re: #162 Charles

This is an actual discussion I had in the comments section on my facebook page in relation to posting the Dowd Article.

Jeff
let me clarify, like him or not, not every criticism of Obama is racial, and this wasn’t either. This is just as bad as what Wilson did, if not worse for discourse.

Erik
‘Race Card’ cannot be played here. Sorry. Although Joe Wilson is corporate shill, with Big Pharma lobbyists & constituents to please to ensure his yacht payments, It’s an absurd stretch to paint Wilson’s outburst as racist… Especially in the face of Obama’s blatant lies so far: Out of Iraq? No earmarks or rushed bills? No Lobbyists in the White House? White House transparency? Hold Bush Criminals accountable? Etc. Liars and corporate frontmen come in all shapes and colors brother.

Marquis
I think what we have here is a situation that is difficult to explain to people who… Read More’ve never experienced it. What Joe Wilson did wasn’t consciously “racist.” You’re absolutely right about that. Joe Wilson HAS EVERY RIGHT to disagree with the President and has every Right to call the President a “Liar” at any time he pleases EXCEPT when the established rules of decorum of the office that Joe Wilson holds says he should do other wise.

I can’t/won’t get into the psyche of Joe Wilson. BUT there are certain circles that don’t respect Obama as President. When you get Saxby Chambliss saying “I think he’s going to have to express some humility based on what we’ve seen around the country here in August, and that’s not his inclination.” Many black people could hear the words “Uppity Negro” in the subtext.

Again, Saxby might not have meant it that way but we sure did read it that way.

The challenge is to help you understand “unconscious racism.” It… Read More’s a racism that is mostly seen by minorities that have achieved a level of success. Its when you tell someone where you graduated from and they congratulate you and say that they support affirmative action for that very reason. They’re trying to offer praise but unconsciously they believe I got helped by the system and not because I got straight A’s in high school and 1400 on my SAT. Its when two impeccably dressed men, one white one black are having a business lunch and the waiter brings the check to the white side because they assume he’s in charge (when it was actually the other way around). The server isn’t racist, there just are some preconceptions that are in his mind.

To Reiterate! Joe Wilson was not trying to be a racist or make a racist remark when he yelled at the President. BUT the fact that he did can lead a great many people to the conclusion that IN THE MOMENT he felt what he was doing was fine and justified. For a split second he didn… Read More’t see the President of the United States he saw a guy fit to be yelled at. That could be completely wrong, but to take into account that Joe Wilson comes from South Carolina where black people in many places are expected to know their place. South Carolina where the Confederate Flag still flies and Joe Wilson belongs to the organization dedicated to making sure it stays that way. The same Joe Wilson that was forced to apologize after he wrongly attacked Essie Mae Washington-Williams after she came forward as the illegitimate black daughter of Strom Thurmond.