Whites Oppressed Printed in the Eugene Weekly in July, 2001.       How dare you Alan Pittman? How dare you! The word "honky" is absolutely and unequivocally inappropriate; and Mr. Pittman's use thereof makes me question his sanity.      Are you so blind, Mr. Pittman, that you do not see the myriad ways in which whites are oppressed and disenfranchised by our racist society? And do you not see that this racism is supported by every institution which has power and influence over our lives; from the justice system, to the media, to the schools, to professional and political establishments and beyond?      Have you such a short attention span that you've forgotten that in this glorious country whites were once bought and sold as a class of slaves? Have you forgotten the fact that, while whites use drugs at about the same rates as non-whites, they are about five times as likely to be arrested for drug offenses? Do you not know, Mr. Pittman, that while at least it's no longer legal, whites still are being lynched because of the color of their skin? Or how about the fact that whites are twice as likely to live below the poverty line, and half as likely to get a degree when compared to non-whites?      The word honky is not "just a word," it is a hostile affirmation that whites are inferior, and that all of the injustices against them are appropriate and deserved. Please be more careful next time you throw around a racial epithet, thinking it's just as benign as the word "nigger."