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.

Comments

[Uselessboy]

On the one hand, racism does not require setting up a power structure nor being in the dominant population. If you believe that a race is superior as human beings or if you have a policy of treating members of a race differently, that's full-blown racism.

But on the other hand, we have to get it into the mainstream's understanding that less deliberate prejudices and ignorance in a majority population are quite capable of making a society very racist toward minorities. Maybe the classic bull in the china shop image would be useful.

Ferraro is a perfect illustration of the problem. I can't know about her specifically, but I know many whites who say similar things who don't actually believe they are literally superior to blacks or that they deserve better opportunities or first chances ahead of blacks. But they have grown up continuing to benefit from the resulting society that gives them those breaks even when nobody in sight is consciously trying to run it that way.

The problem blacks need solved is for this great ignorant and prejudiced mainstream to wake up and truly level the field in all directions.

Many minority movements have taken the tack of labeling all types of bias "racism," which very accurate in describing the experience of living on disadvantaged side of the equation. The question is whether that's the most productive framing to use when trying to engage and change individuals on the advantaged side.

Obama's campaign for the most part suggests there can be a productive way forward if, for enlightenment and collaboration purposes, a different frame is used that has less chance of making people defensive when we need them to be receptive.

[EngineerBill]

What I like to do is the substitute test. I substitute somebody else's name in a statement and see how it works. So I am going to substitute the actor Will Smith for Barack Obama and see what happens, here goes.
"If Will Smith was a white man, he would not be in this position," she continued. "And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
Hey wasn't that fun? I think it proves that the statement was not only hateful but also stupid.
Try this at home.

[1849]

Preach on! I was so lucky when the Los Angeles Police threw me to the ground and accussed me of trying to rob a store. When they didn't find a weapon on my body, the accussed me of carrying drugs. They searched my body and found no drugs. It just happens that I was returning home after casting my vote in a presidential election.

Do Americans understand that people of color catch hell in this country catch hell? We catch hell even when we try to participate in this democracy.

Do Americans know that as a black man, I have trouble walking into the apartment building I live in (for 17 years now) because white people (who just moved into the building) think I don't think I live here?

I wish a white person could experience-- just for one hour-- of what I have gone through the United States. It really bothers me that I have to say this about my country but it is true.

[Tejano1]

so true. it's infuriates me when people who haven't lived a day in the skin of a black or brown person attempt to dismiss their experiences as "imagined.­" and if you point it out, your "oversensitive" or "unamerica­n." it's bullshit.

[cthomp7280]

Remember the scene in the movie "Crash" where the officer frisks the crotch of the woman while he stares down her husband, daring him to do or say anything? It's moments like that which keep me from feeling so "lucky" about be Black. All White people aren't bad people...a­ll Black people aren't good people. But America does have a problem and it's up to those who give a damn about a better life to do something about it.

[StephenJK]

Dude, at this point, racism is a personal issue. We, as a governed body, are TRYING to take measures which ensure a fair shake for blacks and everyone else. However, we as INDIVIDUALS, need to look within ourselves and reaffirm from within that we EACH reject and repudiate racism in it's heinous forms. Not everyone is willing or even capable of doing this.

Comedians know when I say there is a time, method and place for poking fun at stereotypes, all in good nature. However, when it comes to privacy, safety and livelyhoods of individuals, we ALL need to ensure these basic liberties without reprecussions, without repudiation, without discrimination. These are the most BASIC freedoms which should be afforded to everyone.

Even with laws in place, bigotry can still bubble to the surface and rear it's ugly head. We have to address racism within ourselves and reject, repudiate, marginalize and condemn acts of racism and language which is meant to fan the flames of racism. When we figure out someone has racist tendencies we should let them know and follow the protocol of reject, repudiate, marginalize and condemn. These antiquated views hold NO place in modern society and should have NEVER held any place in society as far as I am concerned. Newsflash: People were ignorant back when in a big way.

[nk007]

Orlando:

What can I say! I think that any thoughtful person who reads your post would agree that, you "hit the ball out of the ball park," as they would say baseball talk. Any one who thinks that a black man has an advantage over a wife of a President really needs his/her head examined. In any case, It really doesn't matter, what Ms. Ferraro said, or continues to say. It is we the people (and especially we the people that subscribe to the principles of the Democratic Party), that must decide which of the two candidates would best serve the interest of our country, both at home and abroad.

[klmebane]

i agree with you... this was such a well written article. the right amount of humor to keep it from being depressing and a brilliant use of the english language! brava!

[3rdCitizen]

Mr. Lima,

You make a lot of good points in your post. I'm always amazed when educated, apparently intelligent public figures such as Ms. Ferraro make asinine statements such as her ones about Sen. Obama, can't see how they were wrong when they're criticized, and then make even more asinine statements to defend themselves. Go figure.
As for the difference between "prejudice" and "racism," I agree that, if one uses words responsibly, they are not synonymous. While prejudice deals with irrational, judgmental attitudes towards members of a group, I take racism to be the use of institutional or community power to do harm to members of a particular ethnic group for prejudiced reasons. If that's an accurate definition, are you really so sure that African-Americans can't be racist? I recall news reports some years ago about organized protests and boycotts of Korean & Viet Namese owned stores in predominantly African-American communities, and even of violence against individuals who "looked Asian" in some of those communities. Was that all fiction? And if it occured, isn't it an example of the majority group using its power to harm members of a minority ethnic group for reasons that were motivated to a large degree by prejudice? Isn't that racism? Or did you mean to say that African-Americans can be racist, but just not to white people?

[mesuki]

But remember, just because a person is educated and intelligent does not mean that thay have comon sense.. Just about anybody could be book smart,but comon sense is a gift from God.

[sparkandy]

Do you know my daughter? You just described her. About the book smarts vs common sense. She was in college before she figured out how to boil water, but when she did figure it out, she could describe the process in five or six languages. If she could remember which one she was thinking in at the time.

[ipitombi]

Great humorous post with keen insight. Orlando man, you are a genius. Keep it coming.

[TwilightZoneResident]

Orlando, shame on you. How dare you so eloquontly and articulately espouse such a well thought and constructed argument against the bs that is passed around as enlightened commentary from the punditocracy. As another Black man in 'merca who has struggled and fought the good fight against the increasing obstacles and hurdles that are produced when it is apparent that success is imminent, I feel you my brother. I am not a racist either, but I doggone sure get real sick of seeing all of the SBA loans and set-asides that are for MBE/WBE all go to white women who are fronts for their husbands and daddies that have setup companies to get the monies and contracts. But then again, I guess that I am just being racist myself for thinking that more money, energy and opprtunities are given to refugees / transplants / asylum seekers / immigrants / expatriates / migrants / etc than those of us born here in 'merca who have greater melanin in our pigment. But then again, I guess that I am just another uneducated, shiftless, lazy colored boy. BTW, I sure like this thing called hope. It feels so much better than fear and loathing.

Just my thoughts.

TZR

[RogerHWerner]

I seriously doubt Ferraro wakes up everyday knowing she's racist. In fact, I doubt most white people do. Yet racism towards non-whites exists and so many white people must be racist. I'm a white male. I make conscious effort to never act in a racist manner; yet I know because of my upbringing and my association with white culture, it's impossible for me not to hold racist feelings however transient they may be. My first line of defense against expression of personal racism is to admit I'm capable of expressing it. This required my learning how racism may be expressed in subtle ways. Whenever I find myself thinking or acting in a manner that is subtly racist, I admit it and find ways to make amends. This process is a difficult one but it's made me a better person and perhaps more importantly, helped me raise my children in an home environment where any form of racist expression is not tolerated. When a white person has a black friend or hires a black worker, this isn't necessarily an expression of a lack of racist feelings. In the first instance, it's difficult to feel racism towards a person one knows well enough to call friend and in the second, hiring discrimination is against the law. Before American whites as a culture can begin to deal with the notion of racism, we must first except that it exists everywhere and affects virtually all no-whites; then, we need to stop making excuses and pretending racism isn't really "that bad." This is a bullshit justification and if rolls were reversed, whites would be outraged. With respect to blacks, white people must accept that racism is rooted in the abomination called slavery, something Americans as a society have sugar coated for generations. America will never get the monkey called racism off its back until we fess up our collective guilt for the institution of slavery. As a 20th century American, I may correctly argue that I am not personally responsible for slavery but I am also intellectually capable of recognizing that white culture bears the blame for contemporary racism because our ancestors refused to accept responsibility for the evil they perpetrated on non-whites. Rather than make excuses, I'm willing to accept institutional blame for slavery because I know it will ultimately lead to a society that is less racist.

[kramskoi]

it's not so much the slave history of the country as is what is passed on to new generation­s...what's learned in the home is repeated in the streets and if racism, prejudice, sexism or elitism is cultivated, then the child will absorb it and assimilate it into his or her belief system...

where most whites are given the benefit of the doubt, blacks must EARN their way...thei­r plight is always to be smarter and work harder to level the playing field...th­at is what makes the Ferraro comment so abrasive..­.

my daughter attends a private catholic school, which is predominantly white and the discourse about Obama is apalling for children so young and supposedly instilled with Christian values...t­he hypocrisy of religion has reached new heights in modern times...sh­e is white and so most think that they are safe when discussing matters of race in her presence..­.

my wife also hears it at work from less than savory women who have, how do i put this, a disenchantment with interracial relationsh­ips...and this comes from both whites and blacks alike...

I've heard it, through my wife, from her brother-in-law, who claims that "each need to stay on their side of the fence and that is what is wrong with the world...

I've heard it while working on a beverage truck with a guy who adamantly believed that segregation was condoned in the bible...

and my pretty wife has slowly come to the realizations that issues of race relations are pervasive and indeed alive and well, though hers was a sheltered but decent upbringing.

being bi-racial has its advantages because you get to hear the loose lips of those who just assume that you're white or black, depending on the situation.­..you soon begin to realize that issues of race are still prominent in society, and particularly in rural areas, where there is less interaction between different ethnic groups...

while i certainly "denounce and reject" Wrights' tirade, there is "some" truth in what he has stated...i­t won't be easy for most whites to discern it because the manner in which he has chosen to express himself has branded him a zealot in most eyes...and even if they could make the critical discernment, most still would not easily identify with his observations about race and class in America (from the point of view of blacks)...

you have to walk those shoes...em­pathy...so­mething Obama expounds upon in "the audacity of hope"...wi­thout empathy, we cannot come to grips with the grievances of others in a way that causes real healing...

i'm of the opinion that this particular sermon was meant to rally and galvanize his congregation around Obama, but i don't agree with the rhetoric he used to achieve his aims...i have less concern if this was something unbecoming his normal ruminations and i'm giving Obama the benefit of the doubt here...som­e won't be so accomodating, but i still like the color of his politics.

[jazzence]

Nuff said. Great piece Orlando!

Now, back to the issues.

[fouchnickens]

Thank you, Mr. Lima -- I'll be making copies of your post for all my friends who wonder why I left the nonprofit field in an area heavily dominated by whites.

[PioneerKing]

It is quite telling that Ms. Ferraro would not understand the magnitude of her actions. Ms. Ferraro is quite an astute politician and has been through this before with similar comments about Rev. Jackson in 1988.
What is of greater disappointment is the failure of the Democratic Party leadership in failing to stop the train wreck. One could see the signs that the viciousness of the Clinton campaign as it began its attacks that were purposely aimed the most base of human instincts - bigotry and racism.
Sadly, the Democratic Party, and their brethren in the GOP have played wedge issues to the hilt; which has contributed to undermining the social fabric of America.
The Democratic Party has gratuitously cast a wink and nod at ameliorating racism, through legislation, but the party has not acted to ensure a lasting commitment to meet the dream. Regrettably, the leadership of the Democratic Party has benefited from racial divisiveness and has failed to, substantively, be proactive in addressing racism and bigotry. Unfortunately, it is the politicians, the corporations, the racist and the bigots who win these battles of divisiveness. While Americans “…eager to move beyond the fractiousness of identity politics and to end the standoff between libertarian and egalitarian ideologies…” are being short changed by leaders who find success through the political expediency of social destruction. The leadership of the Democratic Party must to find its dignity and act accordingly.

[KSH]

I LOVE IT! I had to explain this same concept of "racism" - but it's hard to tell a person that has been in the majority in America for 40 years what it means to be Black in America. Ultimately I work 5 times harder (which I don't mind) than my white counterparts, I am on time EVERY single morning even though everyone else (all white) drag in around 8:15am every morning. I take note of it but I am not envious of it b/c my work ethic is something they CAN EVER EVER call into question. But I am always very aware that I am in the minority at my job. And I would love to have that race card to play next time I go to Vegas so I go in the trendy store without being followed around...l­ol I think things like that only make me stronger and more determined. Geraldine made a very dumb statement and her refusal only tells me that the Democratic old heads are not as "progressive" as they are! It's funny feeling to have that a party that you thought you identified with like family are saying "we only want you and all your baggage when you are voting the way we want you too"...It'­s a lot to think about.

[kindablu]

Well said, Sir.

[CindyV]

Your words: "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.­"

My words: Wait, there's never been a woman president. All the women who ran for this office before Senator Clinton were so thoroughly marginalized that you can't even call what they did running for president.

Both are true statements. One is not more right than the other.

[Tejano1]

how does this figure into what lima is talking about? you just dismissed his entire argument to insert clinton's name in here. did you read the thing?

[MsLiz]

Listen to yourself. You totally discounted Mr. Lima.

The situations are not equivalent.

Lots of white women have lived in the residential quarters of the White House. The Black folks have lived in the staff quarters.

As I said in another forum, my female ancestor was given two negroes as a wedding gift from her mother. They couldn't vote or become president, but they could own other humans (they were legally her husband's I think, but they obeyed her). I may face age and job discrimination, but the local cops call me "ma'am." Black men opened the door to my going to law school, and I have never forgotten it.

[AltonDarwin]

I was amused at the irony of how quickly Ferraro trotted out the meme that any media criticism of Hillary is "sexist" (her term, not mine), but that her comments which specifically reference OBAMA'S RACE, could never be racist.

I think the semantics game of bigot/prej­udiced/rac­ist is a losing argument with most people but concede that too many on BOTH SIDES are too quick to discount the feelings/emotions of the other side.

It takes a startling amount of self-awareness and introspection to navigate the byzantine constructs of America's race challenge. When it comes to race, everyone needs to move beyond instantaneous "gut-level" response and try to consider the opposite point of view. Every comment mentioning race is not "racist;" however, every response to those comments is not "playing the race card."