Is Racism To Blame For The Angry Discourse In America?

"It's important to realize that I was actually black before the election."

- Barack Obama

The discourse in America is heating up. We are becoming a nation of Howard Beales' "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore". What is at the bottom of all this anger?
And what are we to do about it?

Angry outbursts are becoming commonplace in our culture these days. No longer confined to frustrated or impatient motorists' "road rage", public displays of anger have taken on a new and troubling tone in recent weeks.

Angry town hall protesters carry signs portraying President Obama as Curious George, an African witch doctor, or The Joker from Batman. The latest iteration of placards tout "Bury Obamacare with Ted Kennedy" and accuse the Obama administration of being communist, socialist, or aligned with Hitler.

Glenn Beck has become the new poster child for the angry American crowd. He's on the cover of this week's Time magazine with an article by David Von Drehle, Mad Man: Is Glenn Beck Bad for America?"

Answer? Yes. Unencumbered by factual information, Beck is elevating the level of rhetoric
to a point where the pot is boiling and set to spill over. With people bringing guns and automatic weapons to town hall rallies, the handwriting is on the wall. Beck, and others who profit from this polarization, is inciting fear among those on the right, who are being persuaded to believe their patriotic duty is to "water the tree of liberty" by spilling the blood of those whose views differ from theirs. This cannot possibly have a good outcome.

Memories of Harvey Milk and George Moscone come to mind. Nancy Pelosi had a mini-meltdown last week, reflecting upon events that led to their assassinations and called upon all Americans to be mindful of the tone they're setting for the whole.

The problem is, those who would "water the tree of liberty" feel justified in this new tone. For them, this is a call to defend their country from being taken over by a president they deem not qualified to lead them. The "birthers" movement questions Obama's citizenship. What is all this "birther" rhetoric code for?

President Carter stepped into this fray by calling it "racism". President Clinton disagrees and thinks the angry protesters "just don't want health care". President Obama would rather not get into it and get distracted from his legislative agenda. He knows it's a no-win situation for him to go down this road.

Personally, I tend to agree with President Carter. While certainly not all the anger being publicly vented today can be tied to racism, I believe there is an underlying current of it smoldering beneath the public discourse and no one dares to mention the pink elephant in the room. Carter was never afraid to speak his mind, which probably cost him a second term as president.

Remember Carter's famous "malaise" speech in 1979? At the time, the national discourse was focused on the energy crisis, but Carter looked to uncover a deeper cause for what he saw as the nation's inability to come together to solve its problems. He called a 10-day summit at Camp David and gathered together leaders from business, education, labor, religion, local government and private citizens and then he listened to their input.

Here are some excerpts from his speech, delivered 30 years ago. The message is still very relevant, perhaps even more so, today:

What you see too often in Washington and elsewhere around the country is a system of government that seems incapable of action. You see a Congress twisted and pulled in every direction by hundreds of well financed and powerful special interests. You see every extreme position defended to the last vote, almost to the last breath by one unyielding group or another. You often see a balanced and a fair approach that demands sacrifice, a little sacrifice from everyone, abandoned like an orphan without support and without friends.

We are at a turning point in our history. There are two paths to choose. One is a path I've warned about tonight, the path that leads to fragmentation and self-interest. Down that road lies a mistaken idea of freedom, the right to grasp for ourselves some advantage over others. That path would be one of constant conflict between narrow interests ending in chaos and immobility. It is a certain route to failure.

All the traditions of our past, all the lessons of our heritage, all the promises of our future point to another path, the path of common purpose and the restoration of American values. That path leads to true freedom for our Nation and ourselves. We can take the first steps down that path as we begin to solve our energy problem.

He could have been speaking about today's healthcare problems or the need to address climate change or developing renewable sources of energy. The speech was not well received. Critics seized upon it as a sign of weakness. The American people did not want to face up to the nation's crisis of confidence and dark underbelly of fear. But that did not deter President Carter from saying what needed to be said then, just as he has voiced his opinion about "racism being involved" in the national debate today. He has not been one to shy away from speaking truth to power.

Perhaps its power, the loss of it, or the attempt to wield it, coupled with lingering vestiges of racism that lies at the true source of all the anger in America today. The mixture of power and race issues make for a mighty cauldron of seething anger by those who deem themselves not in control of the debate. Power concentrated in the hands of a black man must be feared, thus, images of an African witch doctor tap into the unconscious psyches of many white people, long conditioned to fear and mistrust those who don't look like them. Or as Sarah Palin reminded voters last fall, "he's not like us". Code for racism? You decide.

Any semblance of civility in our public discourse today has gone by the wayside. The gloves are off and we appear to be headed for civil combat. Death threats against the current president are up 400% over those of the previous president, whose popularity was among the lowest in presidential history. While George Bush suffered the slings and arrows of criticism from his political opponents, no one ever publicly called for his death (remember shouts of "kill him" at John McCain and Sarah Palin's town hall meetings?) or disrespected the office of the presidency by calling him a "liar" before a joint session of congress.

The question remains: How do we deal with the mounting anger in America before it's too late and we have another national tragedy on our hands and souls? Are we mature enough as a country to have an honest discourse on the roots of anger in America today?

Two thoughts on where to begin::

1) Call a national summit on non-violence and anger management. Like President Carter, bring together citizens and leaders from all sectors of American life to discuss issues of anger in America and how to manage them. Elevate the national tone from one of emphasizing our differences to one of seeking common ground and building a platform for moving forward together as a nation. We cannot hope to succeed, no matter which party is in power, if our intent is for either side to fail. In spite of the heated rhetoric, we are all still Americans, a fact which often gets lost in the noise of politics.

2) Encourage the teaching of non-violent communication skills in our schools and amongst the citizenry. Learn how to articulate our fears and concerns without elevating the rhetoric. We currently do not know how to express differences while maintaining respect and civility for each other.

Towards these ends, The Center For Non-Violent Communication (CNVC) is sponsoring an International Day of Empathic Action (IDEA) on Oct. 2, 2009. This date coincides with the U.N.'s International Day for Non-Violence and is Mahatma's Gandhi's birthday. The day also honors Marshall Rosenberg, the founder of the NVC movement. The intention behind IDEA is:

In every state, in every country, on every continent, people will gather in empathic listening, connecting, and action so that we may see all beings integrate suffering to become free, fully alive, and resolve differences peacefully.

International Day for Empathic Action (IDEA) Events and Activities will take place all over the world aware of each other to create unity, community, and a world-wide understanding of empathy.

For ideas on how to participate in empathic activities on Oct 2nd, please visit the website.

"Our ability to offer empathy can allow us to stay vulnerable, defuse potential violence, help us hear the word "no" without taking it as a rejection, revive a lifeless conversation, and even hear the feelings and needs expressed through silence. " - Marshall B. Rosenberg

We need to learn how to get beyond anger and vitriol. Your thoughts matter. Your input matters. Our collective intention matters. We each need to care enough to become part of the solution. Let us know what you think about how to address this national concern. Please feel free to comment below and/or drop by my personal blog and website at Rx For The Soul and weigh in.

Please help spread the word beyond this single column by posting this to your Facebook page, Buzzing and Digging this article. And thanks so much for being part of this vibrant reader community.

Blessings on the path............

Follow Dr. Judith Rich on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dr_judithrich

Comments

[khanti]

There will always be racism in a multi ethnic country. It is dangerous only when it goes out of control and breeds racial fanaticism. US is the only country where a black man can become President in a predominantly white populace. It shows people here go for ability and capability over racial preference. Obama has shown that being black is no longer a disadvantage and black should no longer lament and blame others for their condition. There are successful Blacks in almost all fields from President to entertainers to sport icons. These people are successful because they are accepted by the US people for their ability and capability not because of their color. So people of all races should now know that to be successful in the US you must work hard and be capable.

[dhyland]

Judith,

WHOA! There is a lot here! All of it important to bring to the foreground.

Your suggestion to teach non-violent expression in our schools is what most strikes a chord with me. I used to teach middle school. The district was urban, but, interestingly, our school was located in a rural area--next door to one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the county. I had a rich mix of kids from many ethnicities and backgrounds. Until we piloted a Teen Leadership course, there was nothing that taught the kids how to appreciate and respect the experiences of those with world views different than their own. I felt we were able to make some difference--kids started befriending & hugging other kids who, at one time, they would have discounted & with whom they would have harbored anger. They learned to really hear each other. So, I know it's possible.

I think teaching NVC is critical. It starts, though, with people being grounded in who they are. So often, we collapse who we are with the opinions we hold. The best resource I've found is the NY Times bestseller _Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High_. I now train a course for adult educators based on this book. The authors have done a thorough job at acknowledging that fear is the basis of all anger-ladden communication & have developed a safe way for people to embrace that. The outcome is respectful communication that leads to forwarding results.


Gratefully,
Dawnelle

[bluecollarblogger]

Me, myself, and I, this is what is wrong with our society. We are all individuals enjoying our individual freedoms and that is what is so great about our society. We can be ourselves, worship, believe, breathe how we want just as long as we do not infringe on the rights of other people who have the right to be different too. Why are so many people like Beck angry? Because they want to have things there way, and they do not like everyone elses way, so they stir discourse. Like a spoiled child who refuses to share, they have their piece of the pie and the do not respect others to have a different piece of the same pie. But even more so, they want us all to like their flavor! No choices here. So many people refuse to acknowledge that as American we have a duty to ignore our own prejudice and allow everyone else the freedom to be who they are. We are all different, we are all unique and if we are to have a free society we are all going to have to compromise if we are to live outside of our own bubble.

[PoliticalRockChick]

We are not infringing on Beck's right to free speech, we are just correcting the things he say that are completely baseless, ignorant and downright false. It's like me going around saying Bush is really God or Obama is the Messiah. I have the right to say it due to my freedom of speech, but is it true? NO.

[Arithrianos]

To me it seems most of the screamers have no idea what they are screaming about, since they use totally incompatable lables for Obama, such as Fascist/Communist (total opposites), Banana Republic(totally insane idea that a single corp will ever dominate a county as large as America), and even the most totally loony of all, the Joker(Anar­chist/Soci­opath). So if we are to take this insanity at face value Obama wants to get rid of private corpatations, give all power to private corparations, set up one corporation as all powerful and get rid of all law and loose anarchy and total lawlessness. When you are dealing with total insanity, racism is sure to be there too, it is just one more form of insanity, and very powerful and pervasive.

[Jason Mannino - Huffpost Blogger]

I'm just going to say a simple thank you for bringing this forward and calling people to action to move into empathy.

Love your way,
Jason

[Dr. Judith Rich - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks, Jason.

Have you taken a break from posting? I haven't seen you around here lately. So good to hear from you!

Love to you,
Judith

[Jason Mannino - Huffpost Blogger]

Yes, as you read in today's article I had quite a bit going on over the path month, my dad dying was only part of that :-) (the rest was all good). So, until today it had been about a month since I posted.

Thanks for asking ;-)

Love
Jason

[MajorKong]

Nah. The Right just enjoys being angry. They've pretty much become addicted to it.

They'd likely be shrieking "Socialism!" just as loud if Hillary were President.

Heck, they were angry back when they controlled all branches of government.

Nothing but a bunch of professional rage junkies.

[conscioushope]

Also, get Beck, Dobbs, Hannity, O'Reilly, Limbaugh fired ASAP.

[PoliticalRockChick]

Yes and ignorance.

[Dr. Cara Barker - Huffpost Blogger]

I love what you've written here, including the Rosenberg quote. My dear, you've hit this puppy out of the park......­.........n­ot unlike the Huskies last weekend with USC! (Sorry, I couldn't resist: the game was such a shocker to us all!)

Your message bears repeating over and over again. It is the one that will help us get through this mess. And, once again, we've hit upon the topic at the same time. Bravo, my girl, bravo. You are a treasure.

Love and so, so much appreciation,
Cara

[James M. Lynch - Huffpost Blogger]

Dr. J.
Your post hit a nerve here so you've accomplished a lot by creating debate and conversation about a topic that needs to worked at, never taken for granted or 'assumed' that a modern, educated nation would or should have handled by now.

As to the anger and mood of our nation, though: last night I attended a planning meeting for our downtown. The mood of the developers and the commercial property owners got hostile as they questioned the city planners, criticized the content and the context of the meeting and all but stated the problem ''OUR STORES AREN'T RENTED AND WE'RE LOSING MONEY'. I think the self preservation button is pushed, the livelihood and possessions are at risk, and people are protecting their own. Lines get drawn in smaller circles as the economy weakens and when change threatens (especially when FOX et al applies their yellow journalism). I think racism is just one of the 'small circles' we draw and agree that we need to be in action but it is A fear, not THE fear people are reacting too. We need, most of all, communication and GREAT communication where people KNOW they're being heard and where we all are driving to a vision greater than the petty BS that the Palin types and TV Commentorreadors are throwing at us. People look to vision, need leadership and courage and that's what we should see in President Obama, not his racial makeup.

[Dr. Judith Rich - Huffpost Blogger]

Hello James,

Yes, certainly, as I mention in the article, the combination of fear of change and loss of economic ground have catalyzed much of the anger present today. Racism is certainly an aspect of the equation and as you say, there are other factors.

Kelli Goff's article expresses another point of view regarding the matter. She sees the expression of racism as a good sign. She notes that these overt reactions to Obama indicate the country has taken a significant move in the direction of equal rights and those who rally against it are just like the reactionaries during the civil rights movement of the 60's. Here's the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keli-goff/why-im-grateful-for-joe-w_b_297514.html

An interesting take and definitely food for thought!

Thanks for your comment,
Judith

[zanzig]

Dr Rich, I have posted a similar comment on Kelli Goff's page, but would be interested to hear your comments too. In Australia in 1996, Pauline Hanson was endorsed by the Liberal Party (our arch-conservative party) for an electoral seat in Queensland. Just prior to the election she came out in public with the most inflammatory racist comments about indigenous Australians, and was disendorsed by the Party but won resoundingly. For the next 2 years this blot on the landscape freely made public statements that were astonishing in their racism (wikipedia has a summary) with not one syllable of reproach from our Prime Minister John Howard. He said that it was acceptable for views like this to be expressed openly in public discourse and that clearly this was what a large portion of the population felt (untrue, as by the next election her support had fallen from 36% to 5%). The consequence of this overt racism from Hanson and covert racism from Howard, was that attacks against Asian and Muslim minorities in Australia increased 10fold in those 2 years. Skinhead groups flourished, and most minority communities lived in fear. I can assure you that it is NOT healthy for views like this to be expressed; such negativity has a multiplier effect in a community and when derogatory statements are made in public by (particularly) elected officials, the hoi polloi are emboldened to echo those statements. And from making statements to taking action is a small step.

[KIVPossum]

I think the answer to the question is: Yes, a great portion of it.

[joceeco]

Many if not Most White American are not willing or ready to honestly talk about race in America, and neither is Obama as long as he has to depend on Whites to be re-elected. Obama knows this and his advisors know this to be true. Obama will not openly discuss race, because the majority of problems that still exist with America's racism, starts with the attitudes of Whites towards minorities, especially African Americans.

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

True. But with a Black man as a president, it should become easier by several orders of magnitude for minorities to state their own case. He doesn't have to do that.

[Norge]

Terrific article. Thank you.

[nowarpleez]

YES.

[Kari Henley - Huffpost Blogger]

Judith
One of your most potent and powerful posts yet.
I was very moved to hear former President Carter speaking the truth of the nation. I also felt for Nancy Pelosi- again her bravery to call a spade a spade and speak the fear we all have- YES We Can is lost in hatred, racism and fear.
I find the disrespect for the president to be unconscionable. It is as if our society is like a hormonal 14 year old going around slamming things and wanting the easy way out.
Love the ideas, suggestions and info about the website.
Back in the saddle!
Kari