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Upon reading the headline of the article below I was caught hook line and sinker, and knew I had to finish it. This is yet another classic example of white people being able to shout from the rooftops, without a care in the world, what is on their mind. There is no need to THINK, because white people are generally immune to being reprimanded.
Oh how it bugs me to discover one example after another of how a “LIBERAL” in power can be so mindless, rude and utterly racist. Another person that comes to mind is Ralph Nader who attacked Democrats for not being allowed on the ballot in the states of Georgia and Virginia. What is worse, there are only a handful of sites that have any information about the statement and none of them are mainstream.
Then there is the comedian Michael Richards, check out what he said at the Laugh Factory in LA. This list is so long that it would be impossibly to list all the people, especially white, who have made such offensive and hurtful remarks. And then, you have Senator John McCain and his remark towards his Vietnamese captors who held him for years, during yet another war that we started in vain. His statement was felt across the nation, yet did not receive enough attention because statements and words used to suppress someone of African decent have far more reach and press coverage than those similarly used to suppress people of color such as someone of Asian decent. Reinforcing the idea of how it’s still only a black/white issue creates further problems in tackling racism head on. Yes, this is nothing new to many, yet I cannot help but try to pipe up when something like that takes place. While this is the reality in this country, what may be more disturbing is that many people would deride me as being overly sensitive and some may go as far to say that I am too politically correct. Right and respecting another person is the wrong thing to do? Since when?!
I for one take an active approach in helping to bring about awareness to both overt and subtle racism wherever it may be. Just this weekend my little sister, our mom, and I had a discussion about the portrayal of American Indians (the original Americans) usually by whites in early television, cartoons, comic strips, and movies (some of which still persists to this day), and we even went into detail on the subject of black-face and how that was likewise used and was especially demeaning toward people of African decent in all four of the previously mentioned outlets. When asked what my little sister thought about such portrayals by whites, she agreed that it was not right. But, that is only one small step in the long grueling process of bringing about awareness and seeking out more allies. As a white male, of European decent, I will continue to stand for what I believe in, no matter what. Whether that be in a discussion with my family and friends, through dialogues at work, or a conversation with a stranger that I deem worth my time. I too recognize that I’m no saint, I am constantly checking in with myself on thoughts I may have when walking past someone different than me or how I react in a situation where I am in the minority. Every little step is necessary and needed.
Side note: Rather interesting to see the comments at the end of the article and how people vote on whether they agree with the post’s statement.
Oh, if only there was programing as diverse as Sesame Street in the rest of main stream entertainment. It would be fascinating to see what impact that would have on the population. Not that it’s a silver bullet, but more of a silver pellet.
White privilege can be recognized and worked on. This paper, by Robert Jensen who is a Professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas, is one of my favorites on the topic.
Anyone can become an ally today, and this link has something for everyone.
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Obama campaign
calls on Clinton
to denounce
remarks by
Geraldine Ferraro
By ANN SANNER , Associated Press
Last update: March 11, 2008 – 2:02 PM
WASHINGTON – The first female vice presidential candidate and a fundraiser for Hillary Rodham Clinton suggested Democrat Barack Obama only achieved his status in the presidential campaign because he’s black. The Obama campaign called on Clinton Tuesday to denounce the comments.”If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position,” Geraldine Ferraro told the Daily Breeze of Torrance, Calif., in an interview published last Friday. “And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.”Ferraro is a former New York congresswoman and was former Vice President Walter Mondale’s running mate when he was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1984. She has endorsed Clinton and has been a fundraiser for her campaign.Obama senior adviser David Axelrod said Ferraro should be removed from her position with the Clinton campaign because of her comments.”The bottom-line is this, when you wink and nod at offensive statements, you’re really sending a signal to your supporters that anything goes,” Axelrod said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.”There’s no other way to send a serious signal that you want to police the tone of this campaign,” he added. “And if you don’t do those things then you are simply adding to the growing compendium of evidence that you really are encouraging that.”Ferraro also said Obama has it easy because of a “very sexist media.”"I think what America feels about a woman becoming president takes a very secondary place to Obama’s campaign — to a kind of campaign that it would be hard for anyone to run against,” she said. “For one thing, you have the press, which has been uniquely hard on her. It’s been a very sexist media. Some just don’t like her. The others have gotten caught up in the Obama campaign.”Last week, a former adviser to Obama resigned after calling Clinton “a monster.”
Comment on this story
Typical comment by someone behind Clinton. Obamba has a lot more going for him than Clinton does, even though she thinks otherwise.
posted by Jeanylitalo on Mar 11, 08 at 1:45 pm |
OBAMA
You may not like it but she’s right
posted by mrk_ptmn29 on Mar 11, 08 at 2:02 pm |
jbd
I used to like Ms Ferraro, but now have my doubts. How can she say something so stupid for being such a smart person…… I would love to see a person of color in the White House, and really don’t care if it is a he or a she. The country is ready for it!
posted by tldelebo on Mar 11, 08 at 2:02 pm |
More Clinton Spin & Whining
Let’s get this straight – Obama has it easy because he happens to be black, but Hillary has it harder (cue – teary eyed, “It’s soooo hard) because she happens to be a woman. Obama is in front because Obama is the most preferred candidate. Hillary is in 2nd place beacuse she is the less preferred candidate. Let’s quit the offensive race-card statements Clintonistas!
posted by dleits on Mar 11, 08 at 2:07 pm |
OBAMA IS DESTROYING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Grab a bag of popcorn and watch the Democratic party, an affiliation of small groups of this and that across america with nothing in common other than they use each other at election time, destroy itself as a result of these wacky afffiliations!
posted by mark1952 on Mar 12, 08 at 5:25 pm |
8,000 PEOPLE IN TEXAS STILL COUNTING DEM VOTES
AND YOU WANT THESE PEOPLE TO RUN OUR HEALTH CARE?
posted by mark1952 on Mar 12, 08 at 5:25 pm |
Interesting
I have never been a fan of Ferraro, but her resigning, rather than apologizing (assuming that she meant what she said), is what a person of integrity does. She did NOT mean, of course, that being a black person is generally an advantage in running for political office – that’s simply not true and obviously never has been. But in THIS particular situation – given that Obama is a U.S. Senator and is a good speaker, it is an advantage for HIM. There is no question about that. If you transferred his qualifications to a white person, there’s no way they’d be a serious candidate. On the other hand, it’s also probably true that if you transferred Hillary’s qualifications to a man, that man would probably not be a serious candidate for President.
posted by HenryRhett on Mar 12, 08 at 5:55 pm |
Lets get to what she’s REALLY saying. Obama did not just come upon the scene 2 or 3 months ago…he was a featured speaker at the 2004 convention. For more than a few years, Dems have been trying to groom him as their superstar of the future (of course the future is coming too soon for some). Notice the word she uses to describe her ’similar’ situation in 1984…she doesn’t say she sought out the VP nomination, she was “chosen”. What she’s really saying is more of an indictment on the Democrats themselves than Obama–that he is where he is because he was “chosen” to be a superstar of the Democrat party…that, like she apparently feels is the case with herself in ‘84, he is not much more than a token. That is where the public outrage should be, and that is where her own outrage should be, instead of trying to act like she’s somehow the victim now.
posted by ollie3 on Mar 12, 08 at 6:16 pm |
ENJOYING CHANGE?
How Are You Enjoying the Change?March 12th, 2008 12:43 pmA little over a year ago: 1. Consumer confidence stood at a 5-year high;2. Regular gasoline averaged under $2.30 a gallon;3. The unemployment rate was down to 4.4%.4. Americans were enjoying historically-high home equity.Since voting in a Democrat Congress in 2006 we have seen: 1. Consumer confidence plummet;2. The cost of regular gasoline soar to over $3.25 a gallon;3. Unemployment rise to 4.8% (a 9% increase);4. American home equity hit the lowest point in six decades; America voted for change in 2006… and change is what we got!
posted by mark1952 on Mar 12, 08 at 6:49 pm |
Obama condemns
pastor’s divisive
remarks while
addressing
America’s legacy of
racial division
By NEDRA PICKLER and MATT APUZZO , Associated Press
Last update: March 18, 2008 – 10:49 AM
PHILADELPHIA – Democratic Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday tried to stem damage from divisive comments delivered by his pastor, while bluntly addressing anger between blacks and whites in the most racially pointed speech yet of his presidential campaign.Obama confronted America’s legacy of racial division head on, tackling black grievance, white resentment and the uproar over his former pastor’s incendiary statements. Drawing on his half-black, half-white roots as no other presidential hopeful could, Obama asserted: “This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected.
Obama expressed understanding of the passions on both sides in what he called “a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years.”"But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races,” he said in a speech at the National Constitution Center, not far from where the Declaration of Independence was adopted.Obama rarely talks so openly about his race in such a prominent way, but his speech covered divisions from slavery to the O.J. Simpson trial to the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina. He also recognized his race has been a major issue in the campaign that has taken a “particularly divisive turn” in the last few weeks as video of his longtime pastor spread on the Internet and on television.Obama said the sermons delivered by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright “rightly offend white and black alike.” Those sermons from years ago suggested the United States brought the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on itself and say blacks continue to be mistreated by whites.While Obama rejected what Wright said, he also embraced the man who inspired his Christian faith, officiated at his wedding, baptized his daughters and has been his spiritual guide for nearly 20 years.”I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community,” Obama said, speaking in front of eight American flags. “I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother — a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.”Obama said he knew Wright to occasionally be a fierce critic of U.S. policy and that the pastor sometimes made controversially remarks in church that he disagreed with, but he said he never heard Wright talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms. The comments that have become a source of debate recently “were not only wrong but divisive” and have raised questions among voters, he said.
“I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and YouTube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way,” he said. “But the truth is, that isn’t all that I know of the man.”
He said he came to Wright’s church because he was inspired by Wright’s message of hope and his inspiration to rebuild the black community.
Obama said Wright’s comments have sparked a discussion that reflect complexities of race in the United States that its people have never really resolved.
“We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country,” Obama said. “But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.”
Obama said anger over those injustices often find voice in black churches on Sunday mornings. “The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright’s sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning,” he said.
Obama argued that the anger often distracts from solving real problems and bringing change. But he said it also exists in some segments of the white community that feels blacks are often given an unfair advantage through affirmative action.
“If we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American,” Obama said, drawing a rare burst of applause in a somber address.
Obama said one of the tasks of his campaign to be the first black president is “to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America.”
___
On the Net:
http://www.barackobama.com
Comment on this story |
Prejudice
African Americans are not the only people who have sufferered prejudice. In fact, as a young child growing up on the south side of Chicago I was beaten up everyday because I was white. I suffered prejudice at the hands of African Americans. Do I keep talking about it? No I live my life and have moved on. I have black friends too. Get over it people.
posted by Elizabetham on Mar 18, 08 at 11:07 am |
In all due fairness…
In all due fairness, I think that Obama did set the record straight. I am no fan of his, (or Hilary’s for that matter) but Obama did seperate the political opinions from his spiritual mentor. I see this often. A clergy may have his/her viewpoints that are different from many members of the congregation. What unites them is the Kingdom of Heaven more so than the kingdoms (politics) of this world. Pastor Wright needs to realize his priority is to “preach the Word, administer the Sacraments, and get people into a right relationship with Christ.” It is easy to go off into tangents on direction or another. I hope that the issues are the basis of voting for a particular candidate, not race or who the candidate’s pastor is—enough of my soapbox!
posted by revtodd1 on Mar 18, 08 at 11:08 am |
Can we move on?
I think this was a home run speech. He did a great job of laying race struggles in the 21st century on the table and challenging us to move on.He did this by rejecting both the hateful things that Rev. Wright has said, and the hateful things his white grandmother said, but holding no malice towards them for their sins.That is admirable. I hope that we can all begin to move beyond the sins of the past to a new a more perfect future.
posted by freedin on Mar 18, 08 at 11:08 am |
Stribs bad poll
did Obama speech change your mind? There are more than two possibilities here. Was for now against, was for still am, was against now for, was against still against.
posted by russ999 on Mar 18, 08 at 11:18 am |
Do you feel bad about Slavery
Jesse, Al. Keith, Barrack, Koffe,do you really feel bad about slavery and the poor black man ?Why don’t you stop the slavery taking place today in the Sudan ? Oh thats right. Then you would have to focus on the now. What a bunch of whining hippocrates. Do you want some Cheese with you wine ?
posted by NoJiveClive on Mar 18, 08 at 11:23 am |
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In the last few months I’ve made a killer rhubarb pie, a couple kinds of cupcakes, Indian, Korean, Thai, and Chinese cuisine, to name a few, all vegan style of course!
Away and then here to stay, for now.
The past couple of months have brought with a huge helping of change to my plate. Some good, some a tad lame and the rest normal background noise.
Lame first.
Since summer, okay that is further back then what I just referenced above, but stay focused and go with me on this one, two friends have come and gone. Not that they passed on, we’re simple not friends anymore. Misunderstandings came up that they couldn’t move past, of course me being who I am I refused at first in my libran logic to let these relationships die, and instead tried to salvage them. Which now, I equate to the impossible feat of raising the Titanic from its frigid watery grave of the north Atlantic. Some things are better left alone and viewed now and then for what they were. Braving those depths has become too difficult for me and my sanity refuses to allow me to search for treasures that could rectify friendships that have become barely “aquaintenceships”. I will not begin or participate in mud slinging, for people forget that turmeric is a main ingredient whose stain never washes clear of your clothing, but rather it slowly fades, leaving behind a reminder of what a waste of time it was to engage in the act. Already I have scars, why do I need the addition of stained clothing, too?!
Background noise.
Ever expect to wake up in another world and then are reminded of your reality? Well, I still feel as though I’m adjusting to a 9 to 5 work week. Add to that two part time positions to facilitate my favorite habit, traveling, then minor headaches and hiccups become typical symptoms. 7 days a week I rise to number crunch, dish out prepared salads and/or photograph tipsy bar/club patrons. I admit the variety keeps me going, as do my hilarious and intelligent co workers. Nate time is rare, but I read from one of my dozen books in progress or experiment with a new recipe. How problematic this existence can be, consuming me with dull serrated teeth, there seem to be a few ways out. Three things that come to mind include these: Quit two jobs and cut traveling to a minimum, go back to school as I’ve been toying with for a couple years now or change careers.
The Good.
A friend visited back in December for a week and it was a great chance to reconnect. As with when you listen to a favorite song, there is bound to be something which continues to pull you in. Whether that be a bow running along a violin’s string, a sharp or even a flat key change, fancy finger work on a guitar, a fine electronic mix or a voice that is so full and beyond compare. At least, these are the the attributes that reel me in. As if life couldn’t get any better, I boarded a plan to Hawai’i for two weeks. Relaxation and excitement was easy to stumble over around every corner, whether I was biking 200 miles in a week with a group of 29, surfing a few meters above rocks and coral, attempting to sample 50 local fresh fruit (many right off the tree or vine), strolling through a caldera with steam vents all about or counting down the New Year with a friend before a fireworks display, these were a handful of a thousand things I could have done. Challenges were ever present that I was happy to face. And while my adventures provided a whole new set of ways to end up in the hospital, I came out with only a few scratches and bruises. Washington D.C. was another trip that registers on the unbelievable chart. From walking by will.i.am and then later Beyonce (when no one but my friends and me recognized them), standing in a crowd less then a soccer ball field distance from our next president and attending an official ball where I stood several meters from President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, to sight seeing, reconnecting with friends and trying the best vegan food the area had to offer, I am still reeling at what history in the making I experienced in the briefest of time.
Back home, I have renewed bonds with friends and family. And now, in a new routine, I try to shake those labels off my day’s events and see these instead as happenings throughout the rest of my life, instead of stumbling blocks holding me back. What good is a pie of crust without the filling? Exactly. Some of you might see it the other way around, yet to me the crust is the most delicious part. The initial bite of texture, the crumble and then finally the filling’s sweetness hits me and I continue the cycle.
Filed under: All things are usually not considered, are they?, Travel where the wind blows., Where random comments and thoughts reside. | 2 Comments »