In the Friday section (Jan. 21), there is coverage of Achy Obejas’ visit to a nightclub called Drink.
In the very first sentence, she uses the phrase, “. . .a weak white imitation of Barry White. . ..” Was this an attempt to draw a possible future contrast with a “weak black imitation” or a “weak Latino imitation?” Does she hold out the possibility that there could be a “strong white imitation” of Barry White?
Barry White is a hard act to follow. No one-white, black or Latino-can mimic that voice, and no one who wishes to retain his performance credibility would even try.
Is there a richly nuanced reportorial style here with which I am not familiar, or is Obejas resorting to racial stereotypes to make a point? Obejas should be cautioned that it is not nice to use racial color to color one’s reporting-so to speak.
