Dancing with Bigotry: The Poisoning of Racial and Ethnic Identities

Abstract

By analyzing issues and messages in the mass media and recent news events, Lilia Bartolomé and Donaldo Macedo further the political discussion that problematizes the current discourse in education around ethnicity and race. The authors' discussion moves us beyond the monolithic constructs of Whiteness and "otherness" to recognize the complex interpenetrations and dynamics of ethnic and racial relations in the United States. In this article, the authors reveal how the politics of racism and division do not belong solely to extremist hate groups, but are an unacknowledged and potent part of mainstream American ideology, thought, and action. They provide examples of state and Congressional political figures and national mass media personalities to make their argument concrete.