http://www.boulderweekly.com/by-author-674-1.html For those who don't know, Ward Churchill is a nationally-known and controversial pundit. He was also a professor at the U. of Colorado at Boulder. His new article, linked above, condemns the self-righteous whites of Boulder (which is 94% white) as they embrace multiculturalism (in theory) while simultaneously acting in ways that ensure minorities stay as far away as possible. This is a very troubling issue and I'd like to know what you guys think about it. Here's my take: Living in Boulder myself, I can't help but confirm what he says, as there's an obvious split between the philosophy of Boulderites and the racial makeup of the city. Ward, and many others, blame this on the citizens of Boulder, which I'm hesitant to do. I mean, there are plenty of ghettos in the US that are as black as Boulder is white - would Ward go there and blame them for "excluding" whites? Would he go to Ghana and complain about their lack of multiculturalism? I wouldn't move to an Oakland ghetto, not because the residents there wouldn't accept me, but because there's little there for me. I moved here for the mountains, sunshine, snowboarding, microbrews, bicycle-friendliness, and other "white" things. Can I help that I enjoy things that a lot of other white people enjoy? And someone from that same ghetto wouldn't really fit in in Boulder either, even if they could afford to live here. I have a black roomate and everyone here loves him! Strangers buy him drinks and he's totally well-received here. Boulder is not racist, it's just a hub for certain activities and a certain mindset that white people, in general, enjoy, while minorities generally do not. Of course its also true that it's very expensive to live here, but hey, I came here with nothing and I still have nothing, and I still love it here. my $.02
Meh. At this point in your life all you can do is be nice to people, follow your joy and quit worrying about what generally pissed off people think of you. anyone can write a rant that doesn't zero in on the entirity of a skin color. Enjoy being broke and happy. It's a rare accomplisent.
