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James Ledbetter and Katharine Mieszkowski

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Racist Neighbors; Gingrich Family Values

By James Ledbetter
Posted Thursday, Aug. 12, 1999, at 2:55 PM ET

Katharine,

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Good questions all.

I had a similar reaction to the quotes from the guy's neighbors and acquaintances. Although there were some of the garden-variety "He seemed like such a nice guy," more were along the lines of: "Oh yeah, Buford, he's a really virulent racist." I don't count among any of my acquaintances people who openly espouse hatred for entire races or ethnicities. If someone I cared about did, I think I would try to change his or her mind, and if that didn't work, they'd be off my list.

Please understand: I'm not saying that my world is typical. As a member of the urban media elite, I live in a kind of protected bubble. I also know that bigotry runs deep and weird in almost all of us, and of course I've been around people whose ignorance and insensitivities have made me uncomfortable or angry.

But still: Is it the common American experience to know someone reasonably well who's a race-hater? Do people often say, "My friend believes in the intrinsic inferiority of the lower orders, but he's a really fun guy"? This isn't to suggest that there's any obligation--as you say about the mental health profession--to intervene against people who hold racist beliefs. I'm more fascinated by the process through which people explain these things to themselves.

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One more tidbit for the day: The supermarket tabloid the Star is reporting that Newt Gingrich, who recently filed for divorce from his second wife, has been conducting an affair for at least three years with Callista Bisek, a congressional staffer 23 years his junior. A priceless moment in the New York Post's account: "Congressional sources said Bisek, a 5-foot-8 blonde, was not responsible for the breakup. 'His marriage was a mess beforehand,' one Republican source said." Thanks for telling us now--whatever happened to family values?

Assuming this stuff is true, can you fathom the chutzpah of a guy who led the charge against Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky--at one point saying the relationship showed that the president is a misogynist--while he was carrying on in a very similar fashion himself? God, I miss Gingrich.

Best,
Jim