General Discussion

In some Southern states, to be allowed to vote, voters were made to pass a literacy test. One legend has it that whites were shown a local rag with an some innocuous headline saying like "rain expected tomorrow." Blacks were handed a newspaper in Chinese. One election day, some black dude walks into the polling place, and is told that he has to pass a literacy test, so he says, fine, go ahead. He is given the Chinese newspaper and asked if he can read the headline, and he says, "sure, I can read that." The incredulous poll worker asks, "you can read that?" The guy says sure, he can read that. "What does it say?" asks the poll worker. The black dude says, "it says that here is one black guy who won't be allowed to vote this year."