American cultural institutions seem so bent on preserving the values of "Western civilization," the mythical "Whitetown," that welearn about one another's cultures the same way we learn about sex: in the streets. Ishmael Reed More Quotes by Ishmael Reed More Quotes From Ishmael Reed I've always wondered why European politicians as a group seemed brighter than American politicians as a group. Maybe it's becausemany American politicians have the race issue to fall back on. They become lazy, suspicious of innovative ideas, and as a result American institutions atrophy. Ishmael Reed race ideas fall I finally had to go to the American Civil Liberties Union here in northern California to get my reply published to what I considered to be a hatchet job done by Stanley Crouch. Ishmael Reed california hippie jobs Tea Party members go to meetings on Medicare scooters. Ishmael Reed scooters party tea I'm sure that you could go back and make a graph showing that all the killings of black males increased in times of economic difficulty. As a matter of fact, a black man was lynched last year. Ishmael Reed black men years Free enterprise is not a bad idea and has produced art. Ishmael Reed enterprise ideas art Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab, as long as my literary legs hold up. Ishmael Reed writing long thinking