Part One:
We speak with Royal Ford, who was, for decades, the national reporter for The Boston Globe. His writing included “car culture.” Ford is now retired and living in Portugal.
We discuss the developing story of how NASCAR’s stated views on racial issues have changed in light of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The only African-American NASCAR driver, Bubba Wallace, spoke out strongly against police violence and in support of Black Lives Matter and the protesters. Because confederate flags have been omnipresent at NASCAR events for years, after Wallace called on NASCAR to prohibit them, other drivers vociferously opposed him.
And then a noose was found hanging in Wallace’s garage. To their great credit, the biggest names in NASCAR – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Richard Petty – and many other drivers stood up in support of Wallace and against racism. Even this most conservative sports institution known as NASCAR also joined on the side of justice: they banned the flying of confederate flags at all NASCAR events and properties.
Part Two:
Our guest is Dave Andersen, professor of U.S. politics at the Univ. of Durham (England), formerly a professor at Iowa State Univ. We talk about the view of the US from 30,00 feet – or at least from across “the pond.” It’s striking how differently we can view our own country, when put into perspective by another culture, another continent, another set of issues/conflicts/histories.
The British seem much less adversarial, less hostile than many Americans (in politics and otherwise). They may not have conquered all their racist and colonial-privileged feelings, on a personal level. But at least they’re open enough to talk about them, to consider the possibility that they may have committed some oppressive acts upon their “subjects” (and others) during the long reign of the British Empire. And the British even appear to have begun to take action to address their national sins, to repair some of the damages that their history has imposed on other people. Now if only the US could do the same!
