I enjoyed Obama's first State of the Union address, in large part because I like listening to our President. I like seeing our first African American President too. Though I'm not so naive as to think that it's an indication of a post-racial society (more on that later), I do think it's an important milestone in U.S. race relations. So, when Chris Matthews remarked that he forgot that Obama was Black for an hour, I was more than a little stunned. Admittedly, my first reaction was sarcastic. "I wonder if Chris Matthews will forget that McDonnell is white." I tweeted during the Governor's GOP response. By the time McDonnell finished his speech, I was already regretting it.
If you watch the Chris Matthews clip, you can't help but sense that he was, as @pittswiley tweeted, "trying to be profound and positive." He meant to celebrate the speech and Obama, not for their "whiteness" (though it certainly came across that way) but for their ability to transcend race. If he had chosen his words more carefully (or had better tools to discuss racial issues), I think Matthews would have said that, for an hour, he didn't see Obama as a racialized person, but only as the President of the United States. While even that statement would require some unpacking (what was it exactly about the speech that deracialized Obama?), I personally would have celebrated such a contribution from popular media to our discourse on race.
Unfortunately, as it was, Matthews's comment was completely insensitive & misguided. For one, it implied that many of the positive qualities that are often attributed to Barack Obama and that were on full display during the State of the Union -- his intelligence, his eloquence, his thoughtful presence -- are somehow antithetical to Blackness, that a Black person would not have such qualities. For one, Matthews contextualized his observation in a longer comment about a post-racial society, a notion that seems absurd given the continued realities of racial inequities in almost every arena of public life, as well as the racialized politics of the past year.
And so, on this morning after the State of the Union, I feel a bit inspired by the President's speech, but mostly sad that well-intentioned white liberals like Matthews continue to struggle to talk about race constructively. Though he clearly put his foot in his mouth, I applaud Matthews for having the courage to bring race into the conversation, even though it was clear that his inner voice was telling him to stop. It is tempting to conclude that he should have listened to his inner voice, but the truth is that I don't want the Chris Matthews of the world to stop talking about race. What I want is for them to have the tools to do it effectively and constructively.
Cross-posted from Race-Talk.
Follow Mikhail Lyubansky on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Mikhaill
I never thought I'd say but the tweeter (twit?) is correct.
Can we please move on now?
Chris's statement does not bother me, but it does amuse me. He can be very insightful at some times, and rather naive at others - just like all of us.
I would like to think that Chris was as "caught up" in Obama's speech as I was in the ballet.
It becomes about content, not race.
Maybe these young women (18-49), having grown up AFTER the civil rights and women's liberation movements, were now actually able to see a candidate based on his/her own merit rather than just seeing race or gender? When I talk to my own Gen-Y daughter, I realize just how color-blind and gender-blind her politics is. Which was what we were fighting for back in the 60s and 70s, wasn't it? To be recognized for our deeds rather than our color or gender. So here was actual proof the Revolution was over -- and we won. Those baby boomers were still thinking we had a long way to go.
Maybe the reason Chris Matthews had such a hard time expressing his sentiments was because, like me, he didn't think he'd be alive to see it actually happen. It's AMAZING to witness and to experience. And I'm a person of color. And I want to talk about his amazing realization too.
But instead of embracing it, people want to over-analyze this extraordinary realization. And so, they've ended up talking themselves into believing Matthews' moment was less than ordinary. Not me. In that moment, I was color-blind with him.
There are several lessons to be learned from this experience. The first is that good-intentioned people sometimes make mistakes and are not immune to the racial climate in this country. The second is that when we want to change someones words or attitudes, gentleness and sound reasoning are the best tools in our box. I truly don't understand why we want to demonize well-intentioned people who choose words poorly or think about things in a racially loaded way. We can convert these people with kindness and logic!
This is not to say that Chris Matthews's history of supporting racial justice doesn't matter. It does. It is because of this history that 'm not criticizing his character or his intentions or suggesting that he shouldn't stay on the air...my purpose was to point out why what he said is problematic (it's not obvious to everyone) and suggest how it might have been expressed differently. In your own words, I tried to do it with kindness, as I hope others will do with me when I unintentionally err, as I certainly do. I hope the kindness came through.
During the eighties, I worked at a department store. One day, a woman walked up to me and pointed over to the TV department and asked me if I knew a black guy that worked there. I thought for a second, trying to figure out who she was talking about. I said "I don't know of any black guys over there." or something to that effect. She prompted me further, saying that his name was Bill, or Billy, or Will or something. Then it struck me. "William, your talking about William".
William was and still is a man of African heritage. I didn't think of William as being "black". He was just William. It was a profound moment for me. It wasn't that I'm a great person for not thinking, or forgetting William was black. It was the fact that I realized that I had separated him from all the other "black" people I knew of. And while I was glad I could transcend race with friendship, it showed me just how deep the roots of difference, the roots of racism run.
I didn't "hate". But, I filtered my experiences. For Chris, for that hour, the filter came off. Until you have this experience yourself, you won't be able to relate to it.
Really???
I almost forgot that Chris is white.
But hold the phone: Chris Matthews is a Liberal? Do tell!
It's the same problem that people who strive for "color-blindness" end up in.
WHAT is so wrong about being black?
Why does it have to be "forgotten?"
Value judgments are unconsciously being made here. Black inferiority and White supremacy.
Exactly why is "black" bad and has to be "forgotten?"