Frank Rich: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

New York Times:

AND so: just how far have we come?

As a rough gauge last week, I watched a movie I hadn't seen since it came out when I was a teenager in 1967. Back then "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" was Hollywood's idea of a stirring call for racial justice. The premise: A young white woman falls madly in love with a black man while visiting the University of Hawaii and brings him home to San Francisco to get her parents' blessing. Dad, a crusading newspaper publisher, and Mom, a modern art dealer, are wealthy white liberals -- Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, no less -- so surely there can be no problem. Complications ensue before everyone does the right thing.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[brooklyncitizen]

Excellent post.

"There will still be white liberals who look at Obama and can’t quite figure out what to make of his complex mixture of idealism and hard-knuckled political cunning, of his twin identities of international sojourner and conventional middle-class overachiever."

What has characterized this Obama campaign is the call to white america's citizens and pundits alike to look at the content of the person rather than their race. American citizens have more readily and easily done this simply because we feel the hurt of the last 8 years of Bush policies. We are living that painful reality each day. THe pundits have sort of come around but consistently got it wrong because they cannot see beyond race.... Obama is an exceptional person but there are many "obama's" and "michelles": people of color that are intellectual, warm and strivers for a better world.We certainly see them in the beginning part of america's 20th c during the harlem rennaissance and it seems like a collective amnesia followed and people "forgot" such folks existed.

Ironically we can be grateful to Bush for his disastrous Presidency acting as a catalyst for us to embrace fundamental political and social change change. We are not only willing to entertain the legitimacy of Obama's candidacy but also to validate it with our vote. We get that he is the best choice and this truth is finally dawning on the pundits.

[Oregon Ivy]

Barack knows what he's taking on. "Protecting" him by not voting for him is foolish.

Yes, in 4 years, he won't have been able to accomplish all he wants to, but he will at least have tried.

And no matter what he does, or what president sits in the oval office, the Republicans (and especiallly the rabid right wingers) will still blame the Democrats for everything.

You wouldn't believe the emails I get from my evangelical friends. Heck, they blame 9/11 on CLINTON. According to them, the economic meltdown is a result of the Dems having a "majority" in Congress for 2 out of the past 12 years. (They conveniently don't mention or don't want to see that the Dems don't have a VOTING majority and that the Republicans filibustered a record 100+ times during those two years)

Obama is d@mned if he does and d@mned if he doesn't. But I believe he will try his hardest and is the best candidate to at least begin to clean up the mess.

At the very, very least, if he can restore our Constitutional rights and re-establish fair and legal voting in every state, that'll be a huge step forward.

[shireenj]

hi there from the land of oz (Australia)
thankyou so much for your insight .... and, hey, we in the rest of the world realise this totally .... Barrak will be more than ok - he (AND YOU!) have our enormous support ..... thanks so much for rectifying an horrendous situation ... our PM and ALL of us here are totally thrilled and SO excited that you guys are going to be part of our world again ................ woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!

[jeffp26]

"Neither the Clinton campaign nor the many who bought its spin noticed the take-no-prisoners political insurgency that Obama had built throughout the caucus states and that serves him to this day."

What this means is that David Axelrod kicked the snot out of fat boy Rove and Stevie "you da pig" Schmidt. These two lowlifes got out thought by a brilliant, tough graduate of Stuyvesant High School.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuyvesant_High_School

As a pacifist, non-racist, fellow graduate of Stuy, I am so proud of Axelrod's contribution to the history of this great country that I can almost cry.

YES WE DID!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!

[MaryT63]

For weeks on end throughout the primary and this general election I saw and heard white media pundits keep stirring the race baiting pot, only for their share of the ratings. Not to educate voters but to entertainment them. Major issues sat on the back burner while 'white, rural, christain' americas were brought out and celebrited for their racial insensitives. They used code words, buzz words to keep the story alive. People can change their attitudes when they are presented with how destructive their beliefs are and shown how we are all americas who want the same opportunities for betterment in our lives, and that we are all god's children.
Mr. Rich, you have written another great article. Mr. Obama is great for this country at this time in our history. We need his diversity, his intellectual acuity, his charisma, his uniqueness, etc. Most overlooked about Obama history and his associations is the envirnoment in which he was raised which shaped his belief system. He was raised in the white world. The brown pigment of his skin has shaped all the punditry class talking points down to fact that he is black. This is the perfect time to raise the level of discussion about race relations. Hats off to you Mr Rich, see you on Keith O.

[nellie]

As a Native American (with some mixed heritage thrown in), I just want to put in my 2 cents that America is about more than black and white. There are Asians here, and native people, there's a growing latino population. And an increasing number of people of mixed heritage.

I think it's a mistake to see the election of Obama in the frame of "Guess who's coming to dinner." This is the first Frank Rich op ed I've disagreed with in a long time, but the emphasis on Obama's African heritage is misplace, IMHO.

I know there are a lot of people who "won't vote for a black man" and a lot of the election rhetoric revolves around whether he's black enough, etc., etc. But the truth is, Obama is mixed. And even if he weren't the country is moving toward embracing everyone, every ethnicity, and that's how I see this election.

[nellie]

And I think that's why the youth vote is so strong. Obama symbolizes a new attitude in this country. And the older observers still are behind. I'm not trying to downplay the fact that Obama is African American. I'm trying to say he represents a larger community. And a broader attitude.

[rachel2012]

yeah? so far the early vote results show that the young voters are the least represented demographic...get off your collective arses and go vote, you slackers and college kids!

[Unsui]

Nellie, I couldn't agree with you more. It seems to me that the paradigms used to asses the American electorate are far behind the Post-digital curve. Race, as an issue in this election, is just one example.
The models on which the old pundits, political strategists and politicians operate didn't keep up with a rapidly changing reality. It should have been obvious when Howard Dean opened the funding gates of the web community that the world of political campaigns had forever changed. Obama's people got it, and no one else did. Not Clinton, who tried to win with the old model, nor McCain whose team was in no way prepared for Obama's organized and well funded campaign.

When I read Rich's column here, I see the old thinking in play. When I read your comment, I see a modern world view that has already changed the future of America.

[LorettaSingbiel]

I have ALWAYS LOVED that movie. Yes ... the black guy and white gal were TOO "perfect" ... but in those times, it probably was the only way to encourage viewership ... to promote the positive, and demote the negative, inter-racial marriage message and mindset.

"There'll be 100 million people right here in this country who will be shocked and offended and appalled and the two of you will just have to ride that out, maybe every day for the rest of your lives. You could try to ignore those people, or you could feel sorry for them and for their prejudice and their bigotry and their blind hatred and stupid fears, but where necessary you'll just have to cling tight to each other and say ... screw all those people!"

I actually special-ordered both that movie, and Sidney Poitier's "Lillies Of The Field" movie as last year's Christmas gifts for my starving-editor son.

"we turned to the black guy not only because we hoped he would lift us up but because he looked like the strongest leader to dig us out."

He lifts us up, so we can stand on mountains.
He lifts us up, to walk on stormy seas.
We are strong, when we are on his shoulders.
He lifts us up ... To more than we can be.

OBAMA/BIDEN '08!
HOPE and CHANGE WE (AND THE WORLD) CAN BELIEVE IN!!!

[DCCommuter]

The biggest thing I recall from the movie was they were supposed to be so much in love by never hugged or kissed each other.

[nellie]

They kissed in their opening scene. We saw in the rearview mirror of the cab.

[peachfuzz]

ha ha ha it is sort of like that movie.

Many people would be more comfortable with an old white guy who makes gaffes,
than with a cool, calm, collected, educated, young black man.

oh well, it was a great movie and this experience is even better.
I welcome any discomfort that Obama would bring; we need to learn and grow now.

[marymansour]

A unique take on a film I'm sure most of us had forgotten or had not even seen. The film seemed superfluous at the time and as Rich, stated, Poitier was just too picture perfect as the young black doctor engaged to the white daughter of Tracy and Hepburn. It struck liberals as 'too pat and too cute by far' and offended conservatives who probably didn't see it. What an eye opener to realize that this almost forgotten movie was so prophetic. Thanks for this refreshing article. It's a winner, Mr. Rich.

[huffbubble]

I shall revisit that film, which some years ago, I considered to be 'trite'. It seems it was prophetic instead. A great article, Mr. Rich.

[Nancy84]

In the beginning, I was torn between Clinton and Obama. Clinton going negative is what sent me to the other side. Color was never an issue. Then I was wowed when after Obama received the nomination, I received an email from the DNC saying they would no longer accept donations from special interest groups. I knew then that this man was a leader and had a party willing and eager to follow him. I sincerely hope they get the majority and work on issues that are important to all people and reject the temptation to "stick it to" the repubs. I see that in Obama's leadership and think that is why some of the smartest Repubs are not afraid to endorse him.

[Enid]

What about the stereotypes drawn all sitting around the table.
Obama's profile is right out of where.
All down to black and white.

what are editors up to ?

[Eoin45]

Try to make your next post comprehensible please.

[LorettaSingbiel]

Say WHAT???

[Greytdog]

This is my interpretation of the illustration (juxtaposed against the film "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?"): For a couple of centuries, prosperity rested with the white population. If you look at the famous Rockwell illustration of "blessings", the family circle is all white. If you look at newsreels from the good old days of the 50s, the suburbs were all white. And our politics reflected that also - down to the "Whites Only" signs that decorated our highways and byways. "separate but equal' was the educational standard that ensured the educational monies were spent well in Whites Only schools. So this bounty of prosperity deliberately left out anyone who was not white or who could not claim a European heritage. (We didn't like the Irish, the Poles, or even the Jews, but we tolerated them more than we did folks whose skin color was much darker than ours. . . ) Now, in the 21st Century, our bountiful table of Americana may be actually opening the door wide enough to be led by a man of multiracial heritage, multicultural understanding - but there are still people in this country who look askance at anyone perceived to be "different" and use labels like UnAmerican, That One, Those People, Them. I think the illustration captures this sense of consternation and division with some folks smiling at and welcoming the figure in the forefront while others seem to be more reserved, more enclosed in their own sense of what is proper and American.

[Jazzcomedian]

While reminiscent of Sidney Poitier's dignified characters, Senator Obama is more cerebral, and contained in the manner, and temperament of the late great Arthur Ashe. Like Ashe, even when perturbed, Senator Obama always exhibits a very strong, and calm intelligence, genuine decency, and understated passion, and committment to the betterment of man that transcends race .By necessity, everything good about race in this country, and everything bad about race in this country has come out in this election. It appears that good is winning.

Senator Obama cmpaign symbolizes a pendulum shift in style of politics, and a leader's emotional makeup, and how it's perceived by the electorate. We've devolved into a country of loud-mouth, ranting, hotheads, and people are realizing that it's time to let cooler heads prevail. He is a pragmatic idealist, and it's been awhile since we've had that in the White House.

This is a time for all the best and the brightest of our nation, to figure out how to turn our country around. Senator Obama, and his team of advisers epitomize that. As a student of Lincoln, he no doubt will also reach out to the moderate, pragmatic Republicans who are concerned about our nation's direction, and utilize their serious ideas that have value as well.

Senator Obama is like a very sure footed mountain goat, dancing lightly on the rocky, treacherous, political terrain, as he ascends to the summit.

[dagnew]

Very well said.

[LorettaSingbiel]

Ditto that!

[AnalyzeIT]

Articulately stated comment, 'Jazzcomedian'. Thank you

[obamalove]

Brilliant article!!!!!

[grizhead63]

Wow! Frank Rich hit this one out of the ballpark and down the street!