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| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
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July 2007 Stats for The Big Picture.
There's no getting around this: Obama's a racist. Here's the audio, via PowerLine.
The point I was making was not that my grandmother harbors any racial animosity - she doesn't. But she is a typical white person, who, if she sees somebody on the street, that she doesn't know, there's a reaction that's been bred into our experiences, that don't go away, and that sometimes come out in the wrong way.
That's racism in its most blatant form. As a white man, I'm extremely offended by his view that there is such a thing as a "typical white person" and how certain reactions are "bred" into me.
Obama's gone to Wright's racist church for the past 20 years because he buys into and accepts the racism preached by his best friend, the pastor Rev. Wright, who also likes to preach "God damn America."
Update 4-11-08: Additional racist words from Obama are here - from his own audiobook, as read out loud by himself. He's an utter racist. Obama makes numerous pejorative blanket statements about "white people" - he thinks white people are all the same, and he hates them.
#1
#2Can you cite any evidence to support your claims?
#3I am a white middle-aged woman who was born in New York City and lives in a multi-cultural area in near DC. I have not experienced the thoughts and sensations you have described - even towards my Muslim friends and neighbors. In fact, I attended school at the edge of Harlem (122nd St.)in the ‘70’s and returning from work, alone, at 1:00 AM walked from the El at 125th Street to my dorm. The neighborhood folks couldn’t have been nicer and some of the local fellows occasionally would escort me to my door; I always felt safe.
My reaction, "It figures", normally is restricted to white male politicians who cheat on their wives - like Elliott Spitzer.
I resent your remarks. Shame on you! You are peddling hate; and no progress is going to be made on either side through people like you, or Pastor Wright.
#4Admittedly you have a case here. My question to you, is it really very important? So Obama thinks that there is a "typical" white response...I know many people think that about many different ethic groups. I do not think that makes him "racist". What defines a racist person in my mind is someone who attacks or discriminates against other people based on ethnicity or religion or nationality. None of us are perfect; our upbringing makes it almost impossible for us not to have some degree of stereotypical view about groups. So stop being so touchy.
#5It is an attack on white people to say that there is such a thing as a "typical white person" who has certain reactions "bred" into him or her. Obama is saying that the "typical white person" behaves wrongly, and that this wrong behavior is "bred" into him or her. The reference to breeding in particular is specifically racist, as it makes reference to genetics.
#6Again, you definitely have a point. It is a most unfortunate reference by Obama, especially his use of the word "bred". Also, at a time when more and more people are upholding looking at the individual rather than the group, it is very sad that he uses "typical" when describing the white ethnic group.
At the same time I would like to point two things out. He says reactions "have been bred into OUR experience" (emphasis added). He doesn’t say her or their experiences - implying that he is not free of the ‘faults’ he is talking about. Second, he doesn’t actually say "bred into him or her", he says "bred into OUR EXPERIENCES" (emphasis added). You might say I am being picky here, but since that is the whole issue, I think that replacing "experiences" with "him or her" makes a great deal of difference. When I hear "experiences", it communicates that the reaction Obama is talking about is a response to what people experience their lifetime. But when you say "him or her", I think that it modifies what he said entirely, and starts implying that the reaction is because of that persons race.
#7He says reactions “have been bred into OUR experience” (emphasis added). He doesn’t say her or their experiences - implying that he is not free of the ‘faults’ he is talking about.
For him to express a view that is equally prejudiced against black people, is equally unacceptable.
The notion that prejudice is okay if black people are prejudiced too is a horror that Obama has attempted to perpetrate on the nation with this speech.
It makes him, not the first post-racial candidate, but the first pro-prejudice candidate.
The word "bred" refers to genetics, no matter how he tries to modify it.
#8Aditya, I think you are making very good points in your parsing of Obama’s remarks. I have quoted a portion of our exchange in a new article.
#9Thank you for your responses, Vik. I am still not agreeing with you though. I don’t think Obama is a presenting himself as a champion for prejudice as you mention. In the speech you cite, Obama goes on to say that he feels happy that this prejudicial view of different races has been decreasing in every generation that he sees. I think what he is trying to communicate is the fact that prejudice is a very unfortunate but somewhat inescapable part of many people’s lives, and that it is something we need to fight against.
Also, I disagree that the word "bred" must refer to genetics. To me at least, "bred" communicates more about how one was brought up rather than ones genetics. And even though you did not think it was very important, I reiterate my point about the difference between "bred into our experiences" and "bred into him or her".
I want to thank you for your courtsey and respect during this interaction. It’s not always that someone I disagree with, is respectful.
#10You’re very welcome, Aditya. One of the great things about blogs is the opportunity they provide for people to exchange views.
Rather than denouncing the prejudiced views of his Pastor, Obama excuses them, by alleging that his own grandmother has prejudice as well. Claiming that he regrets such prejudice and hopes it will decrease with future generations, does not change the fact that he is excusing it - and even appears to be at odds with his excusing it. Indeed, since Obama exemplifies such prejudice with his claims that there is such a thing as a "typical white person" who behaves wrongly due to ‘breeding’, it is hard to see how he can claim to believe that such prejudice is regrettable or that he hopes it will decrease in the future.
#11Here is a comment I posted on another blog recently. I think it at least presents an historical perspective, missing from much of the commentary today.
"The comments about Senator Obama throwing his grandmother under the bus, while repeated with sufficient frequency to attain a patina of credibility, strike me as specious.
"I am probably a "typical" White guy, born in 1941 and raised in that context. Senator Obama was exactly right about me. He didn’t offend me in the least. I still remember Amos and Andy with fondness—one of the most popular radio shows when I was a kid—and I laughed along with most of the country. When Amos and Andy came on the radio, everything stopped. The audience was enthralled. The "N" word was frequently used, not on Amos and Andy, but in normal conversation. Go back and listen to some of the old Jack Benny radio shows—remember Rochester?
"Things have changed. I think, for the most part, for the better; though I am still put off by our obsession with political correctness.
"Senator Obama could have done more to throw his preacher under the bus, but didn’t. Although he didn’t disavow the preacher, he disagreed quite clearly with his racist views. To equate what Senator Obama said about his grandmother, and what he said about the Reverend Mr. Wright, is just plain silly."
Dan Miller
#12Yeah but Vik, you’re practicing it. Where’s your excuse for that? If Obama (or you or I) stopped associating with people who ever had negative feelings about anyone based on race, he’d be lonely indeed.
#13Yeah but Vik, you’re practicing it.
Please provide some evidence to support this statement.
#14It isn’t just ‘associating’, it is taking instruction from a hateful, unchristian and unpatriotic pastor over a substantial period of time. It is also supporting this person emotionally and financially.
The message was clear: Hate and distrust whites and g-damn America.
I wouldn’t associate with anyone like that, especially one who headed a house of worship.
Another thought:
Is it OK for white people who want to run for office to be members of all-white/restricted country clubs, housing developments, and organizations? I would wager that if such a person did run today, it would be a major stumbling block and he/she would be taken to task. And that’s without any overt hate content.
#15Obama is definitely a racist,he mentions his father in a positive light,yet his father left him and his mother at an early age,that is not steeotypical,or is it?I have not heard him mention taking pride in his white ancestry,the people who raised him,furthermore,it is racist for him to choose "blackness" as his identity.He is of mixed blood and his true genetics should be scrutinized.There are too many mix-race kids who choose the race that enables them to receive the most benefits,a form of affirmative action.If we are to classify people’s ethnicity,then we should do it strictly on dna.Tiger Woods is another example,he takes credit as the first black golfer to acheive the success he has had,but,he is mixed race as well,white,black and asian,so,it is incorrect to label him any one race.Skin colr does not prove genetics.
#16At the same time, it is important to remember that genetic differences between white and black people are, per the scientist quoted in this New York Times article, really only "skin deep:"
In fact, several scientists said, the new work shows just how small a biological difference is reflected by skin color. The newly found mutation involves a change of just one letter of DNA code out of the 3.1 billion letters in the human genome—the complete instructions for making a human being.
"It’s a major finding in a very sensitive area," said Stephen Oppenheimer, an expert in anthropological genetics at Oxford University, who was not involved in the work. "Almost all the differences used to differentiate populations from around the world really are skin deep."
#17Scientists also say that we humans have 98% of the DNA of chimpanzees, yet this has not done much to change most homo sapiens’ view of Pan troglodytes. It’s not really about genetics or skin color and never has been. It’s about how people think. It’s about people’s sense of their own identity and their fears. This is what has been on display here and in so many other discussions about Barack Obama.
#18The main point is:we,as the American people need a candidate that represents all of us and does not represent the people that only share skin color.Both Barack and Michelle have pledged,along with their pastor,allegiance to Africa and the black race.That is completely un-American.They both speak about the poor and how they will represent them,but both Barack and Michelle have never live as such,in fact they both went to prestigious colleges.He is way too liberal and communistic.If you think things are bad now,wait and see if this corrupt person gets into office!
#19Rob,
Your observation:
I have not heard him mention taking pride in his white ancestry,the people who raised him,
...is excellent. It appears to be far worse even than that. Ann Coulter quotes from Obama’s autobiography, "Dreams From My Father":
By contrast, Malcolm X’s autobiography "spoke" to Obama. One line in particular "stayed with me," he says. "He spoke of a wish he’d once had, the wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged."
Evidently it’s far worse than Obama merely not taking pride in his white, as well as his black, heritage. Obama has written about a wish that the white "blood" in him could be "expunged." This appears to be additional evidence that Obama is a racist.
#20I think we are at a point in our nations history,that because of his racial hatred,and the negative racial aspects of his candidacy,we may very well see more racial conflicts coming,than were seen in the sixties.If the "black" candidate had the assets and respect as someone such as Colen Powell,someone who has been a lifelong military man,who has sworn allegiance to this country,I would not have a problem with their chance at pulblic office.They must swear allegiance to The United States of America and not any other group!That is what John McCain has, and is the only one running for President who can say,he was willing to give all,he is the most patriotic and did give years in captivity for this great country.I just don’t understand why it is any question, as far as the three candidates left,as to who should sit in the Whitehouse!
#21The current TIME Magazine cover features Sen. Obama, as a child, with his white mother. I haven’t read the article but it seems that there is partisan ‘damage control’ and ‘spin’ being offered by TIME Inc. to counter the remarks Obama made about his white grandmother. Interesting timing.
Obviously, he is also anti-gun and anti-religion as well. In fact, James Carville doesn’t think Obama knows the historic economic situation in Pennsylvania nor has any grasp of the culture of most Pennsylvanians.
By-the-way, despite their great friendship, many pundits (as expressed on a couple of talking head shows the past Sunday) expect Gen. Powell to endorse Obama over McCain.
#22Jeez Vik, you really blow any pretense that you might be focusing on anything insightful or thought-out here when you start using Ann Coulter’s quotation of something Obama wrote as proof that he is a racist. In fact, you damage your credibility with any thinking person when you cite her as proof of anything. As anyone with sense realized pretty quickly, Ms. Coulter’s purposes are 1) to sell books and columns, 2) generate negative commentary from commentators on the left, thus burnishing her right wing "credentials" and 3) enflame those of far right persuasion, in order to (see #1). This is pretty what she is selling, in that order.
As for all your being shocked that someone might question the motivation for criticizing Obama’s comments on race, as my mother always said, all you have to do to figure out someone’s priorities is just take a look at what they are spending their time on. I have heard much, much worse said about white people and to me to my face and I never spent another moment on it because I define myself, I don’t let others define me.
The right has done best when it has appealed to common sense that can be universally appreciated. If you’re ever going to break out of ghetto of the right wingnuts and be taken seriously by anyone who matters, Vik, this stuff aint the way to do it. That’s all the free advice I’m giving out - spent too much time on this already.
#23I think that we in this country have to have an honest debate regarding racism, or rather, the aftermath of slavery. I am a bi-racial woman, with the honor of being born of a white (Irish, just off the boat) woman. Both of my sisters are blonde, blue-eyed Irish Americans. I am light-skinned black, with so-called "nappy" hair. My sisters and I have experienced a great deal of disparity in how we are treated, especially in the areas of employment and housing. Racism does exist in this country, to this very day. We really need to have an open and honest debate about how we see each other, get this issue out into the open and finally vetted, and move forward. Racism has negatively affected my opportunities in employment, housing and has, and continues to, negatively effect my health. Think racism no longer exits? Let me give you an example of employment discrimination. Saw a "help wanted" sign outside a store. Went in and asked for the job. Was told the job was filled. Sent in my sister. Guess what, she was hired on the spot ! ! ! Same thing with renting an apartment. Oh, I could go on and on, but what good would it do. Those who want to go through life with their heads in the sand will continue to deny the existence of racism. Those who hope to move this nation forward will bring it to the table, discuss it, and search for solutions. I hope to be counted among the latter . . . may God bless you all with wisdom and temperance.
There’s no getting around it all right. I know you. I’ve met you a thousand times. You live in a trance of your own ignorance.. Try to tell me that when you see a black man (or brown man) running n, the first thought in your mind isn’t "he must have committed a crime". Tell me that when you pass two or more black (or brown) men on the sidewalk, you don’t tighten up, you heart doesn’t beat a little faster, your eyes don’t move around, or become frozen in a straight-ahead gaze. Just tell me how when a black (or brown) man is caught in something corrupt, you don’t think "it figures." You can peddle all the delusional, self-serving nonsense you want, but in your heart YOU KNOW IT’S TRUE. Post this comment. I dare you, fool.