Black Men
Kevin A. Ross’ essay on “The Year of the Black Man” (Dec. 27) is so perverse that I had to read it twice to make sure he was serious. In a nutshell, his contention is that any publicity given black men, positive or horrendous, indicates “synergy is finally in the air” and that for “African Americans, particularly men, 1995 was the year to inhale it.”
To Ross, the black men and events that made ’95 such a great year included Mike Tyson (for getting out of jail?), Michael Jackson (for paying millions to settle a child abuse case?), Jesse Jackson (for becoming irrelevant?), Snoop Doggy Dog (for showing up for his murder trial?), “an 18-year-old who killed his cousin and her two little girls in a dispute over tire rims” and “the horrendous killing of a pregnant woman whose fetus was removed.”
By linking the black male to these images, Ross does what David Duke could only dream about.
CHRIS KOBIN
Burbank
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