Read the article titled “Can Blacks Be Racist?” written by a columnist Leonard Jr. Pitts (You can find the article posted under Content tab). He discusses and challenges current assumptions about racism held by many in the academic community.
In his article, Pitts makes the following comment:
“My take on the ‘blacks can’t be racist’ argument: Unassailable logic, unfortunate rhetoric.”
“People who make that argument reason as follows: Yes, blacks can be prejudiced or bigoted, but not ‘racist’ because racism involves systemic oppression—the wielding of power. As blacks neither wield power nor control the system, the reasoning goes, it’s beyond their ability to be racist.”
Topic 1-Questions: Can you phrase his commentary as a deductive argument? What point is Pitts making in this column about the difference between black and white bigotry? Do you agree with his argument? Why or why not?
Topic 2: Inductive Arguments
Question A: People seem so used to seeing that headlines “spun” the narrative in a way that distorts the reality of the statistical findings. But it is important to think critically when reading news articles, whether on the internet or in print. Find a headline or in a newspaper that distort the truth in a similar way. Explain why you believe the headline distorts reality. And then correct the distortions in the headline you pick.
Sample Solution
