“The State of the Black Union”
posted at 11:03 am on February 23, 2008 by Michelle
So, Barack Obama is “taking heat” for skipping something called “The State of the Black Union” event. I say more power to him for finding a way not to show up at a racial separatist confab. The organizer is talk show host Tavis Smiley, who can put a warm smile on his face as he introduces “the honorable Louis Farrakhan.”
Here’s video of Farrakhan at the State of the Black Union event in 2006, still railing about 40 acres and a mule:
Sistah Hillary Clinton will attend the event this year. She won’t feel no ways tahr-ed:
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: 1 2 Next »
I was thinking about having a late breakfast this morning. This effectively killed my appetite. Thanks for the dieting help.
Sugar Land on February 23, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Right on Hillary . . . they’re about to march right over your pudgy rear.
rplat on February 23, 2008 at 11:11 AM
The racial politics aside, Hillary continues to kill her chances of getting the nod in Texas and Ohio. Whatever time she spends in New Orleans come off what little time she has left in those two states. Time for Hillary to put McAuliff on that mule and swat it on the hindquarters.
Limerick on February 23, 2008 at 11:16 AM
Michelle Hussein should read her thesis for them, about how the Whites on campus looked down at her for being Black. In fact, regarding her and these other twits, it’s what is under their skin and in their minds that is worthy of distancing.
MLK really had it right about people simply getting on based on our beliefs and shared humanity. Plenty of dumb Whites couldn’t get passed skin color, but there seems to be an equal and everlasting share of dumb Blacks that haven’t heard we’ve all moved on (plus Hillary).
Hening on February 23, 2008 at 11:18 AM
I had posted on the headline regarding the extreme behavior being focused on Tavis Smiley, but the link was pulled for some reason.
Basically, my statement is that racism towards whites and what is seen as white society is a driving force in Barack’s success to date. It’s wrong, and it should be talked about. Being black does not give someone a right to brand Tavis a sellout and make death threats against him and his family. The fact that this is just glossed right over is incredibly racist and is incredibly wrong.
KMC1 on February 23, 2008 at 11:24 AM
So, would Obama only get 20 acres and half-a-mule?
harrison on February 23, 2008 at 11:24 AM
On balance, I’d say Obama’s and McCain’s absence will gain more in terms of a perception of trying to unite all Americans than Hillary will by pandering to the tribal mentality. Identity politics are ingrained in her DNA.
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 11:29 AM
my favorite Fahrakan interview was with Asman on Fox News a couple years ago:
jp on February 23, 2008 at 11:30 AM
This is the same group that last yeat all but kissed the Clinton’s rear-end and thens aid Obama was not black enough. Good for you Obama. Smiley is a racist and deserves no coverage. He and the Clinton’s are old divisive politics as usual (which is why they will get steam rolled).
TOPV on February 23, 2008 at 11:32 AM
Obama’s “post racial” and knows he needs to be in the general.
dedalus on February 23, 2008 at 11:33 AM
Luv him or hate him… one thing Obama has not done is play the “I’m Black” race card. Matter fact, he all but was counted out by most “Democrat” voting blacks from the very beginning and was criticized for not sucking up to them. It also seems to be overtly dismissed that Obama is just as much “white” as he is “black” (funny in America how if you have one black parent you are automatically black but if you are white and anything else…well, you can take your pick and be oh so biracial).
TOPV on February 23, 2008 at 11:39 AM
Michelle Obama provided an insight into the black psyche when she wrote her thesis on how blacks always know they’re black no matter the environment. There is no guilt trip possible for caucasions to take that could ever make a difference in Michelle’s line of thinking. No matter what they do, whites can never lose the racist brand no matter what they actually think or do.
volsense on February 23, 2008 at 11:44 AM
Why not? Most of his policies are already half-@ssed.
Captain Scarlet on February 23, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity for Obama to point out what a “racial separatist confab” the State Of The Black Union is? Why not address that?
Pam on February 23, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Yeah, I agree. he’s using class warfare rather than race.
I have never understood this. It represents some pathological thinking but I’m not sure by whom. I know Bobby Jindal suffered a bit on his first run in the LA gubernatorial contest, but for the most part, it seems restricted to tne black/white relationships.
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 11:54 AM
Gee, I thought I was a hateful, fault finding whiner. But the Reverend Minister Farrakhan truly shows me up. I thought I knew hate but I don’t. The Reverend Minister has shown me how nuanced and deep hate can be. And he does that cool thing where it’s not coming from him, no, God told him to hate. I’ve never been able to do that. If I’m hating and the idea of God gets into my head the hate tends to get turned off. But the Reverent Minister’s hate seems to get strengthened by whatever God it is he’s talking about. And all the congregation leaped to their feet and went wild eyed screaming their hate.
snaggletoothie on February 23, 2008 at 11:55 AM
How come these good people were not wearing black KKK outfits?
Copyright infringement?
BL@KBIRD on February 23, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Dude, I broke a rib laughing when I saw Smiley’s face at 3:55.
Hiney Von Pewps on February 23, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Yep. And, also the Black Congressional Caucus. That has always bugged me. But, he won’t, because although he’s careful not to play the race card, he won’t antagonize the politicians who do.
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 11:58 AM
In fact, Farrakahn was happy to cite white supremacist propagandist, Hal Turner, for his “Boosh blew up the levees” conspiracy theory.
If you go to NAZI.org, there are reciprocal banner links to the New Black Panther Party and such.
Hiney Von Pewps on February 23, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Maybe it is because the government forces people to identify themselves as a ‘race’. What job application, or government census, form, jury questionaire, doesn’t have that on it?
I’m Irish/English/German/French (as far as I’m concerned), I don’t know any of those caucasian folks. I’m too busy celebrating StPatricksBoxerDayTagderDeutschenEinheitBastilleDay.
Limerick on February 23, 2008 at 12:02 PM
I’m reposterzing some things from the comments on Michelle Obama’s thesis.
and
I’d like to get some feedback on these and other statements.
BKennedy on February 23, 2008 at 12:04 PM
40 bellyachers and a jackass named Calypso Louie.
Barack needs to call the Mothership and apologize.
profitsbeard on February 23, 2008 at 12:06 PM
she talks like a brohamm better than The Christ Child does.
LtE126 on February 23, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Good reading: Larry Elder
TBinSTL on February 23, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Scots/German here. It won’t fit in those little form boxes designed for a check mark, so I just leave it blank. It’s my small way of putting it to the “Man.” While we’re on the subject, Theresa Heinz Kerry is the only genuine AA public figure I know. Not a good role model, but that’s just my opinion.
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Yeah….we need a ‘Mutt’ box….I’d check that.
BKennedy,
Hard for me to imagine Mrs O’s paper as being anything other then a ‘Seperate and Never Equal’ argument. Bizarro apartheid.
Limerick on February 23, 2008 at 12:15 PM
This was a rule created by slavery proponents to up the count of the merchandise without having to pay for individual slaves. Post-slavery, it was a social construct to “keep the white race pure.” In other words, it’s a concept stemming from white supremacy. Not blaming, just explaining, though I find it curious that some folks know about blacks enslaving other blacks, but not about this well-known and very American concept.
Example: in spite of her appearance, my grandmother never considered herself anything but black.
baldilocks on February 23, 2008 at 12:20 PM
On other threads, I’ve mused about the amount of good that could be done if charismatic people like Sharpton, Julian Bond, and Jesse Jackson could have used their leadership talents in a positive, unselfish way. There is a wealth of potential in the black community that has been wasted because of black race baiting, and that community suffers for it. There is also a multiplier factor when politicians pander to that. Rewarding bad behavior leads to more bad behavior.
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Thank you. That explains it well. I’ve never understood it.
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 12:23 PM
Your grandma was hot.
Hiney Von Pewps on February 23, 2008 at 12:27 PM
That’s right!
Praise the Lord!
God have mercy!
Seixon on February 23, 2008 at 12:27 PM
baldilocks on February 23, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Wow! What a stunningly beautiful woman.
I have a couple of pictures of my grandmother (god bless her soul) when she was young. One when she was 9, and one when she was a young woman.
I cherish them.
Saltysam on February 23, 2008 at 12:29 PM
I agree with you on the CBC, and find it the perfect opportunity to address the main point. Who better than Obama to put to rest all of the racism that is perpetuated by these 2 bodies? When is the elephant, or in this case, the donkey in the room going to be addressed?
If he gets the nomination, his attitude of “not our kind of people” will be questioned. The man has been a little too careful not to address the issues facing black America, and sooner, rather than later, he will be answering these questions. Issues such as education, crime, drugs, welfare, and family come to mind. Will he side with the “it’s because of racism” side, or will he address the topic head-on and demand CHANGE.
Pam on February 23, 2008 at 12:30 PM
“The State of the Black Union”
Events like this one only serve to divide America not unite us. Shame on them.
Zorro on February 23, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Oops. Didn’t notice the date there. Sorry for your loss, but I’m not joking. She was a looker.
Hiney Von Pewps on February 23, 2008 at 12:31 PM
Gracias (like I had anything to do with it). And she knew it, too. :-)
baldilocks on February 23, 2008 at 12:34 PM
I should clarify the “anything but black” statement. If you had asked her what other heritage she held, Grandma would have said Indian (American-type) and German. She wouldn’t have denied those. However, she stayed in her socially-constructed lane; that one created for those with one black grandparent.
baldilocks on February 23, 2008 at 12:38 PM
If he were willing to do so, it would certainly enhance the sincerity/courage of his rhetoric, but he would also pay a price exacted by those who profit by the present situation. I don’t know if he’s willing to pay that price. Guess we’ll see, but his wife’s attitude doesn’t make me optimistic.
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 12:43 PM
I’d love 40 acres and a mule. My husband could finally have all the space his believes his vegetable gardening should get without infringing on the social area of the back yard, the mule would supply some labor and lots of manure for the compost, and we could give some land to the kids when they get married and start their own families.
40 acres, people! Land ownership! Some semblance of independence!
Oh, wait, that would mean blacks wouldn’t need the democrats.
Run along. Nothing to see here.
Mommynator on February 23, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Yes it shames me to know that some of my ‘race’ are still in the old mold. But as I look around at the majority of my neighbors and friends, there is one line from MLK that, in my opinion, defines them, the ‘content of their character’ line. That is what gets under my skin. I stopped, I listened, and hashed it out, and embraced it. When I’m told that isn’t good enough I don’t get angry at the color of their skin, I get angry at the content of their character.
Limerick on February 23, 2008 at 12:46 PM
The practice of categorizing people was not restricted to America. This practice was put into use wherever Europeans colonized. If you recall that was the leading cause of the problems in central Africa. As well as, other Southern Hemisphere countries
As for this so called discussion on the “State of the Black Union” event; my wife and I watched it several years ago, hoping to hear some constructive discussions on solving our people’s problems. It turned out to be a gathering of Poverty Pimps actually solving nothing. They embraced the victim mentality with both hands and refused to let it go.
Their main focus seemed to be the continued flow of money through their own organizations. Any ideas concerning separating ourselves from gov’t programs and making viable investments (Not Charity) in the communities was soundly defeated.
Every year it’s mostly the same people with the same agenda. My wife and I vowed never to watch it again. I am not a supporter of Obama, but I agree with his not soiling himself by attending this complete waste of time event.
Zaire67 on February 23, 2008 at 12:48 PM
My experience is that the overwhelming majority of the top 10% do indeed think and speak like Cosby. Most of these are business and professional people who are seldom in public view and not widely available as role models.
Since the 60′s, the pool of inappropriate role models and race-baiting spokesmen has flooded, thanks in large measure to a wave of liberal politicians and media that demagogue racial identity, racial victimhood, resentment and government dependency, and a federal poverty program that virtually destroyed the black family and family values. This environment sustained the race industry, with ‘leaders’ like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, (and role models like the gangsta rappers,) who make their living off the backs of the very people they purport to represent. Whether these people are within the top 10% is doubtful. Even if so, however loud and influential they may be, their number is a very small fraction of that group.
If Barak Obama continues with the same dignity, decency and class, he may be able to set new standards for black leadership in this country, which will inure to the vast benefit of blacks and whites alike. As much as I disagree with his positions, I support his effort to transition us into post-racial politics.
petefrt on February 23, 2008 at 1:01 PM
If instead of LBJ declaring a war on poverty with it’s corrosive long term effects, he had put that resource into
cleaning up and upgrading inner city ghetto schools, grades 1-12, and giving black kids equal opportunity in terms of education, rather than handouts to their parents, the landscape would be entirely different today. I have always believed that formal education was the key, and have seen nothing to change my mind. That’s why affirmative action was so bad, it was a band aid approach, and created more entitlement mentality. Put all the kids on equal footing early on, and the present problems will gradually heal themselves. But, it takes political will/courage to do that because little kids don’t vote.
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 1:04 PM
It’s not just Michelle Obama, and it’s not just black people. Pretty much everyone pursuing a Liberal Arts degree in America is put through this kind of indoctrination.
A few years ago, I was in the computer room of a midwestern college – where students go to use the laser printer to make final copies of their papers. About half of the reports were on what I would call “real” subjects: chemistry, biology, engineering, business, etc.
The other half – nearly all of the Liberal Arts papers – dealt with variations on one single topic: “What is Wrong with White People, Men and/or America.”
There’s no way that’s a coincidence.
logis on February 23, 2008 at 1:06 PM
I just viewed the picture of your mother. She reminds me of my Grandmother. Unfortunately, she was of the opposing mindset. Only the children with light complexion were allowed in her house. As a result, only my 2nd oldest sister and my mother were ever allowed to embrace her. My last memory of her was in 1966 playing in the fields surrounding her home in North Carolina while the adults gathered inside to watch her die. I have never hated a person more in my life.
My mother on the other hand looks exactly like her and to this day has made it a point to correct all the wrong this woman ever perpetrated in the world. Life is hard enough without taking on the added “burden” of ones race. I through off that chain a long time ago and try encourage others to do so as well. But don’t be mistaken, when I encounter racism, yes it still has a strong presence in this country, I react with the fury of the hurt little boy from 1966.
Zaire67 on February 23, 2008 at 1:12 PM
Beer is in the fridge. BBQ will be ready momentarily.
Limerick on February 23, 2008 at 1:14 PM
I’ll have to take a break from my diet. Be right over! /invites self
baldilocks on February 23, 2008 at 1:25 PM
I note from your earlier post that you have little use for the participants in the State of the Black Union. Do you have the same fury for them that you do when you encounter white on black racism? I’m not trying to be provocative, but you seem to be more passionate in this post I quoted. And, do you feel that the effort to compensate for past wrongs may have created a sense of reverse racism among whites? Do you think that overcompensation or perhaps the way it is being done, may not be a healthy thing?
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 1:26 PM
Perhaps so. And hopefully Barack’s post-racial behavior is not simply a mask that he’ll drop either in the general or in office. It is still a heavy price to pay for the socialist policies Barack might enact.
BKennedy on February 23, 2008 at 1:27 PM
It’s my grandmother. My mom looks like a rounder version of Angela Davis.
Trust me, we had those in our family, too. Some were aghast that my mother would marry and reproduce with an African–almost as if she were practicing bestiality. The myths of black inferiority are learned too well by some. These days it takes a different form, as we know.
Folks-not-in-the-know, you’re getting a glimpse into black American culture, for good or ill.
baldilocks on February 23, 2008 at 1:39 PM
What you have here is a bunch of black bigots. Hate has always been colorblind. Fortunately, so is love.
On a different topic: Barrack bin Laden is still 100% socialist drivel.
By the way, someone should tell his wife that if she didn’t like being at an Ivy league school, she should have left and attended a historically black college.
Bubba Redneck on February 23, 2008 at 1:40 PM
Can I have 40 acres and a mule?
funky chicken on February 23, 2008 at 1:41 PM
I’ll bet the beer tastes the same. BTW, you weren’t self invited, you have front door key.
Limerick on February 23, 2008 at 1:46 PM
Cool!
baldilocks on February 23, 2008 at 2:11 PM
I would be interested in knowing what you mean with the first sentence.
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 2:16 PM
I’ve expounded on it a number of times, but one of them is the idea that any form of scholarship is “un-black.”
baldilocks on February 23, 2008 at 2:30 PM
No black person I know…and there are many…thinks like these people do.
SouthernGent on February 23, 2008 at 2:34 PM
That’s why his wife’s display was so troubling. Even though spouses often have different attitudes about things, still it might suggest issues of his own authenticity as the politician who transcends racial and political divides, especially when the man has such a short track record from which to judge.
petefrt on February 23, 2008 at 2:41 PM
The main thing is, Just what has Obamaboy accomplished in his life?
What are his credentials to be POTUS?
1sttofight on February 23, 2008 at 3:05 PM
So the two chicks on the stage would have wanted 40 acres and a mule? They look like they’re really suffering. As much as ol’ Louis. Now that the speech is over, he can get his soldiers back out on the streets beggin’ for money, after they’ve been hittin’ on some weed…that’s what they do folks…
DfDeportation on February 23, 2008 at 3:10 PM
Others above have alluded to the key role played by the failure of public schools from integration days to present. My hunch is that this anti-scholarship attitude arose largely as a defense mechanism to relentless and profound frustration with low-quality public schools. While it’s compounded by liberal victimology, the attitude remains, as you know, in direct opposition to the central importance that black culture placed on education prior to the 70′s.
petefrt on February 23, 2008 at 3:12 PM
Here’s two events that B Obama participated in that make it apparent to me that he was still a race baiter as recently as 2002…..which means his moderation should receive the same sketical view as Romney’s pro-life conversion, IMO anyway. The first event was organized by Michelle Obama.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/97/971104.juvenile.justice.shtml
http://www.uic.edu/classes/las/las400/conferencealt.htm
Keynote speaker of the second conference:
Patricia J. Williams (born 1951) is a prominent law critic and a proponent of critical race theory, an offshoot of 1960s social movements that emphasizes race as a fundamental determinant of the American legal system.
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=569109
funky chicken on February 23, 2008 at 3:34 PM
A few years ago I heard a long radio interview with the wonderful character actor Yaphet Kotto (sp) (played Capt. Giardello on “Homocide: Life on the Streets”). His skin is very dark. He spoke for a while about the harsh discrimination he felt growing up, and to that day as an adult, from lighter skinned African Americans. He said he rarely got dates and characterized this kind of internecine discrimination as pervasive in his experience. I was taken aback and I wonder if this is true across a wide spectrum, or if it is more generational or geographically concentrated.
horatio on February 23, 2008 at 3:48 PM
And if you guys find out where I can sign up for my 40 acres and my mule, please let me know, OK?
funky chicken on February 23, 2008 at 3:56 PM
I remember seeing, in my grandparent’s house, a picture of a young girl in a communion dress. (For those unfamiliar with this, it’s a lacy white dress, not too different from a wedding dress, worn by Catholic girls when receiving their first communion.) I thought the girl in the pic was my cousin, because that’s who she looked like, but I was wrong. It was our grandmother, who might have been around 9 years old at the time. Since my cousin was attractive during her “young woman” years, maybe grandma was a looker in her day, too. At least grandpa must have thought so.
Bigfoot on February 23, 2008 at 3:57 PM
This is too wide a generalization that in my life I have found to be simply untrue.
Nonfactor on February 23, 2008 at 3:59 PM
What a collection poverty pimps, socialists, revolutionaries, separatists, Marxists, Islamofascists, & racists. I’ll bet many of them will get Cabinet slots.
jgapinoy on February 23, 2008 at 4:01 PM
I agree with funky chicken. I think Obama is just as bad as Sharpton and the others, he just hides it better to be a “uniter.” No one who was truly a uniter would go the the church that Obama has chosen for his spiritual home.
This article goes into some of Barack’s background and has info on his inflammatory pastor.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/01/obamas_alinsky_jujitsu.html
The pastor, who is also Obama’s mentor, has said that 9/11 was payback for white racism. Obama hides the things that he feels will hurt him, but it doesn’t mean that those things aren’t there in his heart and mind.
squeek71 on February 23, 2008 at 4:01 PM
Google George Washington Carver, a truly outstanding individual. I’ve watched several documentaries on him, and still can’t understand why he isn’t given the same level of recognition as MLK, especially because his accomplishments were done under much less favorable circumstances and for less personal reward. He was the first AA enrolled at my alma mater and fullfilled his potential. Yet, he seems to be treated like a slightly eccentric aberration in the modern black world. I’m in the scientific world, and the scarcity of black scientists in my field is appalling. It isn’t because they are incapable, they just haven’t been stimulated early on. The few I do know are outstanding. What a waste.
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 4:03 PM
As long as there is a State of the Black Union, we will never achieve true racial equality in this country. MLK would be ashamed of his fellow blacks who support this divisive, racist event, and so am I.
fourstringfuror on February 23, 2008 at 4:04 PM
Because “Manchurian” is too hard to spell.
Nonfactor on February 23, 2008 at 4:04 PM
How convenient for you to think that Martin Luther King would be ashamed of the same things you’re ashamed of.
Nonfactor on February 23, 2008 at 4:07 PM
My mother works for the National Park Service and works at the GWC Nat’l Monument, so she could tell you more than me, but I really think the black community has largely ignored the enormous accomplishments of this man because he was too “white.” He was highly educated, and was largely a self-made man, two traits that are anathema to most liberals today.
fourstringfuror on February 23, 2008 at 4:08 PM
I suspect you’re trying to insult me, but even if you were, it wouldn’t make sense.
You’re free to disagree with my opinion, but try to do it with a little more tact. Just a suggestion.
fourstringfuror on February 23, 2008 at 4:11 PM
This sounds a bit unhinged. Is it a slam on MLK, the poster, or just a cry for attention. Would you go into more detail?
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 4:17 PM
I don’t have much experience with Nonfactor, but he smells like a troll. Am I right?
fourstringfuror on February 23, 2008 at 4:20 PM
The idea that Martin Luther King would be ashamed of a forum designed in the interest of discussing the issues prevalent for black people in America is laughable.
Nonfactor on February 23, 2008 at 4:25 PM
I thought MLK was all about letting character, not skin color be the criteria for judgment. How does Farrakahn fit into that? Or Michelle Obama, for that matter?
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 4:34 PM
Yep, there’s a bunch like him. Just don’t hear a lot about them sometimes.
petefrt on February 23, 2008 at 4:34 PM
Laugh at my idea if you want, but you’ll have to do more than that to show me where/how I’m wrong. I really don’t think MLK would support this kind of event, any more than he would support a State of the White Union.
fourstringfuror on February 23, 2008 at 4:47 PM
Martin Luther King Jr. gave more than one speech. His entire philosophy wasn’t embodied in the last part of his “I Have a Dream” speech. He was first and foremost an activist for the black people in America, and if he were here today he would definitely tell you things have improved, but he certainly would not say they are perfect, and I think he would be just fine with the idea of a forum to discuss black issues.
Nonfactor on February 23, 2008 at 4:52 PM
You know, sometimes I’m pretty sure it isn’t whites who are racist—it’s blacks who insist on keeping the alleged differences alive. It might occasionally be forgotten about by both races if blacks weren’t so determined to keep it alive. I’ve decided that there’s nothing whites can do about it ever that will suit some of them, so I’m quitting caring about it.
jeanie on February 23, 2008 at 5:11 PM
Fascism with a Tavis face?
Tzetzes on February 23, 2008 at 5:16 PM
I don’t think you can have it both ways. Either he wanted skin color to be an issue or he didn’t. Which was it? Farrakhan’s way or the “I have a Dream’ way? Tribalism or unity? Farrakhan’s antiSemitism or embracing all?
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 5:24 PM
I think it’s more a forum to perpetuate black victimhood and their hatred for whites. Have to agree with a capella, I don’t think MLK would have supported this.
bojack on February 23, 2008 at 5:48 PM
He absolutely wanted skin color to be an issue, but he longed for the day when it no longer needed to be talked about. The situation definitely has improved since the 1960s, but it’s not perfect, and it still needs to be talked about.
To believe that if we stopped talking about issues relevant to the black community race would no longer be a problem is delusional.
P.S. that’s the most obvious use of the either or fallacy I’ve seen in my life.
Nonfactor on February 23, 2008 at 5:49 PM
So, you really do want it both ways.
a capella on February 23, 2008 at 5:55 PM
I would like to thank a capella for carrying my water while I was busy making lunch :)
fourstringfuror on February 23, 2008 at 5:55 PM
I’m not the originator of this philosophy, and if you can’t be assed to listen to more than one of Martin Luther King’s speeches or read about what he stood for and how he organized then I don’t think you deserve to have it explained to you.
Nonfactor on February 23, 2008 at 6:05 PM
KNEEE — GROW !!!!!!
grtflmark on February 23, 2008 at 6:46 PM
Anybody besides me notice how much Farrakhan sounds like a professional wrestler?
“Once, just once, if one of you white idiots had the guts to get in that squared circle with me, I’d throw you into the turnbuckle! Then I’d pick up your scrawny body and throw you out of the ring! Then I’d go out and throw you back into the ring! And then I’d pin your shoulders to the canvas and ONE, TWO THREE, I’d win the Harlem-Intercontinental Title!”
radjah shelduck on February 23, 2008 at 7:31 PM
Thoughtful and thought provoking is this WSJ column today: Obama’s New Populism, by MICHAEL A. COHEN
petefrt on February 23, 2008 at 9:34 PM
Yes.
baldilocks on February 23, 2008 at 9:45 PM
Fact: Farrakhan was not present this year
Fact: Michael Steele was. He spoke about the importance of voting. He was well received and invited the entire audience to vote Republican.
***
Symposiums like this really don’t do much and are not very productive. They are basically sponsored corporate retreats.
That being said, I think that most Republicans still have very little concept of what the average African-American thinks, feels or believes. That is NOT to say that people’s thoughts are determined by race. Rather I think that most people, most Americans, still stereotype most African-Americans.
For that I blame….drum roll….so-called Black America. In much the same way that Christians and Republicans allow stereotypical images of them to persist, blacks do too.
Unfortunately, in the case of blacks, there is a palpable movement to maintain the very worst image and stereotypes of blacks. That movement is also the fault of …Black America.
The problem is that the left and right both try to attribute a monopoly of culpability for racial problems onto the other side. Each party has its tired “they are the most racist” mantras. How ridiculous. Since I am conservative, I find it more problematic when those on the right do this.
I believe this all stems from the immense guilt that Americans collectively feel about our racist history. Even on the right, there is a need to be public, vocal and adamant about one’s civil rights instincts and beliefs.
Unfortunately, in discussions of race as with anything political and/or social issue, both sides have bomb-throwers.
Here’s a sample:
This is divisive and revealing. The fact that Bubba Redneck feels comfortable expressing it indicates how pervasive his retrograde thinking is. More importantly, attacking a potential U.S. President as equal to one of our worst enemies is despicable.
I don’t condone the lefty-attacks on my President as a war criminal. I also reject any such attacks on a potential POTUS.
If I wasn’t clear Bubba, your language is problematic. You represent the old, dead, branches of a once great party. But I don’t worry, because the right roots run deep and a new crop of clear-thinking conservatives is emerging.
You’re low hanging fruit. Pluck. Chomp. (Spit out the seeds.) You’re done.
The Race Card on February 23, 2008 at 9:46 PM
Must be a miserable life, trolling sites, irritating people for no reason . . .
fourstringfuror on February 23, 2008 at 10:00 PM
Instead of doing anything, it’s always easier to have a “conference” and b*tch about what hasn’t been done.
(The catering is better, too.)
Harness those flapping jaws and a few houses could have been rehabbed with all the wasted energy.
They need to exploit their real opportunities not complain about the imperfections of the world.
They could have been born in Kenya, and been burned to death last month in their local African church by their black neighbors.
Or born a Hutu or a Tutsi, and gotten slaughtered en masse a decade ago by their rampaging black neighbors.
This fixation on skin color as a determinant of behavior is asinine.
Get to work, and stop yer whining.
Content of character, not melanin count is the point.
profitsbeard on February 23, 2008 at 10:33 PM
Muslims feel the same way about Islam/submission.
One cannot create unity from within the realms of division. First, remove the division (skin colour), then resolve the real issues.
OldEnglish on February 23, 2008 at 10:55 PM
grow up junior.
Bradky on February 23, 2008 at 11:05 PM
So Michelle Obama speaks for all blacks? Hmm
Out of the mouths of babes…
You might be interested to know that in the recent book by Bill Cosby and Juan Williams they both appeal to blacks to collectively pull together in order to help the community.
Yet when a group of blacks get together in that spirit there are some who feel threatened by it. You are one of that group.
Bradky on February 23, 2008 at 11:11 PM
Comment pages: 1 2 Next »