This story is so ridiculous and absurd that I was not even going to write about it until two names jumped into my head: Andrew Breitbart and Shirley Sherrod.
By now, we've all been witness to Breitbart, the conservative propagandist, using an out-of-context video clip to try and portray Sherrod as a racist.
Well, friends, it's happening again on a more low-key scale as conservatives look for more political weapons (preferably racial ones) to use against President Obama.
The latest has to do with an innocuous comment the president made during a visit on "The View" as he spoke on the subject of racial identity.
First, lets go to the video:
This was in no way meant to be derogatory and only the most obsessive Obama hater (weakly attempting to portray him as taking a shot at black people) would view it in such a fashion.
Mongrel is a word that can be interpreted in ways that are harmless and harmful (it's all in the mind and heart of the person who says it and the person who interprets it). It is true that in the past it has been used by racists as a weapon of attack against people of color. But, remember, a knife can be used to slice cheese or it can be used to kill. Obviously, the president has to be careful with his words when dealing with people who are ignorant or have sinister motives.
President Obama, by any clear-thinking person, did not mean it in a derogatory way. Instead, he was attempting to show that we are more alike than we are different because man of us have been blood of different races running through us.
BUT, why let logic and context get in the way of a good smear. Learning nothing from Andrew Breitbart's pathetic attack on Shirley Sherrod using out-of-context comments, conservative blacks have been on the attack against the president.
Like a boxer trailing on all scorecards and needing a knockout to win late in the 12th round, they are swinging recklessly and wildly hoping to inflict damage in any way possible.
Here are some samples from the blog Booker Rising, a site (one I visit frequently to get a variety of perspectives on issues) dedicated mostly to conservative black opinion (which I once had).
The moderate Republican commentator in Maryland writes: "I do not like being categorized as a mongrel. It is a ridiculous and insulting statement. If George W. Bush, or another white politician said those words, the NAACP, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would be all over the airwaves calling for a public apology. I am not part of a 'mongrel people.' This is not how you have a discussion on race relations. I expect better judgment from the President of the United States. If this is how he sees African-Americans, perhaps it is time for them to find a new candidate."OK, that is enough of these player-hating idiots. You get the picture.
Sandra Rose, a conservative blogger in metro Atlanta, Ga., writes: "U.S. president Barack Obama appeared on ‘The View’ and promptly stirred up a hornet’s nest of controversy when he referred to blacks as 'a sort of mongrel people.' For those who aren’t familiar with the term: a mongrel is a type of dog that is considered undesirable among breeders because its breed can not easily be determined. It is highly insulting to refer to human beings as mongrels."
The conservative blogger in Kansas argues that the president using the term in an already racially charged atmosphere was "retarded": "If I’m not mistaken folks a mongrel is a type of dog that is considered undesirable among breeders because its breed can not easily be determined. It is not highly insulting to refer to human beings as mongrels? Please if I wrong folks let your boy know. This is why dude uses a teleprompter because his [brain] is completely incapable of speaking unscripted. I’m just amazed....but not surprised I never thought he was very bright and even as I type this I continue to marvel at just how gullible or clueless you white people were in voting for the moronic f___k."
These people are doing the same thing that Andrew Breitbart did to Shirley Sherrod. They grab something taken out of its context without taking time to fully understand and appreciate the actual point and then using it to mischaracterize and demonize.
The only thing worse than a bigot is a stupid one that can't learn from the obvious.
6 comments:
Sandy:
You have too much time on your hands, don't you?
Since you drop into the BookerRising you should know that I punted on the "mongrel" issue as it is IRRELEVANT to the bigger picture that Black America is suffering from.
Though I realize that you would be taking this quite differently if a "President McCain" had said the very same thing I also realize that this is but another diversion.
As I scan your blog I don't see anything in which you attempt to justify the present 90% Black support rate for Barack Obama as the rest of the nation is at 47%.
But again THIS AIN'T ABOUT OBAMA. The more accurate focus should be to note that Obama sits atop of the same machine that controls every Black local institution in America. Despite this control:
* Our unemployment stands at 15.4% attesting to their failure to develop businesses that need skilled labor to help them profit.
* They control our educational systems. Blacks with degrees have an unemployment rate of 7.9% YET the schools that they run have failed to substantially increase the number of Black people who graduate college so they can be among the 92% of us that are employed.
You see Sandy - I agree that the mongrel comment is irrelevant. I am not so sure that YOU know how to promote what is RELEVANT.
I am not sure what you mean by the too much time on my hands comment. I can write a blog in 10 or 20 minutes while eating a sandwich, having a Pepsi and watching the Detroit Tigers on television. I don't need a whole lot of time to blog four or five times a week.
Your contention about whether I would perceive it differently had McCain said it is speculative and interesting, but your conclusion is mostly baseless. I look at the context of what was said and judged it appropriately.
What is the diversion, who is making the diversion and what is diversion from?
I don't get the point you're trying to make about the 90% black support for President Obama. Part of the reason I don't get your point is because blacks in recent history have overwhelmingly supported the Democrat party (long before anyone heard of Barack Obama).
Your comment about "the same machine that controls every Black local institution in America" is interesting, but misguided. Those institutions support President Obama. Whether he is in control of them is a matter of opinion (and you are very much entitled to such an opinion).
CF, I agree that we have major problems in America and I am critical of President Obama for not being strong enough and not being aggressive enough. But, this is not Bewitched and President Obama can't just snap his fingers and changed the world. I think you're mischaracterizing me as a blind supporter of President Obama. This, however, is false thinking. For example, I am very disappointed in the escalation of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was not overly excited about the nomination of Elena Kagan, but I support her right to serve and his right to nominate her. Those are just a couple of examples of how I am critical of the president. I criticized him most recently for his administration's handling of Sherrod.
As far as me not knowing how to promote what is relevant ... I find that comment laughable. Jeb Bush chose not to run for president not because he didn't know how to run for it but rather because he did not want to run for president. There is a difference.
Lastly, what is relevant is a matter of opinion.
I choose to write more on the cultural aspects of politics.
BUT, as always, I do sincerely value your input and hope you will come back to visit from time to time. I do check out your blog from time to time.
[quote]I don't get the point you're trying to make about the 90% black support for President Obama. Part of the reason I don't get your point is because blacks in recent history have overwhelmingly supported the Democrat party (long before anyone heard of Barack Obama).[/quote]
Mr Gholston:
And it is this faux disconnectedness between local and national that you and others cling to that allows you to live yet another day, believing that there is more of an EXTERNAL struggle to be won.
Let's get real man. There is clearly an architectural synergy that has been purposefully erected that runs from the local Black community, through the state government and now up to the US Congress and Senate. Period.
You only need to go replay the tape from Bayard Ruskin back in 1968 after King's murder in which he spoke about the agreed upon strategy that the Black leadership had coalesced around:
* The Black community would seek to improve the lives of our people by gaining POWER over our community, through the DEMOCRATIC PARTY, promoting it through the various rungs of government.
Come on man. You are smarter than this.
With so many of the "Mission Accomplished" signs up you now appear to want to run away from the accountability that naturally comes along with such increasing control.
If you indeed follow Booker Rising and my own blog "withintheblackcommunity.blogspot.com" you would see my special focus on Clayton and Dekalb County GA. Regardless of the bloodletting that the various Democratic factions that run both of these counties have LOCALLY - they always seem to come together to VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRATS at the state and national level.
Our community has no innate check and balance system by which the embedded operatives who sell us upon a prescription can have the EFFICACY of what they market to us be tested. Instead they go into the government building, show us the portraits upon the wall and expect us to be PROUD of what we see. Hoping that this moment of pride will cause us to look past the depressing situation upon the streets which have fallen short of what we were sold.
You had better believe that there is a connectedness in all of these operatives. The are the BLACK ESTABLISHMENT powers that conspire together.
Out of all of the 10 components of the Black Establishment THE BLACK PRESS and its FAILURE to challenge the other operatives that it is in bed with to deliver upon our PERMANENT INTERESTS is the most disappointing.
http://withintheblackcommunity.blogspot.com/2010/07/dewayne-wickham-and-disconnectedness-of.html
i think it's interesting that constructive feedback talks about you having too much time on your hands when this person writes like the world is coming to an end within the next week.
CF: And it is this faux disconnectedness between local and national that you and others cling to that allows you to live yet another day, believing that there is more of an EXTERNAL struggle to be won.
You have this interesting habits of jumping to conclusions based on relatively meager evidence. i am not sure how you are able to draw such a conclusion about me based upon some of the topics I choose to write about in Best Seat In The House. Of course empowerment begins within. That is obvious. But, once again, this all gets away from the central point of the original post.
Back on topic I think it is kind of ironic to see people too idiotic to learn from what that right wing freak Breitbart did to Shirley Sherrod.
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