Columnist Fired For Article On What White Parents Should Tell Kids About Blacks

April 9th, 2012 - By Brande Victorian

Theblaze.com

Another shock-jock columnist has bitten the dust for his attempt at being cleverly controversial with just a hint of racial prejudice.

Over the weekend, the National Review fired John Derbyshire for his online article, “The Talk: Nonblack Version,” which was written for right-wing publication, Taki’s Magazine, as a response to the conversations black people are having with their children as a result of Trayvon Martin’s killing. The columnist wrote a list of things white parents should be telling their kids about black people, and as you can probably guess, it’s quite off the cuff.

The article has been taken down in it’s entirety since this morning, but a few gems from the authors list of talking points lives on in other reports, including:

  • You will observe that the means — the averages — of many traits are very different for black and white Americans, as has been confirmed by methodical inquiries in the human sciences.
  • While black-on-black behavior is more antisocial in the average than is white-on-white behavior, average black-on-white behavior is a degree more antisocial yet.
  •  Avoid concentrations of blacks not all known to you personally.
  •  Stay out of heavily black neighborhoods.
  • If planning a trip to a beach or amusement park at some date, find out whether it is likely to be swamped with blacks on that date (neglect of that one got me the closest I have ever gotten to death by gunshot).
  • Do not attend events likely to draw a lot of blacks.
  • If you are at some public event at which the number of blacks suddenly swells, leave as quickly as possible.
  • Do not settle in a district or municipality run by black politicians.
  • Before voting for a black politician, scrutinize his/her character.
  • Do not act the Good Samaritan to blacks in apparent distress, e.g., on the highway.
  • If accosted by a strange black in the street, smile and say something polite but keep moving.
  • The mean intelligence of blacks is much lower than for whites.

One could argue that black parents are telling their children the exact same thing about white people, and that both sides even have a point, but the thing is we’re not spouting this “advice” off as fact in national online publications or  making these claims to distract focus on the real matter at hand. When a black man kills a white guy for simply looking suspicious in his neighborhood and doesn’t go to jail for it (on top of hundreds of years of racial oppression), then white people can start having these sorts of “talks.” Oh wait, that will never happen.

Mike Lowry, the editor of National Review, explained John’s firing in response to the article, saying:

“We never would have published it, but the main reason that people noticed it is that it is by a National Review writer. Derb is effectively using our name to get more oxygen for views with which we’d never associate ourselves otherwise. So there has to be a parting of the ways. Derb has long danced around the line on these issues, but this column is so outlandish it constitutes a kind of letter of resignation.”

Unfortunately someone else will probably give him a job in no time.

What do you think about John Derbyshire’s column?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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  • Greenofbean

    I am white, and I was greatly saddened and angry when I read this article. I can’t say I’m really suprised that he found an audience and a place to publish this, but it’s still sad. It frustrates me to see so many people on here say they hate white/ hispanic people as well.

    I live in an area where there are a lot of racial tensions. It’s something that you can’t escape. All I can  do is make a personal commitment to not stoop to that level and not allow it to go unchecked when I see someone else do it,  that’s all I ask anyone else to do.
     

  • http://www.facebook.com/michelle.herder1 Michelle Herder

    I think they should stay their racist butts away because  if thats how they think then there not welcomed lol I live in a all white neighborhood and my neighbor calls the cops on me all the time and I have yet to hear the reason

  • CB

    people who say that we have moved on from Racism is wrong. Very Wrong. We  have NOT Moved ON at all.  I believe we should JUST face it Know the White Man does Not Like US. Instead of laughing and Clapping our hands with them. We face Racism everyday from young Children as well. And i mean young children. You begin to think as to when would it STOP if a young Children says such a thing or looks to you WEIRD. Its a CIRCLE We can’t STOP.

    • Jason Sneed

      We as black people must understand that most white people or non- black people feel this way whether they express this explicitly or implicitly. He is wrong for grouping all black people as antisocial criminals but there’s a small segment (roughly 3%)  of the black community were this assertion is totally true. Just think of the type of blacks that attend a Gucci Mane or Waka Flocka concert.

  • Nikkita Michelle

    He said:

    Do not settle in a district or municipality run by black politicians.

    Why hasn’t he moved out of the country? 

  • KM320

    That was just so hateful.  I can’t believe it…

  • Tajgxb

    I’m an RN and yes I have experienced white and non black hatred of my success and intelligence. People are ignorant. You are right they don’t want to teach our children. I live in a white area but I’m choosing to send my son to a black district because of what I feel is “racial bias”. I want to be taken seriously as a parent and not judged because of the color of my skin. I feel the white district won’t allow me and my son to have this. We have to teach our own and make sure they get good educations no matter what. I am pro black and I’m so over white and non black racism their just mad because we can compete with them now.

  • http://twitter.com/Afrodisiaq Ms. Stacey C

    The article is still on Taki’s website in what appears to be it’s entirety: http://takimag.com/article/the_talk_nonblack_version_john_derbyshire/print#axzz1rcs5Kf9r 

  • sexual

    I just have to laugh cause the more bad they say about black is the more stupid and dull they sound, so show who is superior in that regard.

  • http://www.facebook.com/tcoxwrites Terri Cox

    Again, another white journalist chooses to use his venue for evil rather than to use it as a teachable moment. 

    An unbiased writer, without an agenda would have spoken with parents to find out what “the talk” is all about.  Since the Trayvon Martin case exposed to white America the fact that we prepare our children; specifically, our boys, for the white world, they make it seem as though we sit them down and talk to them as we would about sex, when it’s nothing like that. I have a son. I started talking to my son as soon as I felt he could understand me without being biased or hateful himself. I needed to know that I could send him off to kindergarten and he would be able to differentiate when someone was being kind to him or if they were making him feel badly through words or treatment. Children should not have to worry about such things. They should only worry about fun, food and friends, but as parents we have to be realists and face the facts that our children don’t have that luxury.  We, and they have to be on guard – it could mean a case of life and death – like Trayvon, and all the Trayvon’s before him.We can be angry that John Derbyshire’s article was printed, but I think its important to know what people like him are up to, what they think of us. He may have lost this job, but there are so many media outlets who will see him as a hero and drop roses at his feet for his stance. All he did, in my eyes was look like an uninformed fool. His views were clearly clouded by hate. I find it hard to believe that he experienced all of the episodes he referenced, no one could be that unlucky. 

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  • Sandraemereonye

    the best thing is for we black people to be more unified and supportive of each other because in the long run united we stand and thats when we can grow, conquer and suceed in anything we do, my experience unfortunately i’ve have seen and experienced is that we people of color fight ourselves and other races laugh at us and do not take us seriously, sad!

  • RedButterfly81

    Okay, as if white people are any better. Known serial killers are white. Know child killers are white.

  • http://www.facebook.com/RosarioRed Rosario Stefania Scarsci

    Ugh, Whites can be so evil and disgusting. I have to learn how to forget about those pale faced buffoons.  I tolerate whites, but I do NOT like them or enjoy their company.

  • Smacks_hoes

    Face–> palm…ugh people why the hell is this news??? I hate when people say “it’s 2012 I can’t believe theres still racism..” lol come on now!!! There has been racism since the beginning of time!!! It will never ever end. There is always gonna be someone who will hates you. Get over it and quit whinning about it. Just live your life and quit worrying so much about what other people think of you. Jeez. This site needs to post more positivity. I come on here and it always ruins my good mood with these depressing articles. Lol

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