What many of us don't know is that Whitney never really profited from his Cotton Gin invention. The invention's design was soon made known to too many people and the device was simple enough to be readily copied by others.
In a way, what I have been saying about the "race" situation in the U.S.A. has been similar to Whitney's Cotton Gin. The General Principles of hypodescent have been known for years and I was one of the earlier "copiers", having been exposed to, both personally and indirectly, to the chief theorists (Marvin Harris and Conrad Kottak). In fact, Sociologist Robert Park (1864-1944) probably knew about as much as Harris and Kottak, in terms of the general principles of what passes for "race relations" in this country.
Furthermore, as time goes on, as we here at Interracial Voice practice our craft, as interracial marriages increase, as the population as a whole grows more and more "racially" sophisticated, and as more and more stories featuring the complexity of "race" make their way into the mainstream, whatever I would have to say about this stuff becomes less and less something that I can claim that I have the corner on (similar to Eli and his Cotton Gin).
To me this is a cause of celebration. Whatever loss of income or notoriety I suffer because of the proliferation of sound reasoning on "race" (which I can't profit directly on) I have long just chalked up to "the breaks". What is most important is that more and more people can be released from the yoke of racialist thinking, which is tantamount to releasing oneself from being an emotional cripple. This fact was brought home to me the other day, as one of my freshmen classes completed a survey in which nearly all (men and women) stated (anonymously) that they saw little problem with interracial ("black"/"white") marriages and relationships.
I am still asked to speak on "race". The principles which I have espoused may be more prevalent, but saying that they are not needed to be taught is like saying that, because Spanish grammar is available to all, there is no need to teach it.
Charles, A.D., Frank, Beth, Susanne, Liam, George, Emily, myself and others still have a useful function to perform -- even though the "invention" has been out there for a while now.
William Javier Nelson, Ph.D.
We all know what Eli Whitney is famous for inventing: Interchangeable Parts for Rifles (well he was!). Seriously folks, Eli Whitney was famous for inventing the Cotton Gin, an invention which, as much as any other, certainly helped the Ante Bellum Cotton Kingdom (with all its resultant racism) along.
Also of interest by William Javier Nelson:
The Distortion of being a Minority in the U.S.A.
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