Jeanine Garafolo on Racism -- Why She is Way off Base

My first response on hearing and then viewing the video clip of Ms. Garofalo on MSNBC last Thursday evening was simply: WOW!

Is this what the Republic is coming to in the 21st Century? Political extremism has gone WILD!

Regular working class and rural, suburban White Americans must feel a bit under assault as of late.

How so you ask? Well, it started in the 2008 primary campaign with off handed comments being made by then candidate Barack Obama about "bitter Americans clinging to their guns and religion", then Senator Clinton started talking about "hardworking white Americans" in Pennsylvania as she desperately needed to carry that state.

Everything was about race in the 2008 Campaign. Former President Bill Clinton was deemed a racist red neck jack asem>s who didn't know when to shut up according to the media, political pundits and many black politicians for his comments during the South Carolina primaries. McCain was deemed a racist simply because he existed and was the GOP standardbearer. Once he picked working class, university of Idaho educated, mother of five Alaska Governor Sara Palin all hell truly broke loose.

I am so sick and tired of RACE. Period. When are we going to get over it? For Real folks. As someone who was an African American studies minor in college, pledged the oldest and most prestigious black women's sorority, was once a loyal card carrying member of the NAACP ( I did not renew my membership after the 2000 election campaign ads that ran against then Gov. George Bush paid for by the NAACP), started a very successful national organization for professional women of color, and I could go and on I am sick of the tearing apart of one set of Americans by their own fellow countrymen.

Yes, I am defending my mostly white (some Tea Party goers were black, Hispanic, etc.) Tea Party attending brethren because enough is enough. On last Thursday's "Countdown," MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and his guest Janeane Garofalo defamed fellow citizens who attended the prior day's Tea Parties with vitriolic contempt. Ms. Garofalo actually called Party-goers "a bunch of teabagging rednecks," adding "this is about hating a black man in the White House. This is racism straight up."

She is wrong and she knows nothing about true racism-having never spent a day of her life being black in America. I do know something about racism as I and millions of other people of color have endured and experienced its ugly insidiousness. It is not a word that should be thrown around lightly or recklessly. If we dare not stand in defense of our fellow citizens right to protest peacefully against our/their government then we are giving into a sneaky form of Tyranny. Race has nothing to do with the hardworking, decent American citizens who simply got sick and tired of being overtaxed and outspent by their government and showed up to do something about it.

That is our solemn duties as Americans. This freedom is what makes us the envy of the world.

I am deeply disappointed in the current dialogue that seems to be developing on the current American horizon. If we don't stop yelling at each other, hurling insults and names, and band together as a nation once again, then those who seek the undoing of their fellow citizens of a different opinion, thought or political stripe had better grasp firmly the old saying "what you gonna do when they come for you?"

Comments

[urnumbersix]

I see what type of person you are. Through your Deeds (not your words).

[jmpurser]

Every "tax cut" for the last 30 years has been directly financed by a implicit theft from the next generation.

Every tax cut for the last 30 years EXCEPT THIS ONE mostly benefited the wealthy and was done by white men.

So tell me, were the "tea baggers" protesting business as usual, not giving wealthy people a bigger welfare check, or the fact that this cut was done by a black president?

In other words: Are you and your fellow tea baggers really really really stupid or racist? Your call.

[Scott Jacobs]

I'm glad you think there will still be tax cuts.

I'm also glad that you think your cost of living won't skyrocket because of policies..­. If you think corporations pay taxes, you missed a day of econ.

[NFS]

It's interesting. When one of the previous bloggers called you out in a manner you found offensive, you sure went off. I seem to remember phrases like "How dare you!" But as you stated, we should respect each other's right to disagree, but I think it's a little difficult when what someone is saying/portraying hits home and is personally offensive.­...as that person's comment seems to have done with you. Racism or even the hint of it, is personally offensive to many and you can not tell people how to feel--whether on the right side or the left of a matter. We all hope racism and the spectre of it will just go away, and I really pray it does, sooner rather than later. If I may just add this, I also know Christians who are not only racist, they are also hypocritical--so being Christian is really irrelevant­.. The Ku Klux Klan (which still exists) was founded by a Christian.

[Sophia A. Nelson - Huffpost Blogger]

You guys win--you're right we should attack each other by spewing venom and calling offensive names--dwe should verbally assail and assault one another and just play the "race card" whenever it is convenient. Let it rip, but be clear this type of behavior is destroying our nation and our entire world. Just look around you.

[jmpurser]

Well, you're consistent. You missed it again. This isn't about name calling. It's about reality and the denial of same.

[IsobelDeBrujah]

No Ms. Nelson, you are not defending your mostly white Tea Party attending brethren. You failed to do so utterly. You have not offered any defense of them. What you have done is propagate the insidious belief that White people don't get to have an opinion on racism by stating that Ms.Garafol­o is wrong simply because "she knows nothing about true racism-having never spent a day of her life being black in America."

White people have the capacity to recognize racism when it is so blatant as to suddenly come up in the form of protests which are supposedly against taxation yet come complete with racist signage and happen directly after most of the people protesting got a tax cut.

I do not necessarily agree with Ms. Garafolo's comments entirely but I do not see any refutation of them in your column and I do not think the fact that racism is a factor in the objects some people have of the President can be so easily discounted.

So to answer your question, "When are we going to get over it?" I honestly don't know but I doubt it will happen until people, especially those people who do "know something about racism" stop making excuses for racist behavior.

[papapj]

Hear, hear..!

[Hambali]

Amen!

[spiderbucket]

We do have to admit and accept that racism and ignorance will always exist and that we each, despite our own best efforts, do have some biases based on how we were raised or our past experiences. That being said, it's typical that the Right want to deflect their use of racism to herd their followers to the polls.

[Irishman40]

Umm why is it racist to complain about the debt load being incurred under the obama administration?

[spiderbucket]

If that's what you guys would talk about - nothing. But you KNOW that isn't enough red meat for the rednecks in your party. No one is fooled.

[CanisLatrans]

No, I think the problem lies more along class lines than race lines-- it's just been easy to disguise because many times "race" and "class" have been conveniently similar. Poor meant Black/Hispanic, and that was that (even though it wasn't wholly true).

What we have now is a middle-class, lower working class, that has been utterly flummoxed by the money elites into thinking that a tax-raise on the wealthy is a tax-raise on them. The corporate types love it when we get confused and continue to think along the lines of race rather than class.

[Irishman40]

Umm simple question here,

why is it ok to raise taxes on just the rich? Is the thinking that its ok cause they can afford it? Who gets to decide that? How would you like someone else coming to you and saying I think you make too much money and I'm going to take some of it and give it to people I think need it more. And no, you don't get a say over who it's given to. It's the same principle no matter which group it is done to.

[MoeB]

Well, that's because the rich have been the primary beneficiaries of the growth that occurred during the Bush years. Middle-class incomes were stagnant, or went DOWN over the same period. Yet, we were having record growth at one point. Odd.

It's true the rich pay the vast majority of taxes in terms of aggregate numbers. But via fancy accountants and such, they hardly pay what they SHOULD be paying due to numerous tax loopholes. And before you start quoting me statistics about the % rich pay, that number is actually LOWER than the % of income they have as compared to the rest of us. I don't know the exact numbers (forgive me for being lazy), but it's something like the rich pay 70+% of all taxes in this country, yet they make upwards of 80-90% of all the wealth. Shouldn't those numbers be about the same if all is "fair"?

[ritenow]

Excuse you!!!

With signs like Homie Don't Play That, Obama, What You Talkin' About Wilis, and with most of the people demonstrating getting a tax break!!! Yeah, right. If it looks like racism, sounds like racism, then it probably is.

[Tanyars5]

Seeing those signs sickens me. For people to defend the actions of these people is amazing, JG was correct in her statements. I applaud her and I applaud KO for not shutting her up. More people in the media shoudl be so brave.

[Irishman40]

Here is the webster definition of racism: : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

How do those referenced signs qualify as racist comments based on the definition above? I'll be specific. How do those signs send the message that the sign holders believe themselves to be superior over blacks or other minorities?

I don't get that message from the signs. The message i got was the following. Slavery and jim crow in this country was visited solely upon blacks. The catch phrases depicted on the signs were made famous by black actors. Therefore, The sign holders are stating that they feel they (as taspayers) are being treated the same way blacks have been in the past. And again, referencing websters dictionary, that doesnt qualify as racism.

[KenGirard]

On April 10, 2009 a St. Louis, MO magazine (Go!) published a picture of an interracial couple kissing (Article was "Best places to smooch")
This managed to get 300+ comments, most of them from people protesting having to see an inter racial couple.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/emaf.nsf/comments?ReadForm&db=stltoday%5Centertainment%5Cstories.nsf&docid=753C255606A4FB8386257592006F846C

It is a very sad comment on St. Louis, MO. I actually thought we were a lot more civilized then this.

[robXdion]

The REAL issue with the picture was that it involved a black man. Such displays of black male sexuality is threatening to some white males. If it were a black female with a white male people there wouldn't have been any problems (see Hollywood portrayals). You would've seen several comments cheering interracial dating then.

[MoeB]

I live in St. Louis and am NOT surprised in the least.

[FightingTheRight]

( I did not renew my membership after the 2000 election campaign ads that ran against then Gov. George Bush paid for by the NAACP)

I especially like this.

Was that during the time Bush's supporters were trying to imply that his opponent for the Republican nomination, John McCain, had fathered a black child?

[Sophia A. Nelson - Huffpost Blogger]

I objected to the chain dragging commercial involving the horrific death of James Byrd and the Hate Crimes Legislation that as being proposed. Bush, who was then Gov of Texas, was blamed for this heinous crime in a very ominous and graphic ad run by the NAACP during that campaign. NAACP is supposed to be non-partisan--it sadly is no longer so.

[buddbo1]

If you remember the James Byrd ordeal, then you would know Bush did nothing, and said nothing to comfort the Byrd family. Bush refused to meet with the family. During the Florida ordeal where the husband wanted to pull the plug on his wife who was in a coma for years, Bush, and his brother were all over that case. They came together in a New York minute, trying to pass a bill against the husband's right. I can understand the stance the NAACP took. Sorry, you choose to look the other way when blacks are vitimized and there are no protests. You seem to only have the concerns of our white counterparts, M's Nelson. There are other Americans in this country who require your concerns. Don't be so bias!

[drumz]

Wow is right, talk about being the shoe on another foot!

Now that you righties are out of power all of a sudden it is the liberals who are playing dirty pool? I don't buy your phony narcissism either. Because the people that attended those events weren't just there for taxation; didn't you read any of the signs they bore? Get over it, you lost. Why can't you come to grips with that?

Disguised racism is what it was because 100% of those (excluding the rich Faux news celebrities) will be paying less taxes. And you don't have to be black to know racism when you see it so don't feel you have that corner of the market. And the fact that you canceled NAACP membership because they truthfully laid out what GWB was all about makes your train of thought suspect. I'm not a big fan of NAACP but if they upset the GOP they are doing something right.

[Sophia A. Nelson - Huffpost Blogger]

Get your facts straighht--I am so NOT a right wing, conservative, red-neck whatever trash you libs spew to change the subject when you cannot win an argument on the facts. My life is very public--google it--the right wing of the GOP hates the likes of me--moderate, centrist, sensible. Sorry your broad brush does not apply here.

[Garioch]

I did, I had a look around at what there is of your views/ life available online after reading this and you would only be centrist in the right wing context of general U.S. politics (which granted is reasonable given where you reside). In the context of the politics of the Western World you would be far from that and fairly far over to the right with an interesting take on torture which is rather immoderate.

[hankelvis]

I am not happy that the media supports hate and propaganda. The real story here is one of antisemitism and anti-Christian sentiment. Watch and listen to them closely. Keep an on them all. Perhaps the media owners are not from around here.

[gconners]

I agree that it wasn't "racism straight up" but it may have appeared that way because I saw very, very few, sometimes no, people of color. My bigger problem with the "tea bag protests" is that they seemed to be packed with people who are getting TAX CUTS! I was also surprised by the number of signs reading: "Vote/Throw the bums out!" Has American short-term memory gotten so bad that we can't remember "the bums" were just voted IN and took office just 3 months ago?

[Irishman40]

So because these people are getting tax cuts they shouldnt be concerned about the massive deficit spending that is occurring? Perhaps it has occurred to them that even though they are getting tax cuts, this massive spending is going to cause massive inflation which WILL effect them. Or maybe they feel its just not right to borrow money that their children and grandchildren are going to have to repay.

And yes Bush did it too, but not at this scale and not just 3 months into his term.

[MacManLB]

There will always be one black person who tries to defend the indefensible. Does Nelson believe that the calls for secession were not overtly racist?

[Sophia A. Nelson - Huffpost Blogger]

MacMan get over yourself--my life and my work in our community speak well of my life--what is your service what are you doing to bring about positive change in the black community? I am not Ward Connerly, or Clarence Thomas have spent my entire adult life fighting the fringe elements of the GOP to make the party a truly BIG TENT party-- I am not defending anything--I am saying that my fellow Americans have a right to protest and they have a right as do I and YOU not to be called vicious names in the process. Period.

[Tanyars5]

Nelson if people don't want their parties to be called racist they should not condone people carrying racist disrespectful signs of the president. Obama = Hitler....­how dare they carry a sign so disrespectful. You can have an opinion and it can be a racist opinion. You can have a protest and it can be a racist protest. Don't be upset when people call it how they see it.

[Irishman40]

Webster definition of racism: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race

How does wanting to seceed over massive taxation and irresponsible spending qualify as racist based on the webster definition above?

[mgray34]

Well I agree with the author's overall premise, however, anybody who watched the te.abag parties carefully, knows that there were a higher percentage of fringe elements who believed that the president was a sec.ret mus.lim, labeled him a social.ist­, fasci.st, and every other kind of "ist". They were calling him Hi.tler and every name under the rainbow. These people hide behind their rac.ism by labeling him with one of these titles. Furthermore, anybody out there protesting about their taxes drank the Fox Noise kool-aide because O.ba.ma has put more money in their pockets. If they were there truly protesting the bailout, then those folks were the only legitimate protesters as far as I'm concerned, but they were in the min.ority.

[Sophia A. Nelson - Huffpost Blogger]

I agree with you--I don't support anyone who calls the President names--as I have said 1000 times to no avail, I supported him and if some of these windbags on here would do research and read my writings for the past 10 years and during the 2008 campaign they would see I am a very reasonable moderate republican who stands her ground against anyone who is unfairly or wrongly attacking others.

[BuzzingAlong]

And yet you have offered no criticism of of vitrolic hate from the republican members of Congress not of the like of O'reilly, hannity, Beck or Rush.

[Irishman40]

Long term Obama has not put more money in anyone's pockets. The government does not create real money. Every dollar it spends has to be either taxed from someone or borrowed. And the way the money is being spent is going to cause massive inflation which will more than offset the tax cuts being given now.

[mgray34]

Well I agree with the author's overall premise, however, anybody who watched the teabag parties carefully, knows that there were a higher percentage of fringe elements who believed that the president was a secret mus.lim, labeled him a social.ist­, fasci.st, and every other kind of "ist". They were calling him Hi.tler and every name under the rainbow. These people hide behind their rac.ism by labeling him with one of these titles. Furthermore, anybody out there protesting about their taxes drank the Fox News kool-aide because O.ba.ma has put more money in their pockets. If they were there truly protesting the bailout, then those folks were the only legitimate protesters as far as I'm concerned, but they were in the minority.