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Racism in the Republican Party
Seth Wenig / AP Photo
The GOP chairman’s comment that some white Republicans are afraid of him is just the latest reminder that our politics are hardly post-racial. Conor Friedersdorf on how the GOP can repair its image—and the myths the left perpetuates.
Did you hear the one about the Republican National Committee Chairman who agreed that whites in his party are afraid of talking to black people?
No joke.
“I've been in the room and they've been scared of me," Michael Steele said. His unusual remark is the latest instance of Republican attitudes toward race making national headlines—and causing a headache for GOP officials, who are constantly trying to reverse the perception that their party is hostile to minorities.
The right should rethink its ideological commitment to the notion that racism isn’t a real problem in America anymore, even if they disagree about how it should be fought; and the left should alleviate suspicion that race is being used as an ideological cudgel by helping to stigmatize those who frivolously play the race card.
The single time the news media obsessed about racism in the Democratic Party came during the Election ‘08 primary, when several Hillary Clinton supporters in states like West Virginia were seen on YouTube, during television interviews, and on The Daily Show saying bigoted things about Barack Obama. Soon Bill Clinton himself, sometimes praised in liberal circles as “our first black president,” found himself accused of racially questionable remarks. I wouldn’t put any politically advantageous trick past Slick Willie, but I never imagined that I’d see him being called on multicultural insensitivities as though he were a Republican pol.
In the more familiar narrative, the Republican Party is cast on the wrong side of racial issues. The reputation isn’t entirely undeserved: luminaries William F. Buckley and Barry Goldwater wrongly opposed key civil rights advances, for example. And even loyalists who defend Richard Nixon’s Southern Strategy can hardly abide his racist remarks about blacks and Jews.
Today’s GOP is much improved, Confederate flag loving politicos notwithstanding. Say what you will about George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Sarah Palin, but none are on the wrong side of America’s historic racial divide—just as your typical high-ranking Republican official, asked what he thinks about race, now reflexively invokes Martin Luther King’s ideal of color blindness.
That’s progress!
I’d bet dollars to Freedom Fries that racial bigotry in America is now correlated with age, education level and region far more closely than political affiliation. Every so often, however, somewhere in America, a local GOP official or rank-and-file Republican disseminates an image of Barack Obama with a bone through his nose, or a drawing of a watermelon patch on the White House lawn, or most recently, a fried-chicken eating POTUS on a poster with a subhead denouncing miscegenation.
What gives? How should the Republican Party deal with these situations? Probably your answer depends on whether you believe that the GOP is substantially racist, or that these incidents are anomalies—the lamentable behavior of an anachronistic subset of the party.
Among the many Republicans I’ve known and with whom I’ve interacted, racism is very much the exception. Granted, I’ve lived only in few coastal American cities. Beyond them, I don’t know what the average Republican is like (or the average Democrat, for that matter).
Luckily, it hardly requires assessing the souls of party faithful to see that the GOP can better navigate racial issues, and that all Americans can help, not because they’re eager to advantage either party, but because a society where there are fewer racial gaffes, less racial tension and less racism is one that benefits us all.
Consider a survey I recently sent to GOP County Chairmen all across the United States. “As the right thinks about political strategy and policy,” I asked, “how should it approach matters of race?” An almost unanimous feature of the several dozen replies I’ve gotten is that racism is abhorrent and wrong—and an accompanying belief that accusations of racism are often, if not always, cynical ploys by liberals who are using the charge as a political cudgel against innocent ideological adversaries.
It’s a belief I’ve encountered many times, its adherents citing the same examples as evidence: Al Sharpton making multiple, demonstrably false accusations of racism; the OJ Simpson defense team’s conspiracy theories; the Duke Lacrosse team’s nightmarish run-in with a rogue prosecutor hungry for black votes; and most recently, the ACORN accusation that its critics just hate that it helps poor black people. Add to that list the numerous faked hate crimes of recent vintage: the power and attention that accrues to certain kinds of racial victimhood creates a powerful incentive to exploit matters.
Of course, none of that changes the fact that real instances of racism remain by far a more frequent, pervasive, and damaging feature of American life. Don’t think about your family, or your company, or your neighborhood. Ask yourself, should you wonder whether race still matters, if you’d rather risk transporting 30 pounds of medical marijuana across Los Angeles, California as a white man or a black man. Or what race you’d choose if about to be put before a jury and accused of a violent crime you didn’t commit: Japanese American or Mexican American? Or the ethnicity you’d bet on having a successful job interview at a midsized company in an unfamiliar rural town, an Arab American or an American of Scots-Irish lineage?
If the left’s racial blind spot is a weird inability to see how frightened many Americans are that they’ll be wrongly stigmatized, victimized or exploited via faux racial grievances or political correctness—and how disgusted they are upon seeing it happen to others – the tangentially related shortcoming on the right is a startling lack of perspective: a blindness to the racial injustice still endured by some minorities; their understandable alienation when they see folks mockingly doubt the notion that racism still exists; the antagonism they feel when even reasonable politically correct taboos are violated for the sake of juvenile talk radio skits.
I’ve lately followed a debate about how powerful accusations of racism are in American society. They prevent us from talking about racial wrongs in all but the most extreme instances, some liberals argue. Perhaps it would be better, they say, if less of a stigma were attached to racism—if the accusation didn’t have the power to end careers and ruin reputations—but if in the bargain, folks could more often call others out on their bad behavior, even when the circumstances aren’t extreme.
I’d prefer to preserve the gains made since the stigma against racism became powerful enough to banish it from polite company. Thus an alternative solution: the right should rethink its ideological commitment to the notion that racism isn’t a real problem in America anymore, even if they disagree about how it should be fought; and the left should alleviate suspicion that race is being used as an ideological cudgel by helping to stigmatize those who frivolously play the race card. That dirty maneuver effectively scares minorities into believing that they are victimized more often than is in fact the case—and it causes a corrosive skepticism toward the many actual victims of racism that remain among us.
One needn’t choose whether to be a lefty fighting against racism, or a righty fighting against false claims thereof. Do both!
The projects are complementary. Count it a blessing. How often does that happen?
Conor Friedersdorf, a Daily Beast columnist, also writes for The American Scene and The Atlantic Online's ideas blog.
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case1234
First of all, how many Republicans refer to Steele as their leader? I haven't met one yet.
Also, Conor mentioned the "Southern Strategy" but does not fully appreciate its affect and impact. The deep South was dominated by this strategy for the last 3 decades. First affecting national elections then tricking down to eliminate Dems at city and county levels. One would have to live in the south to fully appreciate the power of the innuendo, contempt and fearmongering that was used to win elections.
This strategy first shown its weakness with Obamas election. The southern GOP deliberately alienated AAs in their region of highest concentration. If southern whites don't vote GOP at 80% rates serveral southern states suddenly become winnable for the Dems, hence VA, NC. Even GA approached swing status in 2008.
DeeAmbro
It's not even just the south. I live in California, and have relatives in New York and Florida. I'm appalled at the things coming out of their mouths. What do they all have in common? They listen to Rush or watch Fake News. But which came first? Do people join the Teabaggers because they're racist or do they become racist after joining the Teabaggers? Whatever, it's been deeply disturbing to me to see 50 years of progress on race relations flushed down the toilet by a few powerful right wing media elitists.
nightdragon09
I like how you are "appalled" at what comes out of your relatives' mouths, and then you bring "tea-bagging" into the mix like a typical leftist. You guys really should seek therapy, because you all have a very unhealthy obsession with that word. Either that, or you are just projecting your own issues on to others because you can't come to grips with the fact that Obama's chocolate munchkins are completely engulfed in your mouth.
Also, "it's been deeply disturbing to you to see 50 years of progress on race relations flushed down the toilet by a few powerful right wing media elitists"??? I guess you must have missed that infamous "beer summit" this past summer, which had absolutely nothing to do "powerful right wing media elitists" and everything to do with the fact that our beloved Commander in Chief caught a bad case of Joe Biden's foot-in-mouth disease.
And since you are so concerned with the deterioration of "race relations" in the US these days... I'm sure you were all over the this little news tidbit today, am I right?
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/prof_busted_in_columbia_gal_punch_Jm sXQ3NzaAt8uG6uUySGTN
Switch that story around to say "White guy punches black woman", and it'll replace Fort Hood (if something else hasn't already) as the #1 news story of the day... but as it stands, since a black guy punched a white woman... nope, nothing to see here folks, move along!
stjam8
nightdragon09: I have seen several people at teaparty rallys with tea bags hanging from their hats. So, if teaparty people find that being called a teabagger offensive, they should not wear teabags. Since tea party people have no problem with calling our President hilter, stalin and mao, etc., who knew they were so sensitive. Then you had to go and say Obama's chocolate munchkins, and lost any creditability. But if I say that is a racial term, the typical GOP response will be to say I played the race card, talk about projecting. That has been the modus operandi of the GOP. They seem to think that unless they have actually used the" n word" they are innocent of racism. But apparently they feel using the word chocolate ok.
Downriver
I had hoped, and it seemed for a while, last November's election would bring the country together. I was wrong, the country is more polarized than ever, and closet racists like nightdragon are empowered and somehow think they are not transparently, obviously, just bigots.
DeeAmbro
Really, it's hysterical! You call yourselves Teabaggers! Of course, we think it's amusing that no-one thought to google that word before adopting it, but that's your problem, not ours.
nightdragon09
stjam8... I shed no tears if people show up to rallies comparing the president to Hitler, Stalin, Mao, etc. since your side did it for the past 8 years (minus the Stalin and Mao comparisons of course... gee, I wonder why THAT could be?!?).
You and all your ilk on the left whip out the "tea-bagging" comment any chance you can get, but when I turn it around and make a joke about it in reference to the left's unhealthy fetish with Obama, not only do I somehow "lose all credibility", but I'm also a racist? Wow, color me not surprised... one of the left's MO's is to shout down anyone who doesn't agree with them lock-in-step as a racist, fascist, homo-phobe, bigot, etc. etc. X infinity.
Downriver... the country has been polarized for quite some time now, pretty much 50/50 since the 2000 election, with a brief period of unity in the aftermath of 9/11... just because 53% of voters chose the American Idol / affirmative action candidate last election, that doesn't mean that all of a sudden our problems and disagreements will magically go away. And 96% of African-Americans voted for the African-American candidate as well... oh, but there's no racism there right? I'm sure you'd be singing a completely different tune about that if 96% of the white/caucasian population voted against Obama.
And finally DeeAmbro.. once again you repeat the common lefty lie when cornered about why you need to resort to calling your opponents by a vulgar term. Please... show me one example, whether in a video or in an article/blog post, where Tea Party activists called themselves "teabaggers"... one guy being interviewed back in April said that he planned to dump hundreds of teabags in front of the White House lawn to, in effect, "teabag" the White House. And media lefties like Olbermann, Maddow, Cooper, Sanchez etc., ran with that and started calling the teapartiers "teabaggers"... hell, Maddow even devoted an entire segment to her show to "teabagging"... yet in the left's eyes, she's one of, if not THE most, credible commentators on TV. Makes all the sense in the world.
stjam8
nightdragon09: You made a joke? Funny every time you post you prove my point. I was very clear about what I said, " BUT IF, I say that is a racial term, the typical GOP response will be to say I played the race card " All your posts demonstrate my point quite cleary. Thank you for helping make my point.*** You said "Our side" . When did we stop being Americans? Bush went into office saying He was an uniter, not a divider. In office, It becomed "My Way or the Highway." One couple at a Bush rally were arrested for wearing anti-Bush t-shirts. This August, people were showing up at town halls with loaded weapons. They had signs, The tree of liberty neeeds to be watered with the blood of tyrants......At teaparty rallys they had signs saying I didn't bring my guns this time, as well as the horrfic signs of the holocaust. But the term teabagger you find offensive? You said "our side" compared Bush to hilter. I don't recall that comparsion ever being made. I suppose you have video? If that comparsion was ever made, is sure didn't make the nightly news for months on the " leftist media", like the comparsions of Obama. But according to you the media is leftist.*** President Obama election was a historic moment, but you want to turn it into a "racial" and the "left's unhealthy Fetish". If you think the left is in "lockstep" with the President, you really haven't been paying too much attention.
apinewsguy
The problem isnt the GOP Mr. Steele. The problem is you. Of course nobody wants to talk with you. You've shown yourself to be disloyal to the GOP, this article just the latest nail in your political career. Who wants to talk to someone who takes any word they say, takes those words out of context and run to the national press with claims of racism. Gee, why wouldnt they want to talk to you?
You're just another low minded politician who cant get over that America voted for a black president because among other things they are sick and tired of the division of this country along racial lines. We want to put an end to the old hate mongers like yourself who can't let racism in this country die, but who at every opportunity drudge it up again at the very slightest of offenses.
Case in point, there are politicians in the GOP who don't even talk to you and you're claiming their racists. And the ones that do talk to you well you state they are the most racist of all.
Well we are sick of low minded politicians like you playing the race card and getting everyone hating each other and not trusting each other. We the people of the United States have decided to elect a black president to the highest office in the land. And as a further step in that direction, let us also voice our contempt at your disgusting and mindless playing of the race card for nothing more than political grandizement and power. Shame on you.
miles27
Mr. Conor,
If you want to experience racism up close and personal do this. Go up Highway I-5 into Oregon to a town called Roseburg. It is about 60 miles south of Eugene. Take a black woman with you, tell everyone it is your wife. Maybe try to pass for a light skined black guy, (makup maybe ?). Then tell everyone you want live their the results would make a good story.
I live in Berkeley CA and am white. My sister's husband is black, therefore they have mixed children. I stoped at many little city's like Roseburg trying to find a house to buy for a all around fun summer house (on the cheap) for my family and my sisters.
I would say to the real estates agents after seeing some homes, in my best white guy to white guy," my sister is married to a black guy and they have two mixed kids is that going to be a problem". Some would say probably not etc. Never a definite yes like below.
But in Roseburg the woman realtor was from CA very liberal etc. I asked the same question and she said" I noticed there were not any black people in town at all when I moved here". She went on"I have lived here for 7 years after about 4 years I asked the same question, the boss at work told me that any black people that move to town get immediate quiet harassment from the local KKK (threatening letters etc.), if that doesn't work they turn up the heat after a couple of months, but everyone just moves on after some harassment". "It helps that this town really has no jobs, most people want to leave"
Oregon has a history of extreme KKK power. In the 1920's (when the KKK power was at its zenith) Oregon had more laws put on their books by the KKK than any southern state. I learned this at a Oregon history class I attended at Ashland Oregon's state college.
I could tell you many other stories but I will leave you with just one. When I was 20 I was engaged to a mixed race woman who went off to college in Ashland. Whenever we left Ashland it was just scary. Whole towns would just stare at us. I called it the "hate stare" which was from the book Black Like Me. Except in college towns Ashland, Eurgene and Portland it happened everywhere. I hated going camping. People would stare just as much in Ashland but that was different, there are very few black people in town. The stare was more like "hey I think I just saw a strange new car". It was without malice just curious. You would have to experience it.
Oregon is a strange place. I would bet their klan membership were also the ones who started one of the nations first glass and can recycling programs. I am not joking.
Go north it is not that far.
M.D.
Downriver
I spent fifteen years in the timber industry in Douglas County. It is a friendly place...............if you are Caucasian.
Downriver
Today's new from Junction City, OR (Lane County near Eugene)
http://www.kval.com/news/local/69809797.html
OOOWWW
Mr Connor should have done some research.
Here is a site that lists racist groups state by state.
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp
Here is a PDF of every racist group in the country that was active in 2008
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/images/splc_hategroups.pdf
There sure are a lot of racist groups in the South.
rikerman
Right on, bro. I teach hate and extremist groups, now for 20 years, and it is THESE people who have shown up and been accepted happily in Republican ranks as voters...truthers/birthers etc in fact are the direct heirs to the John Birch society wackos, and Neo-Confederates. This includes wacko Tom Tancredo from Colo who was perfectly OK as an "acceptable" Pres candidate amongst Republicans, when he has called for "nuking Mecca" and shunting illegal Hispanics out of the country by trains. And he's a moderate ?? Republicans are at least 1/4 white separatists these days.
crypto
A very wise African American General once said," racism is perpetuated by those who dipict themselves to be sqeeky clean. If you aren't helping with the problem then you are part of the problem. Don't tell me what someone said or did. Tell me what you intend to do. Then show me." General "Chappie" James was the man's name. He had it right.
tomandlou
Did I read you right about Sarah Palin not being a bigot ? Check her record on Alaskan Natives . Also her comments on the President ! Trust the Alaskan Bloggers they have her pegged for what She really is a bigot,a liar and very untrustworthy
xlntcat
Just like the Klan and other White Supremacists, racists are dispersed fairly evenly throughout the nation. The largest and more active KKK is now located in PA. PA was the location of the black kids getting kicked out of the swimming club pool this past summer. MN gave his Michelle Bachmann and Palin descended from AK and CA was home to the Watermelon mayor.
Artist50
I was looking up my grandson's facebook page because I was sure my son had posted new photos since Halloween. There was another facebook page with my grandson's name. He was a PA high-schooler. I started to read his page and was shocked. It was filled with his pride in racism. He spewed such hate at the age of 16 that it saddened me. Who is responsible? His parents. When will it end?
nightdragon09
The average comment on a Sarah Palin article on this website is 1000x more hateful than any crap you leftists like to accuse people on the right of.
gak001
As a PA resident in the Central "Pennsyltucky" region, I can attest to pockets of racism even in this mid-atlantic state. It's pretty much exclusively in suburban and rural communities. But I apparently spent a few years living down the street from one of the local KKK leaders. They're a dying breed, but there is also a new (substantially smaller) generation of racists. In Lititz, they had the whole "Redneck Row" incident the other year.
GateKeeper
I would be concern.. is your grandson hanging with this racist kid?.. Not so much to the point.. WHY is there prideful racism with this kid with the same name as your grandson .. racism has and will continue to be an axle component of EVIL..which is AGAINST GOD..and any one who practice and promote racism is HELL BOUND..for sure..
donatello
Conor,
It's obvious you live in a white bread world and you don't have a clue to reality.
ukeman
Do both? Be a lib and fight racism and be a rightie and deny you're a racist? hmmm.
Seems that's exactly the problem here. The repubs don't fight it; they'd be fighting their own constituents.
When you have a gyro like Steele, you're gonna get some moments of truth; much appreciated after the barrage of double talk from same. I almost feel sorry for the guy; his job seems undoable.
cavetroll
Ukeman you haven;t had an indepandant political thought since your grandfather told you "your a democrat and don't ever question it regardless of what your lying eyes tell you.. And I'm sure you pass on to yours the same unquestioning loyalty.The democrats are a joke to all minorities. It's run by the richest white people in the country. Promising what? their going to tax themselves more for holding out on you? You are blinder than Stevie Wonder. The republican's advanced minorities to higher positions than the democrats ever did. And the White Leaders of the democrat party ridiculled every person of color that made any advances. Black democrats wouldn't even acknowledge OBama as a black man untill after New Hampshire. Lets look at some of your race tolerant Hero's. Bird? The hooded rep. with matching sheets? are you kidding me? Jimmy Carter the great liberal. Liberal published antisemetic rich white plantation owner from Georgia pointing his hammer swollen gnarly finger at everyone else yelling Racist Racist. How about the big gun Clinton. The first black president. Really? What ,they couldn't find a black actor to play the part. How insulting is that to blacks?? The democrats tell you to your face You don;t ever have a chamce of a real black man ever becoming president and through our
kindness" we will represent the black race because being rich and white and from Arkansa we know the black experience Truth is republicans like everyone that likes money and likes living well and is productive The message is prosper rather than stagnate. democrats are almost the same just without the "be productive " part. They want it payed for by someone else. Anyone else. They hate anyone with a dollar more than they claim to have. If they have a 30 inch flatscreen and yours is 40 inch then you should be made to but a 22 inch flatscreen for someone who doesnt have one. That way your left with to little for your own tv at all. Morons.
Artist50
Such anger! This is BS, there are many Democrats that are low and middle income people that believe in the principles of the party. My daughter-in-law said to me on Sunday, "Why wouldn't you want others to have healthcare?". Some people actually have moral convictions about helping others and don't view money as the ultimate quest. The Democrats I know are hard working and productive and expect nothing from anyone, but that doesn't mean they aren't willing to help others prosper.
gak001
I'm surprised you didn't spell it "morans." I stopped reading about three or four sentences in because the spelling errors and lack of organization are painful. The paragraph break is your friend! As is the dictionary.
jimmymaher
A fascinating article. One question I always have when the Left Dominated Media question arises (a fairly philosophical one, but still one I think the article could have touched on) is this: WHY do the left-of-centrists dominate creative media? Is it really that they're more numerous, powerful, influential and exclusive than their conservative counterparts? How did they get there? I've always wondered whether it was something inherent to conservatism that causes the ideology and generated ideas to stagnate (there's a reason for the word "conservative", no?), and whether this quality led to the dominance of pseudo-progressive (and certainly creative) leftists. While the Lefties certainly make invaluable targets for rhetoric, is it possible that conservatism (not traditionally known for its tollerance of new/different ideas) has something to learn from them and their success in the cultural medium? Is it possible to be both a conservative AND to embrace new ideas, concepts, ways of life and so on? Reagan's rhetoric (if not his actual policies) would suggest this is so. The current Limbaugh/Hannity/Beck/Coulter atmosphere of contempt and rejection suggests otherwise. I remain optimistic.
Korean Ginseng
kainen
"Today's GOP is much improved, Confederate flag loving politicos notwithstanding."
This sounds like a throwaway statement but it gets at the very core of racism within the GOP... the southern strategy that has been its answer to galvanizing electoral victories is the reason why 95% of african americans dont vote republican. until the gop rejects poisnous symbols like that confederate flag they will be continuing to scratch their heads wondering why their party is getting more and more marginalized
DeeAmbro
And now, with the flags and signs seen at the Teabagger rallies, they seem to be moving on to the Jews as well. Brilliant strategy, alienating more that half the population! God help any of us who are not white, male, christian republicans if these bigots win again.
hardhat40
Well..dee ambro..you are ASTONISHLINGLY ignorant who has made a cottage industry of identity politics. Just harken back to the 2000 campaign when radio ads warned people that if they voted Republican, then another cross burned an another lawn." Put down the kool aid.
hardhat40
Hey kain,
95% of blacks vote the way they do becuase of identity racial politics. If any thought went int their voting patterns - and the history of democrats to actually improve their lot - they would have rejected your failed policies years ago.
And if you think for a moment that the Confederate battle flag represents racism - either go back to school or call a lawyer so you can recoup some of the money that you quite frankyl got screwed out of for the sorry assed excuse you offer as an education.
One more thing - dumbass - check the polls - SEE YOU IN NOVEMBER BRANIAC!
bcaldwell
I'm of mixed race and I have lived in the South and in the East as well as Europe, I can tell you though, I've encountered more racial stereotyping in places like NYC and Boston as well as London and Berlin than I ever did in places like Nashville , Atlanta or New Orleans. Maybe because Southerners are more used to African Americans . But it exists . I'm a Republican and I consider myself pretty conservative and I'm under no illusions about some quarters of the Republican Party, but I've often found good white liberals too be more condescending to people of color than many white conservatives. Many times people on both sides just assume because you are black means you think in a certain way... but I'm half white too.
What galls me though is charges of racism where it does not really exist, it cheapens real racism. I'd rather a white guy say something "racially insensitive" rather than try to sugarcoat it or feel sorry for me because I'm a member of an aggreived minority. I dislike it though when the white liberals come out and say that there are code words out there. Because if things like affirmative action, local contol and even heritage are code words, then my father who is black would be a racist because he detested affirmative action because he always saw it as an admission that black kids were seen as inferior by the people who purported to help them and that used to fire him up more than anything....besides, he always used to say that it was generally the elite blacks that took advantage of it anyway. The middle class and working class blacks were still having to fight it out just like their white counterparts. On heritage and the rebel flag, I usually laugh at it- as do most educated Southern white folks in the bigger cities. My white grandfather used to say, " Still fighting that damned Civil War, it's over the South lost." No one could have ever associated that man with anything other than the Republican party.
I think we should be careful of assigning racism where it may not exist. I've said it before, the charge of racism more often than not is usually leveled by white and black elites as some sort of status thing amongst themselves-particularly white liberals. It makes them feel so very much ....enlightened.
mredder4
"it cheapens real racism."
Umm, what value does real racism have that needs to be preserved? I understand what you were trying to say, but you chose a very poor way of expressing it.
Fake charges of racism make it harder to confront actual racism, is what I think you intended to say.
Racism itself is already cheap enough, since it is largely the poor (of all demographics) who are its primary adherents. Poor people are more likely to blame their troubles on "the other" than anyone else. This is as true of those who live in the projects blaming everything on "The Man" as it is of those who live in the trailer parks blaming everything on "those people".
cavetroll
mredder4 I think your reply illustrates two things.!st is you haven't got a clue because 2nd you just proved his point with your own racism which I'm sure you don't see. as for what value preserving elements of racism has,It helps with retrospect giving us examples to ponder and examine our own racism.
brownjackson
Wow, incredibly concise, precise, accurate statement. The problem is human beings like to emphasize our differences and use them to group ourselves. White versus black, woman v man, poor v rich, real marriage v gay marriage. Until people find away of organizing without highlighting our differences with extreme belief in the validity of labels (race is a social construct, not biological) will continue to have subtle and overt class warfare (e.g. u can see this in the conservative lust to name this war on terror a war on islam so as to high light our differences).
case1234
The odd thing about the South is that whites are often more Polite to people of color than people in other regions but react politically to racial motivations. It is truth that they know more black people and know that black vary in social classes as everyone else, but until you have seen the process of "white flight" in action you may not fully understand the South.
A post-civil war era assessment or race relations was Southern whites hate the race (blacks) but love the individual, while northern whites love the race but hate the individual. --- to a lesser extent the same holds true today.
whipmawhopma
case1234 - "The odd thing about the South is that whites are often more Polite to people of color than people in other regions but react politically to racial motivations."
I think (based on experience) that Southern whites and blacks are more polite in dealing with outsiders, and even within work groups tend to tread gently. I don't mean lovingly or even kindly. Just gently.
There was an interesting article about white flight in Charlotte (NC) as reported by one of the local free papers, 'Creative Loafing'...
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/white_flight_drives_mayora l_results/Content?oid=767187
A lot of the whites were I work live outside of the city, but some don't. My neighborhood was annexed last year so now I am one of the ones that lives in the city.
hardhat40
Reconcile that with the propensity of blacks to vote as 90% blocks. Then tell me who's racially biased.
raiderwb
I gotta say, I really appreciate bcaldwell. Seems to know what is really going out there. I grew up in the Northwest and it seemed such a mix of races that all my friends were either white, black, mexican or asian, didn't matter. In the military I lived in the South for quite awhile and what I really saw was more of a reverse sort of racism, almost segregation. It was different from anything I experienced. I live in Illinois now and our church is somewhat diverse and all I can say is that the black members think it is great we have black president but they voted the "white guy" because the truth was, morals and values came into play. The white guy had more of the "truth" on that side. Democrats- ploitical democrats- are much more racist, but hide it by blaming everyone else for it.
Thank you bcaldwell for you comments
whipmawhopma
bcaldwell - "I've encountered more racial stereotyping in places like NYC and Boston as well as London and Berlin than I ever did in places like Nashville , Atlanta or New Orleans. Maybe because Southerners are more used to African Americans. But it exists."
A question. Do you think it might be because Southerners (black as well as white) tend to be more polite in dealing with outsiders? More formal, less open, etc. That has been my experience in dealing with Southerners, versus metropolitan Yankees who tend to be 'in your face', thought certainly not all.
DFWDem
Ok, let's get this out of the way: I'm a young, white, Democrat, born and raised in Texas. To deny race spewing from the Republicans, to me is laughable. I've had to listen to friends of mine rant about how terrible it is to have "monkeys running the "White" House," I've had to request family members to stop sending me racist e-mail chain letters. If you live in Texas and you have seen no trace of racism, it's because you are living in, and have never left, the city. Just take a drive through the beautiful country roads, toward a town without a shopping strip, or a McDonalds, then you'll happen upon a building with a huge confederate flag mural painted along the side. You will find "neighborhoods" where every flag flown is a confederate flag. Go to a small town high school football game (preferably to a town where 6-man still exists), and you will hear the God-fearing mothers on the side line screaming about the "n*gg3r$" on the other team. To get a real taste of Texas bigotry, you must leave the comfort of the concrete jungle. These people are certainly not voting Democrat. They may not be rank and file Republicans, but they are who the Republicans are pandering to.
slimpikins
Oh Conner,
You lost us with the "living on the coasts". I grew up on one of the "coasts". You truly do not know what you are talking about, though it was nice of you to admit it. Yesterday I heard someone say that the Fort Hood tragedy was the result of Obama's reducing the standards for the Military. These educated, wealthy, white people believe this completely. And they feel no compunction about saying it out loud. The Republican Party has become THE gathering spot for racists. That is very unfortunate, and tragically ironic. The Party of Lincoln has become the face of white, christian supremacists.
The exploitation of dead human beings at Dachau to equate Healthcare reform to Nazi Death Camps is egregious in the extreme. The disgusting displays at Michelle Bachman's Tea Party on the House steps say it all. We must call out all racists. Anyone participating, displaying, and passively condoning these depictions of Jewish victims, Hitler moustaches, watermelon patches is a racist, and mind blowingly ignorant of history. The right is writhing and they will strike back. Here in the flyover country the racists are agitated, arming themselves to the teeth and registering Republican.
hardhat40
Slimpikins, perhaps you should change you're name to Simpleton. I'm on the coast too and have NO f'n idea wht you're talkin about. While you accuse those that disagree with you in the worst light - assuming sterotypes and exhibiting prejudice i have not yet seen on this site, you grab your sanctimonios lapels and declare your stupid ass above it all. You are a coward in the classic sense, an excellent example of true bigotry and hatred, and a lil whiney scumbag all to eager to hide behind the shield of "racism". You are a gutless turd that chooses to ignore 8 yrs of Bush wearing the Hitler moustache, 8 yrs of you wishing that we lose war, 8 yrs of the vilest invective against out commander in chief. All of which would be excusable, but now suddenly you are offended by it you tiny and dishonest intelllectual coward.
is it egregious to compare the policies of nazi germany with those of the close advisor to Obama Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel? Are you familiar with the practice of evaluating a citizens "contribution to the state" as expressed by the good Dr? Or are you as stone cold ignorant as you present?
apparently
Michael Steele is making himself an example of racism to cover up his incompetence at his job. My dislike of Steele has not one iota to do with racism, but I can't stand the guy because I think he was put in as a token minority during the Obama election backlash. He's an idiot regardless of color.
spotted
Doesn't his idiocy make him easier to manage?
Isn't his token status implicitly an acknowledgement by the R's of their own racism? Sadly, it's the only Affirmative Action the R's have ever supported.
hardhat40
Isnt your observation that Steele is black, and automatically classified by you as a token, an acknowledgement that its really the Leftist scum of your ilk that just cant get by the issue of race?
brownjackson
If someone was given something rather than earning something, the logical response is jealousy. Your dislike of him is not explained, by this but highlights the possiblity you just dont like him, for some other reason. I ask you this, when McCain picked Palin, who was a token minority backlash to Obama's Nomination win, did you automatically dislike her as well? Maybe you did. Maybe you meant to say you dislike Steele because he's an idiot as opposed to a token. Maybe Vegas is betting you dislike minorities who benefit from affirmative action in general. IDTS....
hardhat40
I respectfully disagree- i do not see him as a token - and if we went PURELY on the issue of race - like the Demicrats did with Obama, shouldnt we have elected Blackwell?
BlinkyMcChuck
Yeesh. I thought the "my personal anecdotes qualify me to make generalizations" op-ed was discredited a while ago, but, here it is. And of course, out come the other personal anecdotes---"oh the northeast libs are more racist!" Yeah? Well, guess what: we elected a black president and we don't have people with the Confederate Flag passing out posters of Barack as a monkee or a witch doctor or a chicken-eating president, not at even one of our events or on our facebook pages. Weird, right? I know, because we're sooooo racist up here. WHY would we miss that opportunity. Give me a break.
hardhat40
hey blinky - are you one of those famous "scholars" that equates the confederate battle flag with racism? Take an honest class and you'll learn something, Where does all this chicken talk and witch dr stuff come from? The monkey reference doesnt even deserve acknowledgement - but speaks VOLUMES about you.
bobj72
Far too much time (and energy) is spent analyzing and discussing real or preceived racism. I would submit that those who could possibly have been guilty of such an attitude and behavior have sufficiently diluted such a damning term that it now carries a burden slightly worse than "A Distaste For... something."
"Black folks don't want your love ....... We simply Expect Equality and Demand the respect that's been earned... and is due."
America could go a long way in deminishing the "vile dislike and disrespect for a race of people" if we could ensure the following;
1. Make real "a level playing field."
2. Ensure that education is Guaranteed to be Equal.
3. Don't be the Obstacle impeding anyone's success.
4. Consistently Expose the Christian bigotry that fails to conform to the Command of "Love thy neighbor."
5. Establish a Contract to ensure Equality for everyone.
6. a. Should the Equality Contract be breached, the Offending party should be prosecuted.
b. The party harmed by the breach should be reasonably compensated by the offending party.
The problem with racism in ALL OF US American's - (in the 21st Century) is the fact that Our Society "Tolerates" it, rather than be Embarrassed, "Rejecting It" and Refusing To Accept It!
hardhat40
iNice response 0 it sounds reasonable and sums all up in a nutshell. Let's take where you go point by point:
1. Make a real level playing field. No student of public education should have more funds spent on it than another. Inner cities that absorb so much more of public education funds should be made to do with those that are spent on the suburbs.
2. Ditto. Education should be standardized and the results should be made the same. If a suburb spends $4500 to educate a white student with a particular result, the black student should acquire the same level of proficiencey.
3. recognize that the only obstacles for success for anyone are imposed by government.
4. Christian bigotry? Either rethink this stupid statement and disregard your own bigotry or expain yourself a bit better than that. The only religious bigotry that I've noticed is an behalf of Islam, But i triple dare you to qualify this prejuduced, bigotted, and frankly ridiculous statement. Bring lunch.
5> A contract by definition is binding upon all parties. Should a party fail uopn this, then they are held accountable not by only Constitutional Law ( we'll ignore Obamas blatant disregard for Article 1 section 9) but by nearly 1,000 yrs of common law. One sided contracts are by defintion illegal and unenforceable.
6)The term prosecution ventures into criminal law - well past civil law, Us defenders of the Constitution welcome this. Ergo, a student of public education that fails to meet objective standards of graduation not only is liable for the monetary damages incurred if he or she should drop out, but can be held criminally responsible for said failure.
6b: yes..the agrieved party should expect compensation. The billions of dollars flushed down the toilet of public education should be returned to those that pay the fee, or conversely, those that are damaged by the party of public education need be held accountable to those that they serve. dumbassed droputs should have a cause of action against the NEA. And the not so dumbassed population have cause against the NEA.
See? you dont have that much difference with the "right wing" of this country.
reckless
"I'd bet dollars to Freedom Fries that racial bigotry in America is now correlated with age, education level and region far more closely than political affiliation."
------------
This is where your argument breaks down. It is exactly those factors (age, education level and region) that, when taken together, correlate so closely with political affiliation. You're absolutely correct that you can't make blanket statements that cover the entire party (or any population, for that matter), but the link between age, education, region, and political affiliation are too strong to ignore. So if racism lives in the first three, the fourth follows.
cbl99201
Nice of you to single out "Christian" bigotry, as if Christians have an exclusive on that. Is bigotry against people of a certain religion somehow less reprehensible then bigotry against peolple with a certain skin color?
cbl99201
Thie above comment was a reply to bobj72.
Veronicaxy
@cb: you have to admit the Republican Christian Rightists have done a fabulous job of showing themselves as bigots -- let's take the pandering McCain did to them in the last election by allowing his people to use associations with Obama to terrorists, portrayed as a Muslim when he was not taking advantage of the fear, against gay civil rights on religious grounds. You can't be surprised at the reaction to Christians in general. So unfortunate.
DeeAmbro
Yeah, they're giving christianity a bad name! Whatever happened to "what would Jesus do?" Jesus, born and raised in the middle east. Hummm, I wonder what color skin he had?
hardhat40
Heey Veronicaxy - do you have a problem with helath care being cas t as a "moral issue"? Well..who's morality? Is it moral to force someone to pay another's medical bills? Can I tell St Peter that i should be allowed into the Kingdom because the pelosi healthcare bill was passed?
Lets take the pandering Obama did to the gays. "don't ask don't tell". Lets take the pandering to the Muslim community - declaring them a "religion of peace" when all evidence points to the contrary. Let's take the pandering to the black community, when obama declared the Cambridege Police "racist" before he knew the facts. Lets take the pandering Obama did to muslims with his famous "cairo "speech. Lets take the pandering Obama did to the Hispanics with promises of amnesty.
You're weak veronica - cuz you're ridiculous ideas about gays and their "civil rights" are baseless. I dare you - no, i double dare you to declare the civil rights afforded gays in the US Constitution. Good luck sweety.
bobj72
I can't quite figure out your point? Apologist OR an attempt to Distract from the Obvious Topic? Racism...
As to the question you raise, the "fault" in bigotry is NOT Exclusive to anything, including Christianity. My point is; Christians, as Believer's are supposedly committed to carrying out God's Commands. John 13: 34-35; A new commandment I give unto you. That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
SIMPLE...short of this above is Christian Bigotry.
bobj72
I can't quite figure out your point? Apologist OR an attempt to Distract from the Obvious Topic? Racism...
As to the question you raise, the "fault" in bigotry is NOT Exclusive to anything, including Christianity. My point is; Christians, as Believer's are supposedly committed to carrying out God's Commands.
Stretchr
Oh cbl99201, haven't you hear? Christians are the one religious group that is in vogue to ridicule. It makes about as much sense to portray some kook screaming and waving around a Bible who claims to be a "Christian" as representative of American Christians as it is to claim that the suicide bomber represents the average Muslim.
If people want to be enchanted by the Islam, that is certainly their right but they only have that right because the mostly Christian founding fathers believed that the right to free speech and freedom of religion was important enough to include in very documents written in the founding of this republic!
While I'm at my "History Lesson", the reason that those founding fathers felt it necessary to make note of the necessity of "the separation of church and state" was primarily to keep the government out of religion, not the other way around. If you don't believe that, look it up.
Which would seem to show that unless someone can show a demonstratable harm, displays of things like the 10 Commandments and Nativity Scenes in public paces or government buildings do not actually violate the spirit or the letter of the Constitution but that the courts who have ruled for prohibiting them actually may have.
SimonSaize
"its a thin line between love and hate"-The Pretenders
(Chrissie Hynde wore alot of "black")
Thank you.
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