from reality. In Reid's case, his words acted as a representation of his thoughts and for some, a representation of racism. Key words trigger a powerful response that may not fully present the truth, just as imagery might in the artworld. We can learn from the Reid incident how much power words, especially words related to race and culture, can hold.