Videos of Obama's Mentor

[VinnyT]

He is 100% correct that racism was rampant and accepted in the american home when his grandmother was growing up and it was the way she learned to be and that is hard to overcome. She was raised with obvious racism and that was typical.

Now I do agree that racism was rampant when his Grandmother was growing up, HOWEVER, Obama said: "But she is a typical white person who, you know, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn’t know, there is a reaction."

He used "is" not "was", implying that his grandmother is still racist OR all white people.

If he would of used "was" as in past tense, it would not have been an issue.


Ponder this: What if Hillary used "typical black person" in any given speech or interview?

 

[73 Jock]

He used "is" not "was", implying that his grandmother is still racist OR all white people.

Very good point, although the use of "was" could have also implied that she was no longer alive.

He could have also said "In those days she was..."

Next, will we hear "It depends on what the definition of 'was' is?"

 

[JaserST4]

Or what is was.

 

[73 Jock]

His point was it is not just "hate mongers" that are guilty of making the random racist statement...intentional or not.

A) He said in the speech: "...a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed her by on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.” Once = only one time. On more than one occasion = two times.

He said in the interview: "But she is a typical white person who, you know, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn’t know, there is a reaction."

This carries only the barest suggestion that she may have shown nervousness or fear at the sight of someone "she doesn't know" (code for black person, in this context). Perhaps she said something to young Barack, or perhaps she took his hand and crossed the street. He will probably have to address this again.

B) Rev Wright's statements were not even by a charitable definition; random. I don't believe anyone doubts that his rhetoric was consistently ethno-centric and anti-American.

C) Rev Wright was addressing thousands in a formal capacity. This totally dwarfs, in scale, the significance of an undefined "reaction" from one little old grandma, even if she is meant to be "typical" of a race (which, in itself is a stereotype).

 

[73 Jock]

"...a typical white person ...if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn’t know, there is a reaction."

Didn't Jesse Jackson once speak of a similar reaction, until discovering his followers were white?

 

[Perldog007]

Can you imagine what would have happened to any white person who would have tried to defend Trent Lott or Don Imus by referring to a reaction from a "typical black person".

We call them liberals because decorum prohibits a more accurate descriptor..........

 

[Playboypenguin]

Can you imagine what would have happened to any white person who would have tried to defend Trent Lott or Don Imus by referring to a reaction from a "typical black person".

We call them liberals because decorum prohibits a more accurate descriptor..........

It really saddens me to see such a lack of understanding from people on this forum. You cannot even begin to compare the two things. White people have not suffered centuries of oppression, hatred, and discrimination at the hands of blacks.

This lack of understanding really speaks to the fact that the people being so defensive and trying to turn it into a "us vs. them" situation have never known what it is like to be discriminated against.

If anyone really wants to believe that bigotry and racism is not a problem in today's America they need only read forums such as these to find out different.

People like to pretend that "today's blacks" have never had to face such things and that is crap. I am not an old man but even I can remember going to southern Alabama and Florida and seeing water fountains labeled "whites only." This was as late as the early 70's. I can remember growing up in a town that did not even have black families yet hatred and prejudice was rampant. Jokes abounded where the punchline was "Stupid n----- this" and "Stupid n----- that." Comments about "jungle bunnies" and "porch apes" were common place. I was taught that black people were animals and you would be hard pressed to find anyone in my town that would dispute it. There were many that might not agree but they would not spend much time be vocal to that fact. This stuffdidn't come from the fringe element, the racist groups, or the hate mongers. It came from the parents of your friends, from local law enforcement, for you own family. it came from common every day "typical" people.

 

[Perldog007]

Not centuries PBP, but certainly decades. I do know what it is like to be discriminated against having spent a good slice of time as a white man in the black man's world. I have also stated in this thread that I understand backlash prejudice and the mechanics of it.

I meant to point out the double standard under which we cannot find equality. You cannot bring one group up by bashing the other. Parity is needed for equality. Obama will not stand for stereotyping blacks and he paints whites with a broad brush in the same breath.

I would never pretend that "today's blacks" don't face prejudice. I have faced hatred from blacks and from whites because of affiliations with blacks. There is plenty of blame to go around.

My statement was meant to provoke thought, not place blame. Apologies if it was taken differently. My position is that we can't have equality with two different sets of rules. That is not equality.

I do understand backlash, when you push a pendulum it swings back. I know people have to work through things. Just not sure if I want a Commander in Chief who is in that mind space.

 

[Playboypenguin]

Not centuries PBP, but certainly decades. I do know what it is like to be discriminated against having spent a good slice of time as a white man in the black man's world. I have also stated in this thread that I understand backlash prejudice and the mechanics of it

Slavery did not begin in the 1900's. It has indeed been centuries.

As far as living in a "black man's world" were you felt the same discrimination...where would that be? Living in a black neighborhood or even in a place like South Africa is not the same as being in a nation where you are discriminated against for something you cannot change. No matter where you go or what you do it is always following you.

That is like saying you know what it is like to be discriminated against for your sexuality because you go to gay bars with friends and you are the only straight person there. You can always walk out the door and be free of the situation. The other people inside do not have that option. They know that when they leave the problem follows them. They know they are not allowed the same rights and privledges and that they are considered to be somehow less than ordinary people.

Most people will never know what that feels like.

 

[BoringAccountant]

White people have not suffered centuries of oppression, hatred, and discrimination at the hands of blacks.

And for that reason I sincerely apologize to all (black people) who were at the hand of those monsters (slave owners), it will forever be wrong...

BUT... not many African Americans or blacks today have suffered centuries of oppression...esp Barack himself. Yea, please tell me of the atrocities he encountered at Harvard

I know, you will say I am ignorant and that this is the "typical" white man response, thats fine.

 

[Playboypenguin]

And for that reason I sincerely apologize to all (black people) who were at the hand of those monsters (slave owners), it will forever be wrong...

Yes, slavery is the ONLY form of racism that blacks have encountered. Once that was abolished they were treated completely as equals and never had to suffer hateful behavior or discrimination.

 

[VinnyT]

So PBP, even though Obama wants America to "move on" regarding race relations, are the other races (especially Caucasians) supposed to give African Americans extras? Yes, I know about slavery, oppression, discrimination, etc, etc, etc that has happened years ago. And yes, even today. BUT, I am sick and tired of hearing this excuse STILL for African Americans to expect special treatment. Enough already.

And before you label me as a racist, I do have African American friends as well as Asian and Homosexual. I couldn't give a flip what color, sex, race they are. Why? They are regular people like me. They don't expect hand-outs, special treatment or any other BS like others may look for.

PBP, your posts read like it's okay for Obama to say "typical white person" because of past oppression. Do African Americans get a special "okay to say what's on your mind because of past oppressions" card? It's okay for Obama to say what he did, but Ferraro gets drug through the mud. Equality, huh?


We need to STOP looking at the past and move forward and I do believe Obama tried to convey this in his race speech.

 

[Playboypenguin]

So PBP, even though Obama wants America to "move on" regarding race relations, are the other races (especially Caucasians) supposed to give African Americans extras? Yes, I know about slavery, oppression, discrimination, etc, etc, etc that has happened years ago. And yes, even today. BUT, I am sick and tired of hearing this excuse STILL for African Americans to expect special treatment. Enough already.

Where is anyone asking for special treatment. That is a very weak veil for racism that has been used for years.

And before you label me as a racist, I do have African American friends as well as Asian and Homosexual.

I won't label you anything since I do not know you...but most non-racist people never feel the need to make that statement.

PBP, your posts read like it's okay for Obama to say "typical white person" because of past oppression. Do African Americans get a special "okay to say what's on your mind because of past oppressions" card?

There is nothing wrong with what he said. he did not say it in any condemning or offensive manner. he just stated it as fact. His grandmother was a typical white person. You can't attack the validity of the statement so you are attacking the statement itself.

We need to STOP looking at the past and move forward and I do believe Obama tried to convey this in his race speech.

Spoken like someone who has never been wronged and has no wounds to ignore or past transgressions that need to be addressed.

 

[VinnyT]

Spoken like someone who has never been wronged and has no wounds to ignore or past transgressions that need to be addressed.

Oh yes I certainly have. But I do not continue to linger on the past, I move forward.

 

[Playboypenguin]

Oh yes I certainly have. But I do not continue to linger on the past, I move forward.

Cool, what type of discrimination have you faced? Are you black? gay? etc? What personal trait do you have that is unchangeable and that you have faced persecution for?

 

[SecDef]

Typical white person.

Typical French surrender monkey.

Typical Liberal gun grabber.

Typical welfare recipient who has more kids for a bigger check.

How come you only have a problem with one of those statements, people? And you also think the typical american is somehow a midwesterner.

*IS* his grandmother a typical white person? Isn't she also a typical person? Isn't it human nature to NOTICE things that are different in you surroundings?

Anyone have a link to video of the interview where he said that? There is a huge difference between "typical WHITE person" and typical white person (i.e. I chose my grandmother when discussing the white side of things since she is not atypical)

Maybe too much nuance to determine in a transcript though.

 

[JaserST4]

He is 100% correct that racism was rampant and accepted in the american home when his grandmother was growing up and it was the way she learned to be and that is hard to overcome. She was raised with obvious racism and that was typical.

No, there was no nuance. It isn't a matter of taking something out of context. He said she is a typical white person. There's no way to spin it away. When you find out that he's a long time member of a racist church it's naive to not understand he's guilty of what he's accusing others of.

It could be that he isn't a racist but only used the church to gain acceptance, and votes from the community, and simply let something slip out of habit from being exposed to it year after year. Unfortunately his daughters were exposed to it as well. Either way it doesn't look good.

 

[RDak]

Playboy: People like Rev. Wright are hateful, bigoted and indecent people IMHO. They come in ALL colors.

People like Wright play on the passions of anti-white sentiments in the black community and that is wrong if the races are ever truly going to come together. This type of behavior comes in ALL colors.

Why are you defending this man or Obama's long association with him? I've met MANY black people MUCH older than Wright in my life and VERY few ever talked with the hateful, slandering tone he does. And they had it MUCH harder than Wright ever dreamed of having it.

They despised racism and hated what the whites had done to them but they realized that some whites could be decent. They were not excessively racist even though they lived through MUCH more difficult times than Wright. They are dead now but I assure they would look at Wright as an a**hole.

I, akin to Perldog, grew up in a black neighborhood in the middle of Detroit in the late fifties and sixties. If you think blacks are incapable of indecent racism you have your head in the sand IMHO.

We, as a society, have to confront these types of racists (both black and white) and reveal them for what they are - hate mongers. It's just that simple for me.

Obama's attending Wright's church for such a long period of time clearly shows he shares some of Wright's views.

I would not attend a church if David Duke was the minister. To me, Rev. Wright is a punk and Obama should look into the mirror and reflect long and hard IMHO.

 

[VinnyT]

Cool, what type of discrimination have you faced? Are you black? gay? etc? What personal trait do you have that is unchangeable and that you have faced persecution for?

Okay, so if I am one of these traits, I am entitled to special treatment or using phrases normally considered racist if uttered by a caucasian? Actually I am caucasian, so I have no excuse right?

SEC, I don't have a problem with the statements, I have a problem with the double standard this nation deals with.

BTW,Here is the audio:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2008/03/020088.php

 

[Perldog007]

Slavery did not begin in the 1900's. It has indeed been centuries.

As far as living in a "black man's world" were you felt the same discrimination...where would that be? Living in a black neighborhood or even in a place like South Africa is not the same as being in a nation where you are discriminated against for something you cannot change. No matter where you go or what you do it is always following you.

Again I have mis-communicated. Decades in my experience of dealing with backlash. Blacks have indeed had centuries of issues to deal with here. So have my ancestors the Scots, but that's another matter entirely.

I never said I felt the same discrimination as black people in America, because I did not. Backlash is not universal like our treatment of blacks in America once was.

No, one can not always see the way out of a situation. And when one is the victim of backlash it is for the color of your skin and you can't change that. Not the same as being a black person in a biased America though.

Still, white people did not invent slavery or build the slave trade all by themselves. This seems to be lost in revisionist history. Nothing to excuse the white players for thier roles, but slavery existed in Africa before the slave trade with tne new world and according to some continues to this day.

My point is that while black or African Americans may have different and arguably stonger motives to express outrage in the form of racial prejucide, we can't be equal as a people until we hold everybody to the same standards regarding racism and hateful speech, discrimination and fairness.

If BHO condemned Lott and Imus he should have likewise condemned Wright and called for his resignation. That would be demonstrating equality and even handedness. What the candidate did was only take exception to percieved racism from white speakers and excuse the black speakers. That is wrong.

While I agree with PBP on the root causes and agree that the black experience in America has been different and more difficult in many ways than the white experience. This does not make it okay for a person wanting to be Commander in Chief to show this kind of bias.

Trent Lott says something supporting Strom Thurmond's run for the Presidency in 1948 and the left puts words in his mouth saying that he therefore supported Thurmond's segregationist views at the time. Lott said no such thing, but Obama called for his resignation.

Don Imus makes a repugnant gaff in an attempt at humor and Obama wants his job. Fair enough, what about your pastor Senator?

Wright did say G-d d*mn America, He did make slurs grouping all whites in to one evil group, and Obama supported him. I understand backlash. I know why some feel it is necessary. People have to work through things. My preference is for folks in that kind of mindspace to keep their fingers off the big red button attached to the nukes. That's all. YMMV