Race Read Free Page A

Is she a poor girl? . . .
    HENRY : If she’s not, she’ll look like one the D.A. puts her on the stand . . .
    SUSAN : “He ripped off my red dress.”
    HENRY : . . . he’ll put her up there in a fucking cotton sack.
    JACK : What did you make of him?
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    SUSAN : I thought . . . HENRY : I’ll tell you what I thought.
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    SUSAN : No, go ahead.
    JACK : No, you. I want to hear what you think.
    SUSAN : I thought. Here’s a fellow, “charismatic,” as they say . . .
    JACK : . . . charismatic . . .
    SUSAN : . . . part of his charisma is his reticence.
    HENRY : . . . oh my.
    SUSAN : Which we may interpret as reserve, or manners .
    HENRY : Or standoffishness.
    JACK : Which is to say “money.”
    SUSAN : Or, yes, or we might say “intelligence”? Or quote “natural grace,” because nobody’s going to come out and admit that they’re awed by his money.
    HENRY : Well, yeah. But that’s the problem with the jury.
    SUSAN : Which is?
    HENRY : Whatever he did, they’re going to hate him.

    SUSAN : Sure.
    HENRY : Sure why? Because he’s white?
    SUSAN : You bet.
    HENRY : Well—that’s the face of the case you can’t change.
    JACK : He flirt with you? He flirted with you, didn’t he?
    SUSAN : Did he flirt with me, I suppose he did.
    HENRY : What’d he do?
    SUSAN : He, I don’t know . . .
    HENRY : Oh, yes, the little ways “women ‘just know’ when a man is interested in her . . .”
    SUSAN : That’s right.
    HENRY : And was he interested in you?
    SUSAN : He flirted with me.
    HENRY : Yes, deniably.
    SUSAN : Well, that’s the essence of the act.
    (Pause.)
    JACK : And so your first impression was . . . ?
    SUSAN : I disliked him.
    HENRY : Why?
    SUSAN : He has a wedding ring.
    JACK : That make him guilty of rape?
    SUSAN : I think he is guilty.
    HENRY : You know that he raped the girl?
    SUSAN : He acts guilty.
    JACK : How does a guilty man act?
    HENRY (To Susan) : Get Kelley’s office. Get his guy on the phone, you have the list.
    (Susan starts to exit.)
    JACK (To Henry) : Hold on. (To Susan) How does a guilty man act? (To Henry) Hank, what’s he doing out there? He got his head in his hands or is he puffing up all righteous?
    HENRY : Well let’s go see.
    (Henry exits.)

    JACK (To Susan) : How does a guilty man act?
    SUSAN : In this instance?
    JACK : Yes.
    SUSAN : Accused of raping a black woman, he encounters a black woman, who knows of the accusation. Who is there to defend him, and he flirts with her. What is that ?
    JACK : You tell me .
    SUSAN : A desire for punishment. He wants to be punished.
    JACK : Why?
    SUSAN : To be readmitted to the group.
    JACK : Why has he been expelled?
    SUSAN : Because he’s guilty.
    JACK : Of rape?
    SUSAN : Independent of rape.
    JACK : What’s he guilty of?
    SUSAN : In effect: the norm which he has violated is: he has been caught in the appearance of a Racial Impropriety. Which would force those who would judge him. Into an intolerable position.
    JACK : Tell me.
    SUSAN : Whites would think to find him innocent is racism. Blacks would think that to do so is treason.
    JACK : Do you think he raped her?
    SUSAN : Do you ?
    JACK : I want to know what you think.
    SUSAN : Why? Because I’m black?
    JACK : Sure. And, “women,” alright, know things no man knows. You look at a man, across a room, you know. What his intentions are.
    SUSAN : That’s right.
    JACK : Ah, so I’m smarter than you thought.
    SUSAN : You sure?
    JACK : I’ll prove it to you. Blacks. Know things no white man knows.
    SUSAN : Tell me one thing.
    JACK : That the whites will screw you. Any chance we get. We cannot help ourselves.
    SUSAN : Now tell me why.

    JACK : Because we know you hate us.
    (Pause.)
    SUSAN : How do we get him out of it?
    JACK : Is that what we want?
    (Pause.)
    SUSAN : Yes.
    JACK : Are you sure?
    SUSAN : Yes.
    JACK : And if we lose?
    SUSAN : Are you used to