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Calibrate This, Mr. President
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by nancyvideo | August 1, 2009 at 03:29 am
1059 views | 29 Recommendations | 73 comments
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Who is helping Professor Gates down the White House Steps
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Dear Mr. President, I'm one of those Americans that lives in flyover country. I was treated to your much publicized 'teaching moment' last night and felt a response was warranted. I'd like to say, with all respect, that this American resents the patronizing arrogance you exhibited as you deigned to 'teach America' about race. First off, I don't need lessons on race from you. I take my teachings from the Bible, not a man who sat through 20 years of 'hate whitey' sermons. I'd much prefer you bestow your teachable moments on, oh, say terrorists, or enemies of democracy. Secondly, if you were genuinely interested in promoting racial healing, you might have used that teachable moment last night to address the third rail of race relations: namely, the reluctance of many blacks to look at whites without automatically assuming they are racists. Last night, you had the perfect teachable moment, but, alas, you let it slip through your grasp. You had a wealthy, influential black man who continues to insist he is still oppressed. Then you had the white police officer who was merely doing his job in the correct manner. And then, we had you, Mr. President, a prime example of the problem. Said problem being the automatic assumption of racism without any facts to back it up. You might have touched on the fact that many blacks of your generation have been taught that anything bad that happens in their life is a result of white oppression. You could have extrapolated or calibrated the fact that attitudes like that are extremely counterproductive and keep many blacks mired in the false comfort of victimization. You might have addressed the fact that the only oppression happening these days is by your buddies Castro, Chavez and all the other third world dictators you seem to think are misunderstood men of good will. Hey, you actually could have lectured your buddy Gates on the proper etiquette when dealing with law enforcement officers. Think of the great message that would have sent to young Americans. Respect for the law. That would have been a good thing to teach. But you let the opportunity pass with nary a word. I'm sorry you didn't get a good soundbite or photo op out of this unrelenting media saga. I know you were envisioning a hearty three way handshake that could be flashed around the world, signifying absolutely nothing. But the evening wasn't a total waste. I actually did learn something. I learned that you, and Henry Gates and other black men continue to believe that America is a racist country. I learned that you, Mr. President, will never solve any problems of race until you acknowledge your own racism against whites. I don't think that will happen in my lifetime but I will continue to 'hope' for 'change'. And just out of curiosity, I was wondering what in the world you, the President of the greatest country in the world, is doing mediating the equivalent of a traffic ticket when our young men are dying in Afghanistan, our economy is in meltdown and Iran is on the brink of nuking Israel. Do you really think that was the best use of your time and political capital?
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (73)
at 03:38 on August 1st, 2009
An excellent post.
at 08:24 on August 1st, 2009
MEEEEEOOOOWWWW!!!!
at 08:27 on August 1st, 2009
Awesome Story Nancy, I pride myself on good solid debates on many subjects on Now Public with my readers, I like to think I win the majority of them when I state Facts, versus fallacy! One thing for sure, I would not want to tangle with you! Ouch!
at 12:14 on August 1st, 2009
Thanks, Barry:)
at 08:28 on August 1st, 2009
Boy wait till Karen reads this story!
at 15:14 on August 1st, 2009
Barry, I can respect that you and Karen have different opinions and both know it, but I have to say this comment seems like needless provocation and not relevant or useful to the discussion at hand. Please consider your words more carefully next time and ask yourself if it's really necessary to publish them. Thanks.
at 16:04 on August 1st, 2009
Speaking of the article itself, compared to the stuff Moonwolf used to say here about the US, this is mild. Certainly, it is milder than what Gates said to Crowley or what Obama said about the Cambridge police.
I believe it is the word, "stupid", which even brought rebukes from the lefty comic Jon Stuart.
In any case, private rebukes are better than public rebukes, Editors..and we have all been wondering among ourselves where the left-leaning members have disappeared to.
at 16:11 on August 1st, 2009
Cynthia is one of our interns Roy, that is part of her job, and we have trusted her to do that job any way she sees fit.
Please do not assume you may give us pointers on how to do it, I deal with this on a daily basis and it's part of my job to teach the interns how to deal with it when I am not around.
at 20:22 on August 1st, 2009
It is milder than what Gates said to Crowley or what Obama said about the Cambridge police.
I would disagree. Gates comments were angry, arrogant and misjudged. Obama's off the cuff, heat of the moment and ill-considered. Both warrant censure
However, this article skates towards coldly mean-spirited, snark-ish and gloating. Such op-eds add little in terms of insight, perhaps scores a partisan point, but mainly act as divisive, little hateful pieces that inflame certain sectors of the community. Whether the author meant that objective I won't hazard a guess but that appears the effect However, if it was an audience for this sort of thing, then I guess she achieved her objective, sadly
at 19:42 on August 3rd, 2009
Moonwolf gets pretty passionate in his comments and stories on the left, I'll miss Skeeter (Moonwolf) he is quite the hilarious guy once you get to know him. Hope he comes back,he is my buddy.
at 21:08 on August 3rd, 2009
A note to Now Public Intern, Cyn, Khoo , I Just thought I would mention what I just mentioned to Karen Hatter, I reread my comment and do not see Karen Hatter mentioned, I see Karen! Why would you assume Karen Hatter and I have a difference of opinion? Did I say this? Did Karen Hatter say this? All I can gather is perhaps you assumed something not valid!
So one should never assume such as yourself one is talking to a particular person in my comments. Why did you automatically assume I was talking about Karen Hatter, unless you felt this was an article directed to her style of commentary? Tsk, Tsk,
Certainly jumping quite "Rabidly" to this conclusion without further clarifying who I am referring to certainly is immature in nature.
If you had read my posts and comments over the last couple of years, you will see most readers monikers such as Barry Artiste or Paschen or Moonwolf, surely you do not think that is the name on their birth certificate now do you?
For the last 2 years I have been posting stories on here I know many here on a first name basis and sometimes use their real first name instead of their Pretend names, no big deal.
One last note, I call Moonwolf Skeeter, he calls me Redneck Delmer. I have called others such names, even Jordan hilarious nicknames, none being offensive, and in good natured ribbing, including my lefty friend Karen in Scotland who lovvvvvvvvves Obamarama. Amy also knows me well enough not to assume. So should you I would think.
at 17:02 on August 2nd, 2009
Hi, Barry.
If I am the Karen you had in mind, I have read this piece and noted your subsequent enthusiasm for it.
Others here, such as Amy, have addressed points at the thread that are more worthy of note.
at 19:51 on August 3rd, 2009
I didn't know Now Public only had one Karen out of 500,000 members, I don't see anywhere stating Karen Hatter in my previous comment, sorry if you thought it was you!
at 20:25 on August 3rd, 2009
Barry, I just figured I'd join in and play along since I am A Karen.
As you say, you didn't specifically address me.
Cyn.khoo did not allude to me using my full name either.
Although, I would venture I am, based solely on my personal observations, the only Karen frequently and consistently posting and commenting here at NowPublic.
Maybe the assumption, on my part and in this case, can be chalked up to that possible reality.
at 21:10 on August 3rd, 2009
Not to worry Karen, perhaps I should have been more specfic next time. :O)
at 08:34 on August 1st, 2009
I'm so glad you marked this piece as opinion as I find it to be quite filled with hate, and actually making the problem worse than better.
at 12:13 on August 1st, 2009
Amy,
Could you be more specific?
Nancy
at 07:36 on August 3rd, 2009
Being a communist supporting website (news...ha.!) , anything that is not communist literature based on hatred and jealousy is "racist" and "hatred".
at 20:03 on August 1st, 2009
Me, too, Amy. It is thinly veiled racism masquerading as indignation, and it's silly.
"How dare a black person suggest that racism happened?! He already has plenty of privilege -- so what if he gets mistreated by a cop? He probably deserved it."
That's the ugly tone of this whole piece, but it's not surprising. As America's racial makeup changes, many people are bringing their bigotry out in subtler yet ugly ways.
at 12:19 on August 2nd, 2009
Sioen: You look like a white guy! LOL! . . . .What are you doing in Thailand if you don't mind me asking? I know an American, from my home town, that's been living in Thailand for many years. He knows a lot of people there. Perhaps you two might hook up and get acquainted . . . .
The term "thinly veiled racism" is absolutely meaningless. It's one of those terms that people use when they don't have the mental capacity, the writing skills, or the facts to engage in an open and honest debate. I think that you need to go back to the drawing board and re-invent yourself.
Eight recommendations for extremely shallow platitudes? JEEZ!
at 13:38 on August 2nd, 2009
That's right, Rory.
We need to define racism operationally and defend and explain that definition as well as apply it to this editorial.
Some definitions from Merriam-Webster:
1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race 2 : racial prejudice or discrimination
Some racism, as is the case with reverse racism, is based on environmental factors, what we have been taught, and that can be changed through experience.
But, when the racism, reverse or normal, is characterological, then it is not amenable to reason.
So, this is not a statement about the motivation or character of whoever has posted here, but no one, including the author of this piece, has said that whites are superior or that blacks have no right to protest bad treatment.
Since when is it the case hat whites are inferior to blacks and have lost their right to protest unfair treatment as well? The rush to judgment on Crowley reminds me of the Duke No-Rape Scandal. Does the story fit "the narrative" of the left? Then it is true.
Funny how the colleagues of Crowley get it and won't even vote for Obama, but white libs don't get it.
White guilt, a state of compulsion based on unacknowledged racism on their own part, is the problem. When people are unconscious of their prejudice against any group of people, sometimes they project that attitude outward onto others, in this case whites, who are then seen as "racists" because the whites complain about their treatment by black people .
This is exactly what Martin Luther King feared and tried to avoid. I will have the quote from him a little later. It came out of MLK's study of Niebuhr, the theologian, Martin Luther King's apparent favorite.
Lack of reasoning power and lack of development of feeling function allow the individual to live in this reduced state, hamstrung by complexes.
They invent social promotion and knee-jerk programs to social engineer what they actually are afraid might not be accomplished by playing it straight and applying universal rules to the situation.
White northern libs did this to the Civil Rights movement according to Race Experts by Elizabeth Lasch-Quinn, daughter of C Lasch, author of The Culture of Narcssism, which I have read through three times.
at 15:51 on August 2nd, 2009
people who make personal attacks, are also, sadly, "lacking!"
at 16:16 on August 2nd, 2009
It's one of those terms that people use when they don't have the mental capacity, the writing skills, or the facts to engage in an open and honest debate. I think that you need to go back to the drawing board and re-invent yourself
Rory - it would be preferable if you played the issue not attack the man. That is sort of what got us here in the first place. There is absolutely no reason to be rude or discourteous
It is probably also a breach of NP terms...I will let the editors determine this
at 17:15 on August 2nd, 2009
Rory, please don't make personal attacks on other members, it's completely against our code of conduct that every member agrees to when they sign up to the site, and is detrimental to the discussion.
If there are any more comments of this nature on this thread, I will simply close it.
at 18:46 on August 3rd, 2009
Amyjudd: I understand completely. However, in my opinion, there is something suspect about the "member" that I've personally attacked. If I'm wrong (and only time will tell whether I'm wrong or not) about my opinion, I will be the first to apologize. Furthermore, I will refrain from replying to this particular member's comments or posting any comments and replies to his or her stories. I will simply read his or her stories, comments, and replies and keep my opinion to myself until such time that I feel my opinion to be validated or not validated.
at 13:43 on August 1st, 2009
Hate? Disagree with you, Amy.
Yes, I hate being accused of being a racist simply because I am white.
A story: there was no teacher for an ethnic studies class at a high school where some college grad was so badly educated that he couldn't pass the CBEST test, a test that requires teachers to have about a freshman high schooler's level in math, reading and composition, and he had to leave the job.
I was invited to do it. I wasn't certified as a teacher, but I had passed that test.
I had a lot of good material to add to the mix, and a teacher who used to stay in the room and listen to me teach complimented me.
But, one young black woman didn't like the idea that I was not a certified teacher, though I had, in fact, passed that test that the other guy had failed.
Really, though, with the way she rolled her eyes every time I told a story about racism in my wife's life and how we devised a way to figure out when we were dealing with racism and when we were dealing with general bad behavior, I got that she had some kind of objection to my point of view and my interracial marriage.
Her mother called the school and wanted me out of the course because I wasn't certified. The head of the history dept didn't want to do that, but she was offered the chance to let her daughter withdraw and take the course later from someone who had been certified.
She refused. She wanted me out even if that meant that there would be no class since there was no teacher available.
Simple racism.
Then, the day I went to get my last paycheck, I was the next person in line. Then my wife joined me.
What did the little black racist do who was about to serve me? She deliberately overlooked me and asked my wife what she wanted.
My wife was pissed, but we didn't want to make a big deal out of it.
But, like Nancyvideo, I am sick of black prejudice and racism as being acceptable, if it is acknowledged at all.
I also have a lot more stories, and I don't want to get started.
at 20:00 on August 1st, 2009
Your story sounds awful. Racism is never good. But I fail to see how this has anything to do with Henry Louis Gates. The racism you experienced doesn't make his case somehow less unpleasant, or the injustice he dealt with any less real.
I'm unclear why you're bringing it up at all, except to distract from the issue, or perhaps to use your experience to say that black people don't have a right to speak up when they deal with injustice.
at 08:35 on August 2nd, 2009
Very clear why. Because the issue is the one that Obama refused to address in the whole affair- that Gates acted in a racist manner, and that Crowley, the police officer, did not.
On top of that, the knee-jerk reaction of Obama to defend Gates, his friend, was another not-so-subtle racist act, similar to the ones I have documented here.
But, I thank you for realizing that the stories are awful, just as what happened to Gate, to be falsely accused of racial profiling, an act of racism, was awful.
Gates has the right to speak up. Nothing in my stories serves the opposite point of view. The point is that whites have the right to speak up as well.
Not being able to understand that white people falsely accused of racism have the right to speak up is racist itself.
at 13:27 on August 2nd, 2009
Sioen: Did you ever consider that Gates may, in fact, be a racist? Or do you think that no "person of color" can ever be a racist because that thought doesn't conform to your world view?
It's a simple question dude. What's your answer?
at 11:50 on August 1st, 2009
I also have a lot more stories, and I don't want to get started
I find it interesting that you seem to have experienced so much reverse racism. Do you think you may be putting something out, even if unconsciously, that people are reacting to? It just seems that you appear to run across this type of situation more than most, based on my own experience and those I know.