So, by now you have probably heard the jokes and fallout over MSNBC political pundit Chris Matthews' infamous "postracial" comment. In a moment of frat boy giddiness, an amped up Matthews was so excited by the greatness of the President's State of the Union address that he "forgot that the President was black."
Believe it or not, I was not surprised to hear Matthews make this admission because he confirmed what I have suspected for years. There are well-meaning white men who do not associate intellectual greatness and leadership with people of color.
We all make mistakes and I doubt that Matthews meant any harm by his comments. I have proudly watched Matthews defend President Obama against attacks by his more conservative brethren on MSNBC. His early support for Obama goes back to the days when he was merely a presidential candidate. And, usually, Matthews' views on race are open minded.
Yet the ridiculousness of Matthews' comment exposed the subconscious lowered expectations that many white men harbor about people of color. These lowered expectations help to explain why so many well-meaning white men marvel when they come across an intellectual powerhouse of color. I'm sure that the following revelations sound familiar: "He is so articulate. He is so well spoken. He is such a clean guy."
Sure, black men are admired for their talents, but it is usually in the context of being the entertainment. They are great musicians and athletes. But ultimately, they are the entertainment. When it comes to running a company, an organization and the United States of America, those levels of leadership go beyond the experiences and expectations of many well-meaning white men. Therefore when intellectual excellence is in the room, it is not normal to expect to see a black man.
Many social commentators and comedians were even appalled that Matthews could even make the comment about forgetting that Obama was black. "How could Chris Matthews say that? Why would he say that?" It's simple. Chris Matthews operates from a point of privilege bestowed upon him by his whiteness. This privilege gives him the liberty to see his whiteness as being the normative in American society and everything else as "othered." Being white gives Matthews the privilege of forgetting to see an element of President Obama's identity. I wonder what President Obama started to look like to Chris Matthews. Did Matthews still see him as a human being?
In the event that Matthews is open to making this a teachable moment, I would encourage him to learn why his comment was so inflammatory. Forgetting Obama's race encompasses the challenges people of color encounter as we seek promotions, advancements and high-level leadership opportunities. If people of color are not expected to be intellectually great, we will not be trusted to lead. And that's what makes Matthews' statement not only insensitive but also dangerous.
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Matthews showed his honesty. The elephant in the room is always color, from whichever side you're on. What's important is how you respond to it, in your heart and actions.
I think Matthews has nothing to apologize for. His statement should be recognized for its honesty, and benign nature.
IMHO
it certainly is not benign. It is insulting in its stupidity."
"honest".---I truly take Matthews feelings as being honest. It may have been said in an inarticulate way, but I believe it was heartfelt, none the less.
"benign".---Because Matthews has shown his favorable feelings, toward the black experience, as best he perceives it, and his strong backing for the President and all his has attempted to do, I do not take anything he says that may be perceived as derogatory, as such.
"stupidity".--- Who are_you_, to decide this? Being that he is in a position to express his opinion, day in and day out, I am sure it is possible that given the chance, he would change the way he may couch any given situation, but to call it stupid, is beyond the pail.
Chris' words were inartfully spoken but he meant well. I see Chris almost like a proud father figure whose words tend to spurt before he truly thinks. We all know people like this. Chris is not only a proud supporter of Obama and relishes it, he has said in the past that he never grew up around blacks, his world view is that colored...er...skewed by his solid immersion in white, middle-working class PA Irish-Catholic.
I'd rather have Chris than some me@ly-mouth whites who say the right things and work like heck to keep the status quo.
In my house, we love you Chris even if you misspeak sometimes.
Are you going to ignore the black civil rights leaders and social gadflys who decry the lack of parenting and education, the rampant criminal choices that typify a large portion of the black community? The clothing copied from prison fashion, the language deliberately slurred and degraded, education abandoned, birth control unused? Ask Bill Cosby what educated black people think of the black masses. Jon Stewart will echo that, if you asked his opinion of red/necks.
I live in a fully integrated city, and love it. But I don't need to even look to discover the ethnic heritage of the loud, abrasive, egotistical English-slaughterers behind me on the MAX, doing their best to demonstrate a low 80's IQ. I can't IMAGINE how they are going to get a job, or develop strong, positive, uplifting relationships. Statistically? They won't, and that's tragic. There is no possible way they will be able to encourage the silent, glazed, unhappy toddlers the young single mothers have strapped into umbrella strollers to become educated businessmen, teachers or activists.
I want Barack Obama -- well-spoken and openly intelligient -- to be the norm. For his polite and informed behavior to portray what we expect when we meet any African-American. Because I see him as a man -- not as a black man. And that is the way it should be.
He should save any future idiotic remarks for the locker room.
I was appalled by Chris' statement. I knew immediately what he meant: "hey everybody who knew a black guy could be so Presidential? What a nice surprise." Ugh. The whole thing was embarrassing and made me cringe.
It was especially awful given that the last President was white and completely incompetent. But his idiocy is attributed to him personally, not his race.
All of which proves that as much as he'd like to think he is, Chris isn't all that post-racial himself, not deep down.
I read Matthews comment, and it seems that he meant that the speech was universal in concept and transcended racial-socio-economic boundaries.
There is an entire generation of crusty old men (think Clint Eastwood in "Gran Torino") who, in spite of the way they verbally express themselves, demonstrate less racism in their acts than many who just do a lotta talkin'.
It could appear that I am reaching here. I just like to play devil's advocate and give another thought as to what he meant other than the worst case scenario. I am not even a fan of his really. I just learned long ago to try to give people the benefit of the doubt.
I realize this was not a scathing attack on him. I think it was a very fair article. Just trying to present another way of looking at it.
The youth of the black community are allowed to take prison mentality and misogyny as cultural icons. They are not taught the basics of fitting into society, and to a great extent this is because their elders cannot imagine fitting into any higher reaches of society.
Insisting that all black folks be viewed equally is legitimate; but when the most numerous and visible portion is of the same quality as our dearly beloved re/dnecks -- that is who we will see them as equal to.