Missed point, indeed

Friends have taken this exchange with Kimo “instructive,” so this final rejoinder is for the on-readers as much as it is for us. Kimo can continue with what one of my colleagues described as a “diatribe.”

My initial reflection was about “my chill …” triggered by many things, not the least of which were the Obama speech at Grant Park and the immediate response of one of my students when I announced the results of the U.S. presidential election. I was describing certain events in my personal history that gave me this chill, and the note of foreboding over Obama’s safety and security.

Kimo keeps insisting that I implied and meant certain meanings that I do not recognize as my own. That he inferred them is a product of his context. He cannot seem to distinguish the two.

Here’s my commentary on the second paragraph of his claim that I missed his points: A couple of days ago, Vergara publicly shared an unfortunate (his inference, not mine) incident he had with one of his local SVES students. He partly wrote and I quote (nothing here is made up): “announced my delight over Obama’s election, one of my local students blurted out: the b—- n—–? I was stunned. It was a knee-jerk response of a child echoing something he learned from his home and culture.” (I decided not to spell out the racist (I never claimed it was a racist remark. Kimo inferred it. In fact, “the black nigger” is a phrase commonly used in rap music that students in my class hear in their iPods and contemporary CDs. In the Westside of Chicago where I spent some time, it is even a phrase of masculine pride. My narrative was about the chilling effect the term make on me, NOT A STATEMENT ABOUT THE VALUES OF MY STUDENT, or that of his home or culture!) It would indeed be interesting to learn how Veraga (this misspelling of my name has caused students to call me “Mr. Viagra,” previously reported in a story on Glimpses magazine, and picked up by the Governor, who uses it on those rare occasions when we bump into each other at a social function) arrived at the conclusion that the child’s remarks are attributed to the student’s upbringing and culture. (Home and culture have multiple meanings. The CNMI as home to me is just as valid as saying my home is a specific family and dwelling. Had Kimo inquired what I meant rather than assume I implied what he inferred, we might arrive at an understanding. That he did not bother to do so first—no judgment on the student’s upbringing was made—and even pause to guess what I might have meant, makes the next statement where he seems to take on the role of prosecuting attorney, jury and judge, understandable. In any case, there is neither a condemnation nor judgment made in the statement, nor was it implied. That Kimo inferred it is again for his own reasons rather than inherent in the statement.) I am certain that the parents of this kid would not appreciate Mr. Vergara’s knee-jerk assumption (the mother works with me and does not recall ever engaging Kimo to be his son’s defense attorney, nor as the culture’s sudden advocate!) and sudden rush to judgment. For one thing, this youth’s misguided (hardly misguided; more like a reflexive and habitual response with the impingement of American contemporary music into the island culture) remark does not merit this teacher’s unbecoming actions (hm-m-m-m) wherein the latter took it upon himself to selfishly or unfairly (duh!) use his young student for his own advantage. Call it calling a spade a spade. With that said, I believe that an apology from Vergara to his student, the parents of his student, and the CNMI locals is definitely in order. The CNMI is not a hub for racists! Ethnically or otherwise!

On the last third statement: OK. It is in order: I apologize for triggering Kimo’s irate experience of having someone seemingly step on his toes, ethnically or personally. That he experienced something like the bursting of a bubble, I would not be surprised. That I caused it, nah, some of our hurts are known to be self-inflicted.

On the last two exclamatories!! We are the United States where racial discrimination is the law. The CNMI Constitution allows only for people of indigenous descent to own real estate. I am politically liberal and I understand “affirmative action.” That the provision is temporary makes it bearable for some of us. Nevertheless, that is still pure and simple racism. So Kimo, get off the high horse of self-righteous indignation. We are constitutionally racist! Of the cultural kind, other indigenes have spoken more eloquently about it, with depth of regrets, than I can.