Pulling Wings off Flies

This curious letter in today's Star & Sickle...

PEEBLES' FUTURE
We needed her
I'm saddened, yet not surprised, at the general reaction to Minneapolis schools Superintendent Thandiwe Peebles ("Peebles could be on her way out," Jan. 21). What could be more intimidating to Minnesotans than a strong, outspoken, black woman in a position of power?
Wasn't she hired to "shake things up"? She had a well-known record for doing just that, with great success. Wasn't she described as a "pistol" during her interviews? Should we be surprised that she has set off sparks and intimidated those whom she is trying to motivate for change?
Let's give her a chance to do what we hired her to do. We absolutely did not hire her to maintain the status quo.
ANDREA ZIBBLE, MINNEAPOLIS

No Andrea, Minnesotans are not racists, sexists or idiots. You, however are a fool. Are you truly suggesting that any questions about T.P the Super can only be based in bigotry? Do you mean to tell me that all her ideas, opinions, notions, suggestions, tropes, phrases, anecdotes, jokes, goshes and guffaws are outside the bounds of, "I wonder if that's a good idea?" Or do you mean that all her ideas, guffaws, nodes, winks, thinks, sayings, smiles, jeers and feel-good hummings have nothing about them which could possibly be mistaken? Wrong? Lacking stature? Out of their depths? If the latter is so, then why? Blacknesses and Womyn-ness? Skin color and sex give ideas a free ride, eh? (And yes, sex, not gender. Words have gender. People possess a sex.) Because if that is what you mean, sex and skin color determine value, quality, virtue, character, or the rigor of an idea, not only are you a fool, you are a bigot. Of course, you mean well.