1. First, I'm an African-American.

2. There's no such thing as "races" of people. Race is a fiction concocted by one group of people who wanted to justify what they were doing to another group...

Here's the point: We get all bent out of shape when we talk about race because we don't want to know our shared history. Is Dusty Baker right about choosing dark-skinned slaves? Was Jimmy the Greek right about slave breeding? John Rocker was condemned partially because condemnation subverts a deeper discussion about race and racism.

-- J. Farabee

Your point about John Rocker is (except for the fact that you use him as an example) a good one, and is basically the point I was trying to make in my column Tuesday, though I didn't come up with a sentence as graceful as yours. The reaction to Baker's comments has been a lot of clear-headed discussion. I've read several columns that patiently explained that, no, Africans weren't brought over as slaves because they could stand the heat, but for more complicated sociopolitical and economic reasons, and that Latinos, descended as they are from Asians who came across the Bering Strait, aren't necessarily "hot climate" peoples at all, historically. When a white guy makes ignorant comments like Baker's, he's fired, and there's a feeling of wiping off our hands and saying, "Whew! Glad we got rid of that racism!" Like you said, avoidance is the name of the game.

The reason I think Rocker's a bad example is that his comments were resoundingly hateful and hostile to a degree that none of the others mentioned in this discussion were. I don't have a problem with a swift condemnation of Rocker's brand of racism. The more subtle versions, it seems to me, are best fought through open discussion.

Your article on Dusty Baker lacks context in regards to the actions of people who harbor racists beliefs. If Baker acts on his abhorrent and ignorant beliefs and you see fewer white players on hot days, he sets himself up for more ridicule and scrutiny. In contrast to Baker, historical racist beliefs held by white people have been acted on and minorities have been denied opportunities justified by the beliefs.

-- Mitchell Jones

But what about when a comment is made by someone who has no record of denying anyone opportunities, or even has a good record on that score? Howard Cosell was torched after he called a black football player a "little monkey." It was an on-the-fly description of a quick little player. It was kind of dumb, but I have no doubt that Cosell, a champion of Muhammad Ali when white America hated him, would have used the same words to describe, say, David Eckstein.

Context is exactly what I'm calling for. Let's look at the whole person, not just one comment. Dusty Baker is, fortunately for him, for the Cubs, for everyone, getting that benefit of the doubt. Others should, too, even if they're melanin challenged.

There is a double standard, and there should be. Watch an hour of Comedy Central: Dave Chappelle is funny, Colin Quinn is offensive. Part of that is a visceral response to having a cultural history of persecution. Maybe not like the Jews, but still -- when a white guy talks about blacks (as a race) being "special," we do have that feeling of, "All right guys, it's over; no more riding in the front of the bus."

-- John "Mack" McCoy

That's a terrible and painful thing. I can't argue with it. In fact, just discussing this matter by e-mail with readers, some of whom identify themselves to me as black, I find myself worrying that I'll say the wrong thing to someone, that I'll slip up and say something offensive without meaning to. It's uncomfortable and stressful to talk about race in this country, which is a big problem if you believe, as I do, that everything in this country is about race.

That's why we demand immediate dismissal for those who say something out of line. It's so much easier than digging in and talking about racial issues. It's just not better.

I'll give the last word to reader Alice Singleton-Huber, who writes that she lives in Chicago but is not a fan of Baker or the Cubs because she hates baseball.

"As a black man, Dusty Baker is speaking from experience," she writes. "The birthplace of Man? We were there, dude! Heat and humidity is an acid test that people of African descent passed long ago. Too bad we can't figure a way to get that test on the SATs."

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