Arza - Worth the Blogging?

Rick is puzzled and disappointed at the relative lack of coverage in Cuban-American blogs concerning Ralph Arza and his derogatory remark towards school superintendent Rudy Crew, who is black. The comments from several others to the above-linked post are also critical of lack of C-A bloggage.

For the record, I did make a brief post about Arza here.

Also for the record, in case anyone is wondering, this Cuban-American blogger thinks Arza is a useless jerk. He doesn't represent Cuban-Americans. He doesn't even represents the Hialeah street he played ball in. He just represents Ralph Arza.

That above paragraph should be obvious to all reasonably intelligent people. No explanation is required.

Apparently, state representative Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall isn't one of those people. No explanation is required here, either.

Why hasn't this story been covered more by C-A bloggers? I can't and won't speak for my fellow bloggers whom I respect greatly. I won't even venture a guess. Honestly, I wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to blog about a stupid local politician who happens to be Cuban-American refer to a high-profile black man as a n----r. Maybe there's such a deep and deserved disillusionment of all politicians these days, that comments such as the one Arza made illicit a mere shrug from most people. I don't know, that's just a hunch.

I will say (and ask) this: Why should any C-A, blogger, politician or otherwise, be expected to make a comment on Arza as some sort of an "official" Cuban-American reaction? Do C-A's have something to prove vis-a-vis race relations that I'm not aware of?

With all due respect, I think Rick and others are focusing too much on the lack of C-A Arza blogging. Comparing this to the Tom Fiedler "chihuahua" comment is flawed on several levels.

First of all, the dynamics and facts involved in each case are totally different. In reality, they are two totally different stories about two totally different things.

Secondly, if one is going to erroneously use the Fiedler case as a comparison, it would help if they were similarly indignant of Fiedler's comment. Instead, some Cuban-American bloggers were criticized for taking the chihuahua reference personally. I wasn't offended by Fiedler's remark, but I understood why some C-As felt offended. Similarly, I understand why blacks would be offended by Arza's comments.

Honestly, and this is just my personal opinion, I would have liked to have seen Rick deliver as strong a criticism of Bendross-Mindingall's irresponsible statement as he did towards the lack of C-A reaction to Arza.

Finally, and at the risk of falling into the flawed comparison trap myself, no one in the Cuban community demanded a wholesale "anglo" apology after the Fiedler incident. Therefore, why isn't Bendross-Mindingall being grilled for demanding one from the C-A community? To not give equal time and criticism to the representative implies a double standard, whether intentional or not.