I'm Not Racist. Some of my Best Friends Are Black.
Geraldine Ferraro tried to stick her foot in her mouth but her loafers were too small. So instead she unpacked a whip and stuck that in there and it fit just right. This week she theorized that a self-made black guy with a Muslim name has a political advantage over a white woman who is the wife of a two-term President.
Put in historical context, a statement like that doesn't make sense. That's why Affirmative Action exists. Ferraro should know this. After all, she's a white woman white women have benefited more from Affirmative Action than any other group the legislation was created to serve. Don't take my word for it, let's conduct a poll of all the presidents and see which of the black ones felt their ethnicity aided their ascent to the White House. Wait, there's never been a black president. All the black people who ran for this office before Senator Obama were so thoroughly marginalized that you can't even call what they did running for president.
Let's set the record straight on this race issue yet again. I'm a black man. Despite how close my skin tone is to white I can't think of a single instance in which my color has worked to my advantage. I can however produce examples of being wrongfully arrested, denied jobs, and refused services because I'm of African descent.
That, my white homies, is the reality of being black in America. You are at a constant disadvantage to your white counterparts in everything you do. That's not an excuse. I have never allowed racism to stop me from achieving my goals. I'm just exercising my First Amendment right to tell it like it is.
Ferraro and I have that in common. We both adore the First Amendment. It enables mental transparency and public accountability. You think it. You say it. People judge you for it. What's ironic about her actions is that somehow her close-minded statements are not her fault. Her remarks weren't ignorant, she's just a victim of the race card. Can someone please show me this card that allows blacks to Donald Trump the world? I'd like to play it next time I'm in Vegas so Eliot Spitzer and I can go party hard at Crazy Horse Too.
The first time I heard the term "race card" was during the O.J. Simpson trail. Whites insisted that Simpson manipulated his race to get acquitted. In reality he manipulated his checkbook and it pissed off whites that a black man possessed the financial means to beat the state of California in court. Curiously, 15 years prior to the Simpson case, Claus von Bulow put his finances to work to avoid a guilty verdict for the same crime but in this instance everyone was fine with it. But hey, that was the '80s. Everyone was jacked up on cheap blow. We were carefree in those days.
Forget producing the race card, I don't need to see it to believe it exists. A concrete definition will suffice. In absence of one my working definition is this: Race card means when a white person makes a discriminatory remark about blacks and gets called out on it, said white person can claim blacks are being overly sensitive about race. Imagine if someone said to Elie Wiesel, "I loved Night but you Jews blew the World War Two thing way out of proportion. Admit it. Auschwitz wasn't that bad." We all agree that person would deserve a thorough slapping about the face.
Geraldine, here's a tip from your black homie, but only because I adore what you've done for the children: Discrimination and prejudice are not hard to identify. If you say something racially insensitive and someone calls bullshit on you, your immediate reaction should not be hostility. If you are defensive and you point blame elsewhere it's an automatic admission that you have not taken the time to look internally at whether or not you are acting intelligently. Furthermore, it's offensive to listen to you spout off about all the good things you've done for the coloreds as if that somehow validates the moronic statements you've made about Senator Obama.
What Ferraro has done since resigning from the Clinton campaign is a lawyer tactic we see often in politics: "The best defense is a good offense." Whoever came up with that saying was probably a racist white guy.
Ferraro is not racist but the fact that she doesn't understand what the term "racism" means highlights why it is a massive problem in America. In defense of her statements about Obama she said, "Racism works in two different directions. I really think they're attacking me because I'm white."
Newsflash GF, you're talking about prejudice. Racism is a much larger issue. It entails the use of power, money and public policy to create a system that encourages and enforces discrimination against a specific group of people based on the notion that their race is inferior. Black people make up a small percentage of the American population. We don't have much wealth or education and we are grossly underrepresented in government. We can be prejudice, and I know plenty of blacks who hate the man, but racist... it simply isn't possible because we don't have any power. Sometimes I wish blacks could be racist because white folks look like they're having a hell of a fun time with it. Heck, I don't even want to buy the damn thing. I'd settle for a test drive around the block.
It's troublesome that liberal whites act in a racist fashion so often without realizing it. We all know where the conservatives stand. They're transparent. They hate black people. The liberals are translucent. They like us when it's convenient.
When liberals need black votes they come into our communities and act like they're down. They'll crank dat Souljah Boy like the dance is still in style. When we're dunking basketballs and cracking jokes they commend us for being so darn entertaining. But when they feel challenged by blacks, as the Clinton campaign does by the Obama campaign, we're not so fresh after all.
In essence, what Ferraro is saying about Obama is that he has not earned his lead in the race for the democratic presidential nomination. He's just lucky. He was in the right place at the right time and he's a trendy color. Apparently, black is the new black. The reality is Obama is running a better campaign. Don't take my word for it. Ask the American people. The primary results speak for themselves. If the shoe was on the other foot and Clinton had the lead, the DNC would be up Obama's ass sideways insisting that, for the greater good of the party, he step aside and let Clinton assume the nomination.
What's twisted about the situation is that this is the first time in a long time we have solid presidential candidates to choose from. McCain represents the status quo. Next. The other two candidates can make some change happen at a time when, if we don't change, our empire is doomed to collapse. Instead of evaluating the candidates on the merits of what s/he can do for the people our time is being wasted on Geraldine Ferraro's stupidity. It's as much a disservice to Clinton as it is to Obama.
I don't care if Ferraro was hosed down and attacked by German Sheperds back in '65 while trying to lead civil rights marchers over the Edmund Pettus bridge. Her remarks about Obama demonstrate her ignorance, right now. No further debate is necessary. So put the deck of race cards away and lean back. The American people are a little busy right now. The fate of our nation is at stake and we ought not make time for narrow-minded, has-been politicians.
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If you will permit me to make 2 comments..
1. Ferraro doesn't have to call here statement racist to make it racist, that was a judgement call made by almost everyone who heard it. Statements like this have been made before; Rush Limbaugh on Monday Night football, Jimmy the Greek (also on Monday night football), Marge Schott owner of the Cincinnatti Reds. In all those cases they denied the comments were racist and in all cases they were severely criticised, Rush and Jimmy lost their jobs. There were no long debates, no one took their side. What's interesting about these other cases is, they took place in the one remaining area of our national culture where there are a large group of knowledgeable and committed participants who fight very hard for high ethics, standards and morality..
2. If race were a factor then Barak Obama would have been popular with Black voters right out of the gate. In fact the story of this election is the Black votes Hillary had and then sqandered. I know most Americans can't remember past the last sports season , but I can't believe you don't remember how far Barak was trailing Hillary in the black vote as late as December. (Whites with college degrees were his strength) The fact is that the Black community was a very hard sell for Obama. (It also didn't hurt that Hillary and Bill really shot themselves in the foot in South Carolina). His electorical success is due to his organizaion, his message, and his courage to stick to his principals. Hillary's failure is due to her lack of organization, message and courage to stick to her principals.
Neither of the Clintons "shot themselves in the foot", Obama leaked a memo quoting them out of context in order to call them racists. Don't blame them for the bad acts of Obama.
Woah. I think you just set race relations back a year.
Can we all just fucking get over this? You're playing right into their hands. The Clintons want you to keep talking about race until Obama loses. Then, as far as they're concerned, you can go back to whatever it is you people do. Don't you get it? You're being fished. And you just bit.
You are 100 percent correct.
bo...you and I can get over it...it was a stupid whiney statement from a bitter woman...an
Sadly..rac
So...how does a "liberal" say..some of my best friends are "conservat
If someone on the Clinton side says something that is not racist, but is labeled that way by Obama his supporters go nuts. But when someon from the Obama camp says something racist all fo the sudden words don't matter and we need to just get over it. Hypocrites = Obama supporters.
Loved the article. We've come a long way,but we still have a long way to go. I don't think I really ever paid much attention to the racism in this country until now. Just like Hurricane Katrina pulled back the covers to show us the injustice of this country,this election is doing the same thing. People that you never thought of as being racist are showing their true colors,and it makes me sad. Especially when I see someone like Obama ( whose not only qualified,but trying to steer us on a different and more positive course ) gets rejected because of the color of his skin. I believe many people who are voting for Hillary are voting for her not because of her credentials (she has none as far as I'm concerned) but because she's white. Believe me if Obama was a white candidate, as someone else said " He'd be writting his inauguration speach" right now.
Life isn't fair, and I agree that one of the core values of the Democratic party which always attracted and still does attract is the recognition that we don't have to do NOTHING about this. We may not be able to manipulate or bully people out of racist, sexist, or ageist thinking, but we can definitely all agree on basic principles that support the least amount of that in our lifetime. We can, in short, get on the right side of this issue.
And then, I guess, we're going to quarrel a lot about the nuances.
Women were quick to pick up on Obama's sexism. Many Obama supporters are quick to react to any hint of racism.
All in all, I think, history will show that this was really an historic race, marked by terrific restraint on both sides, and that everyone involved needs to step back and take time to feel a bit proud about that.
It's the expression of many years of Ferarro-like people that this race is even possible. And even the good Reverand has HIS role to play, too. May be a bit blunt, and I'll always believe that honesty without compassion is just another way to be cruel. And we have enough harshness in life. We need not approve of more. There is no justification or rationalization that will support the idea that more cruelty is the solution.
But the rancour of the campaign shouldn't strip US from a sense of pride, either. The Democrats are fighting it out with an AA man and a woman with a history...
Let's compare that to the Republicans. Same ole white guy up there.
So surely we could start from that place of agreement and move forward.
Serious question: Will we, the human race, ever learn to listen to one another and validate one another's experience of reality without labeling it "an excuse?" Why does everyone who is wounded have to feel shame and make up some rationalization just for sharing (vulnerably) our experience of the world in which we live? Wouldn't we all get along better if we could learn to listen to these wounds in such a way that they do not get so infected that we have to start wars to "resolve" them?
Serious answer: No, we won't. We won't ever get over racial, ethnic and religious divides until we are able, not only to HEAR each other, but also to put ourselves in the other's shoes and FEEL the other's experience. Hearing leads to understanding which leading to acceptance which leads to civility which leads to peace. Now wouldn't THAT be a change?
That's what I meant. Empathy is the key to stopping shame, humiliation, and violence.
There is one constant in this thread that reenforces the truth of our society, racism is so prevelant in our life because of who our forefathers and mothers were. That it might be "better" that it used to be for anyone of any "different" that white it is still not "same as" white for the "rest of them". Overt racism was accepted and huge part of society until recent memory when "the rest of them" were openly mistreated and whites said "they deserve it for not being white". I do not need to give examples for we all know of what I write. Out of that behavior/p
those who don't agree with the main idea of this article very likely have not read it. Which proves the point he was making about ignorance. Fantastic article, very well reasoned and very thoughtful.
Basics of marketing: One needs to hear something at least 30 times before it can permeate the psyche, but needs only to SEE it 7 times. How many times did we hear AND see these out of context spliced together video with audio???? "Nuff said??
Say what? What about that video did you not get?
*whew*....
One thing I give the Rev. He's direct.
All you republicans are sooo desperate to get Hillary on the ticket.
24% of her vote in MS was repug.
its really obvious to progressives . You and Rush Limballs think your fooling anyone?
Why dont you get McCain to come out and endorse her.?
What I've noticed about this issue is the complete lack of willingness on the part of many people to admit that the issue is one of perception, of personal reactivity, and is NOT a standard established as some big TRUTH. That's the language that divides people. I have the TRUTH. The Other idiot is just stupid.
The dialogue on this event shows just how truly unsophisticated we still are in even discussing the issue, nevermind reaching any sort of reasonable attitudes.
We all have no doubts about the good Rev.'s inflammatory words against Hillary. That was blatant.
The fact that so many writers are adopting the smug role of explaining how Ferarro "just didn't know" is completely offensive. My question would be: Just who put the idea into your head that you have all the answers and that nobody else's opinion is even worth considering?
I'm personally very glad the entire issue is out on the table. It's very clear that nothing much has changed. The same old tired accusatory tones are flung around. The same lack of respect for others is notable. The same arrogant attitudes of being morally superior are whipped out to assinate people of fine character. The same lack of attention to true lifetime records, true acts of championship, true acts of paving the way for others is minimized and tossed into the trash as though it matters not one whit.
And I'm expected to weigh the thoughts and opinions of someone with this careless attitude with any real degree of seriousness?
I think not.
And "as far as I know", you're not a Clinton surrogate copying and pasting the daily Penn/Wolfson talking points.
You are spot on about the perception point. It is the key to everything that goes on in our political dialogue. Hopefully, we can find a way to listen to one another that brings feelings of moral superiority and personal reactivity down, and allows issues to be resolved more successfully. I'm not holding my breath.
Perception and emotion is 80-90% of the voters' decision. Does racism still exist in America? Of course. Should we express indignation about it? Of course. But indignation does not win elections where it is not widely shared/understood by the largest voting block, white Americans. When I first saw the video of Rev. Wright I thought Obama's only chance to survive politically is to not only repudiate this man but resign from this church. Yes that holds Obama to a different standard than a white candidate would be held to and yes that is not fair but it is realty. Then I realised that the video was not from just a day or two past but was from the Sunday just after 9/11..more than 6 years ago. For purposes of winning the election it does not matter wither Obama was present that Sunday or not. Most white voters will believe he could not remain unaware of this sermon for 6 years and has chosen to remain a member of the church and call Wright his spritual mentor in his book which was written years after the sermon. The emotional response from white voters to this video will range from unease to shock to fear to resentment and no, a rational response might be far different but you do not get most voters based on reason. I now believe that Obama cannot win the general election even if he did repudiate Wright and resign from the church. It would be too little, too late.
Shirley Chisolm said that of the two handicaps she had: being black and being a woman, being a woman was the worse one.
But I think what Orlando Lima says is good.
Just wait till opponents finish off Clinton and turn the big guns on Michelle Obama.
Orlando, I don't believe Ferraro called her statement "racist". That was done for her by blacks and Obama supporters of many stripes. What she said was that, "he was lucky to be who he is" which implied the he was getting a big boost from blacks and new voters in the primaries as witnessed by the 91% of blacks who voted for him in MS and 86% in OH. I think her observation is correct. Just like Ruben Studdard, blacks have turned out in mass to promote his candidacy. They have been joined by many sympathizers who feel like this is an opportunity to right the wrong of racism dating back to the 17th century. You and I can agree that the oppression of blacks for many centuries was wrong, but that doesn't make Obama the best candidate to beat McCain in November. If you were championing Powell, I would be leading the charge, but you're not and Obama is a great man, but he is no Powell. Check back with me in a few years.
Colin Powell did NOT seek the presidency because his wife feared for his LIFE. Obama has a security detail equal to that of GWB at this very moment. So what changes do you envision will have occurred in the American mindset when I "check back in a few years"?
Would someone please explain this phenomenon to me. Every conservative that I have come across, in deep south, who can not stand Obama, they say he is muslim and not patriotic, always seem to follow it up by saying, Hillary I can not support but Rice , I would. obama i cannot but Powell I would.
Colin Powell lost his integrity by going along with the Iraq WMD lie. He will now be known as a member of the most corrupt and incompetent administration in history.
Case closed...p
yeah...jus
Although awkwardly said, Geraldine Farraro's statement rings true. Not to take anything away from Obama's ability, for he certainly is an intelligent, charismatic person; however, he would not be leading the Democrat nomination if he were white. This is not an indictment of white America--to their credit, they have shown a willingness to look past race as evidenced by their embracing of Obama--rather it is an indictment of black America and the unwillingness to transcend race as the exclusive defining issue. Does anyone really believe that if Obama were white that he would be getting upwards of 90% of the black vote? If you believe that, you're not just naive, you're stupid. Hillary would be taking the vast majority of the black vote if it wasn't for Obama’s color—that’s the truth. When compared side by side on the issues, Barack's and Hillary's positions are virtually identical. Race has been the defining factor for black Americans. A sad but true statement.
"he would not be leading the Democrat nomination if he were white"
True, true... he would already be the nominee.
"True, true... he would already be the nominee"
This comment so typifies the shortcoming of those on the left, you see the world as you wish it to be rather than as it really is. You're quick to lament white racism towards blacks, but refuse to even acknowledge that blacks can be just as racist towards whites. You need a reality check.
I gather you are math-challenged. You do not realize that African Americans only account for 14% of the vote? Obama has won in many mostly NON African American environments.
You point out that Obama has taken 90% of the black vote. Exit polls show that Clinton has taken a large percentage of the white female vote. If she had not, she would be out of the race.
And you actually have the gall to say, "it is an indictment of black America and the unwillingness to transcend race as the exclusive defining issue."
Since when are you the 'indicter'? You are exactly the kind of person that this article is written about. And, by the way sweetie, the 'postions' that you speak of, and I assume you mean the policies of the candidates, are not the determining factors for a President. Character, termperament, and leadership qualtiies are aspects that are evaluated in this choice, and Hillary Clinton falls far short in these categories.
you have no idea what your talking about .
If Clarence Thomas were running against Hillary Clinton do you suppose he would get 90% of the black vote?
so much for your Race as the "exclusive defining issue". bullshit.
I have voted for thousands of Whites in my lifetime, how many Blacks have you voted for?
I may be stupid, but not too stupid to spot a racist when I see one.
your right about one thing Race has sadly been a defining factor for Black Americans ,their jobs , homes, education, and status, and its people like you who keep it that way.
So you are saying if one has never voted for a black person that he or she is racist?Your right, you are stupid!
Well, I'm a straight-ticket Dem, or was, so I've voted for many minority candidates in my lifetime.
But this time around, that's not the issue. I had to choose between a female candidate and an AA candidate, and both groups are still vastly underrepresented.
This time around, I actually got to think about the individual's qualifications. *haha
Another ignorant statement.
Stop putting ignorant bull crap out there...it
In the late 60's, a black classmate of mine nick named Skeeter was intentionally run over by a white driver and killed in Falls Church Virginia.
I'm pretty sure that there were no charges or justice.
In 1545 my Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather was run over by an oxen cart driven by a white man...No Charges...
I am now convinced that Ferraro's words were carefully scripted.
Ferraro is a wealthy powerful person who was best able to play the much needed race card.
The proof is when she said she was the classic white woman victim.
They must win big in Pennsylvannia and they know that there is racism there.
i have the distinct impression that barack obama is a black protagonis
You missed the part about the local wealthy town establishment who own the church, the bank, the law, the local paper, the government, and the candidate.
I agree, ArchAngel. They put Ferrarra out for the first punch (of this round), and the cherry picked sound bytes of Reverend Wright for the attempted knock out for the intended message of "reverse discrimination" targeted to the white people who wouldn't have voted for Obama anyway. Even if you steal the nomination, Hillary, I will NEVER vote for you. Never.
The only bone I have to pick with your post is the 'reverse discrimination' part, and it's the English major in me rearing its ugly head. Discrimination, racism, prejudice are not specific to one group. ALL groups practice them to some extent. To call it 'reverse' is to imply that only one group practices discrimination and when other groups practice it, it's excusable. Racism, sexism, and all other forms of discrimination based on a person's color, gender, sexual preference, religion, etc are wrong no matter who practices them. 'Reverse discrimination' doesn't make any more sense than 'ugly dog' or 'skinny fat person'.
And if Oblahma is nominated I will NEVER vote for him!NEVER!
What about the other 49 states? To be sure, racism exists in every state, country and continent.
Here in PA there is plenty of racism and prejudice of all kinds. Sadly, it is more prevalent here than just about anywhere in the U.S. I have lived in 10 states in my 54 years and this recent turn of the campaign is making me physically ill. I feel like hiding under one the rocks recently vacated by all of the slime balls that have been showing themselves for who they are.
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