Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!lll-crg!nike!ucbcad!ucbvax!cdx39.UUCP!jc
From: jc@cdx39.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.legal
Subject: Re: BITNET mail follows
Message-ID: <8609042253.AA68944315@rclex.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 4-Sep-86 18:53:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: rclex.8609042253.AA68944315
Posted: Thu Sep  4 18:53:55 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Sep-86 23:01:08 EDT
References: <8608221108.aa08700@SEM.BRL.ARPA>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 29
Approved: info-law@brl.arpa

>    Easy to say  for a white anglo-saxon  protestant you say?
> Perhaps,  but WASPs are,  in fact,   the ruling class of our
> oligarchical society.  End of story.

Our oligarchy isn't quite as uniform and seamless as some would 
have us believe.  Here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the
dominant names are mostly Irish and Italian.  But things are 
changing; both the candidates for governor have Greek names.
Granted, the centuries-old money is in WASP hands.  But there's
lots of decades-old money in slightly darker hands.  

True, there is lots of prejudice against middle-easterners.
But the major frictions around here currently are with the
Cambodian and Vietnamese immigrants, and with the older
Chinese population.  Members of these groups are being
attacked and beaten, and the courts are shrugging it off.
As for the cops, well, sometimes they are the attackers.

On the other hand, if there were a big news story like the
Iranian hostages, there is little doubt that local bullies
would use it as an excuse to beat the #$@#$ out of a few
people with Arabic-sounding names.  

Yes, I know that Iran is not an Arab country.  So?  Around 
here, the large Armenian population got a lot of the blame 
for the hostages' troubles.  When people are looking for 
victims to harass, they rarely go to the trouble of making 
such fine distinctions.  Look at all the nuts that blamed 
the Jews for OPEC's price increases a decade ago.