Racism? Really?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/15/carter.obama/index.html

I think Jimmy Carter is acting like an ass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/15/carter.obama/index.html

I think Jimmy Carter is acting like an ass.

I think he's spot on.

[Anonymous]

I can't stand Obama and I can honestly tell you that it has nothing to do with race. If anything, race is the one thing I think is good about him being president. Believe what you want.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:why do liberals see EVERYTHING as affected by race?

Yesterday a couple of bullies on a bus in a small town in Illinois punched out another kid. It became a national news story with immediate accusations of a connection to race. But, guess what? It wasn't liberals making that argument. Because the bullies were black and the victim was white, Drudge ran this headline:

"White Student Beaten on School Bus; Crowd Cheers."

Rush Limbaugh said:

"It's Obama's America, is it not? Obama's America, white kids getting beat up on school buses now.

Michell Malkin headlined her article (connecting this to Obama and the beer summit):

"A teachable moment: Racial thuggery in St. Louis"

Liberals don't see everything as affected by race. Yet, we can't deny when there are clear connections. When a Congressman who is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and who was "one of only seven Republicans to go against their own party and vote to keep the Dixie Rebel flag flying over the South Carolina capitol" shows unprecedented disrespect to our first black President, it is correct to consider a racial component to his action.

Conservatives also leap to highlight racial connections, as the bus story illustrates. But, conservatives also take an additional stop of linking such actions to Obama. Why is that conservatives now hold Obama responsible for the actions of all black Americans everywhere? What does a bus incident in rural Illinois have to do with Obama? Just because Obama is black, he must now answer for the actions of black teenagers throughout the country? Do you really think that Obama would have been asked about Kanye West if the two of them were not black? I mean, is Obama known to be a avid hip hop fan or to be especially interested in the VMA awards? What other connection does he have to the incident?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have watched while the government took over a private enterprise (automobile industry), entered on a huge nonstimulus program that will saddle our children with unpayable debt for generations and now this same President is trying to take over 20% of the US economy and attempt to force socialized medicine on us and yes that is the way it is going because private insurance will not ultimately be able to compete with a government system..not a level playing field. He is also employing a huge amount of "CZARs" who have too much power with no Congressional oversight. Interesting to note that the government makes a point of breaking up monopoly's but nothing is going to be done about this new medical system he is trying to shove down our throat. This is the tipping point of frustration and that has nothing to do with race but interesting to note that because someone showed too much passion the answer is "gotta be because the president is black"--I don't get that and will not get that. I am tired of it and so is much of the US..polls are even showing this.

Where were you when Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush had czars? Didn't hear a peep from you then.

[Anonymous]

This one made me laugh outloud

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/09/16/why_cant_we_all_just_get_along_98322.html

Especially:
"Politico reported that Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, chalked up all this anger toward Barack Obama to racial tensions. "As far as African-Americans are concerned," she claimed, "we think most of it is. And we think it's very unfortunate. We as African-American people of course are very sensitive to it."

"We"? Incredibly, Johnson speaks for tens of millions of African-Americans. ("We" Jews haven't been blessed with that kind of leadership since Moses.)"

[Anonymous]

Good point, Jeff. Especially this: "Conservatives also leap to highlight racial connections, as the bus story illustrates. But, conservatives also take an additional stop of linking such actions to Obama. Why is that conservatives now hold Obama responsible for the actions of all black Americans everywhere? What does a bus incident in rural Illinois have to do with Obama? Just because Obama is black, he must now answer for the actions of black teenagers throughout the country? Do you really think that Obama would have been asked about Kanye West if the two of them were not black? I mean, is Obama known to be a avid hip hop fan or to be especially interested in the VMA awards? What other connection does he have to the incident?"

Although as to why they asked him about the Kanye incident, I just assumed it was because he had young daughters that maybe be watching the MTV Awards.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why do liberals see EVERYTHING as affected by race?

Yesterday a couple of bullies on a bus in a small town in Illinois punched out another kid. It became a national news story with immediate accusations of a connection to race. But, guess what? It wasn't liberals making that argument. Because the bullies were black and the victim was white, Drudge ran this headline:

"White Student Beaten on School Bus; Crowd Cheers."

Rush Limbaugh said:

"It's Obama's America, is it not? Obama's America, white kids getting beat up on school buses now.

Michell Malkin headlined her article (connecting this to Obama and the beer summit):

"A teachable moment: Racial thuggery in St. Louis"

Liberals don't see everything as affected by race. Yet, we can't deny when there are clear connections. When a Congressman who is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and who was "one of only seven Republicans to go against their own party and vote to keep the Dixie Rebel flag flying over the South Carolina capitol" shows unprecedented disrespect to our first black President, it is correct to consider a racial component to his action.

Conservatives also leap to highlight racial connections, as the bus story illustrates. But, conservatives also take an additional stop of linking such actions to Obama. Why is that conservatives now hold Obama responsible for the actions of all black Americans everywhere? What does a bus incident in rural Illinois have to do with Obama? Just because Obama is black, he must now answer for the actions of black teenagers throughout the country? Do you really think that Obama would have been asked about Kanye West if the two of them were not black? I mean, is Obama known to be a avid hip hop fan or to be especially interested in the VMA awards? What other connection does he have to the incident?

Oh please, I received a 4 year college scholarship from the Daughters of the American Revolution - I guess that make me anti-British? Next we will be arguing about whether the Civil War was about slavery or state's rights....

I didn't even know about the bus incident - I must not be really Conservative - and I certainly think it is beyond stupid to try to link it to Obama... and I still contend that my opposition to the House health care reform plan has NOTHING to do with race.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
Oh please, I received a 4 year college scholarship from the Daughters of the American Revolution - I guess that make me anti-British? Next we will be arguing about whether the Civil War was about slavery or state's rights....

I didn't even know about the bus incident - I must not be really Conservative - and I certainly think it is beyond stupid to try to link it to Obama... and I still contend that my opposition to the House health care reform plan has NOTHING to do with race.

I am more than willing to accept that your opposition to the plan has nothing to do with race. I am not aware of any suggestion otherwise. But, if you are unable to look at Wilson's record and detect anything to suggest that race may have played a role in his behavior, you have a certain insensitivity or blindness. That is not to say that race was his only motivation, but it is hard not to conclude that it played a role.

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing Wilson has been opposed to govt run healthcare his entire life, and I am guessing he is fanatically opposed to immigration. Two things I disagree with Wilson on by the way. So no, I don't think his remark had anything to do with race, any more than Reid calling bush a moron or saying he hated Bush or the democrats booing Bush in his last state of the union address.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I'm guessing Wilson has been opposed to govt run healthcare his entire life, and I am guessing he is fanatically opposed to immigration. Two things I disagree with Wilson on by the way. So no, I don't think his remark had anything to do with race, any more than Reid calling bush a moron or saying he hated Bush or the democrats booing Bush in his last state of the union address.

Government run healthcare -- this is not even being discussed so Wilson's position on it is immaterial;

Immigration -- Wilson claims to support it and says he was an immigration lawyer (evidence suggests he was not);

Can you document Reid calling Bush a moron?

Can you document Reid saying he hated Bush?

Given all the things about which you are wrong above, I am not really willing to put much credence in your evaluation of Wilson's motivation. Especially since you willfully ignore evidence to the contrary.

[Anonymous]

Interesting Op Ed from The Hill - the comments are even more enlightening.

http://thehill.com/opinion/columnists/brent-budowsky/58875-realignment-dead-dealignment-now

[Anonymous]

Government run healthcare not being discussed--your kidding right?

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Government run healthcare not being discussed--your kidding right?

No. It is not being discussed. The fact that this comes as a surprise to you says a lot.

[Anonymous]

Getting back to the racism question.

I am a professional woman. It is laughable the sexist encounters I have had, usually with older white men, in office environments. Being assumed to be the secretary, the coffee fetcher, the mailer of letters, etc. If you were to ASK any of these men about their motivations in their interactions with me, I'm sure they'd all deny being sexist. My gender never even crossed their mind when they made their inappropriate comment or request.... it was just a run-of-the-mill, office related need and I "happen" to be female. The fact that they would NEVER make similar demands of my male colleagues is not something they can really wrap their minds around. This is the material point – in their own minds they CANNOT even acknowledge the truth of their sexist behaviors.

Racism is very similar. It's not necessarily about walking through life looking for overt opportunities to be offensive towards black people. It's an ingrained, basic instinct that "naturally" compels the racist to interact with the person of color.... differently. To make different underlying assumptions about others’ behavior, many of which you are not even conscious of.

And it also causes racists to react differently to black people. For example, leading one to react more viscerally, more emotionally, or with more indignance at an “offense” committed by a black person than one would to a similar “offense” committed by a white person. Or maybe racism simply causes us to forget our manners and behave less politely towards some people than we would towards others. Less deferentially. Less respectfully.

I think part of the problem is that when we hear the word “racist” we like to think of the KKK, white hoods, lynchings, Rosa Parks…. The bad old days, another era and a faraway place. Racism is usually more subtle nowadays – and therefore more easily denied. But sorry, like porn, I know it when I see it.