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Is Wright Right About Racism?

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Posted on Mar 27, 2008

By David Sirota

Since the 1960s, bigotry has undergone an aesthetic makeover. Today, the most pernicious racists do not wear pointy hoods, scream epithets and anonymously burn crosses from behind masks. They don starched suits, recite sententious bromides and stage political lynchings before television cameras. For proof, behold the mob stalking Barack Obama’s former pastor, Jeremiah Wright.

Wright has long delivered fiery (and occasionally outrageous) sermons, to little fanfare. Now, though, a gang of thugs is inflicting a guilt-by-association blow to Obama by excoriating his spiritual adviser for three specific declarations.

Sean Hannity, Fox News’ own George Wallace, turned a fire hose on Wright for his church’s focus. “[The church] is all about the black community,” Hannity thundered, claiming that means Wright supports “a black-separatist agenda.”

Pat Buchanan billy-clubbed Wright for saying, “God damn America.” The MSNBC commentator, who avoided the draft, implied that Wright, a former Marine, lacks sufficient loyalty to country. Out of context, Wright’s exclamation was admittedly offensive. But remember: It punctuated a speech about segregation. Buchanan, nonetheless, unleashed, deriding “black hustlers” and insisting descendants of those “brought from Africa in slave ships” owe whites a thank you. “Where is the gratitude?” he asked.

Fox’s Charles Krauthammer berated Wright for saying the 9/11 attacks were “chickens coming home to roost.” Krauthammer labeled the pronouncement “vitriolic divisiveness” despite our government acknowledging the concept of “blowback”—or retaliation—that Wright was referencing. The CIA knows that when it supports foreign dictatorships, there can be blowback from radicals. While blowback is often immoral and undeserved, its existence is undisputed. Yet, Krauthammer alleged that Wright takes “satisfaction in the deaths of 3,000 innocents.”

In promoting the Wright “controversy,” most media outlets joined this mob and embraced “colorblind racism,” says Duke University’s Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, author of “Racism Without Racists.”

It is polite pinstriped prejudice shrouding bigotry in feigned outrage against extremism—the operative word being feigned. After all, John McCain solicited the endorsement of John Hagee, the pastor who called the Catholic Church “the Great Whore.” Similarly, according to Mother Jones magazine, Hillary Clinton belongs to the “Fellowship,” a secretive group “dedicated to ‘spiritual war’ on behalf of Christ.” She is also friendly with Billy Graham, the minister caught on tape spewing anti-Semitism. But while Wright’s supposed “extremism” blankets the news, McCain and Clinton’s relationships with real extremists receive scant attention.

Why is it “controversial” for one pastor to address the black community, racism and blowback, but OK for another pastor to slander an entire religion? Why is it news that one candidate knows a sometimes-impolitic clergyman, but not news that his opponent associates with an anti-Semite? Does the double standard prove the dominant culture despises a black man confronting taboos but accepts whites spewing hate? Does the very reaction to Wright show he’s right about racism?

Clinton seems to think so. Her aides have been describing as their political “firewall” the states they believe Obama will lose. That’s campaign-speak for “race wall”—one built with bricks like Pennsylvania and Indiana. These aren’t the near purely white states where racial politics is often muted (and Obama won). They are the slightly diverse states where racial politics simmers and where the black vote is too small to offset a motivated racist vote. This race wall is now being fortified.

ABC News reports that Clinton’s campaign is “pushing the Wright story” ahead of the Pennsylvania and Indiana primaries. The crass tactic is designed to motivate the racist vote by reminding whites of Obama’s connection to the African-American community. Put another way, Clinton’s message has become simply: Obama Is black.

Wright probably expected this brouhaha. He says our government is “controlled by rich white people” and our culture afflicted by racism. Though these statements are also deemed distasteful by the Establishment, they are truisms. You can see their veracity in the collected portraits of white millionaires commonly called the congressional photo directory. Or, just turn on your television and watch the mob continue stoking the Wright “controversy.”

David Sirota is a best-selling author whose newest book, “The Uprising,” will be released in June. He is a fellow at the Campaign for America’s Future and a board member of the Progressive States Network, both nonpartisan organizations. His blog is at www.credoaction.com/sirota.

© 2008 Creators Syndicate Inc.

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By cyrena, April 6 at 6:52 pm #
(4025 comments total)

Oh Conservative Yankee,

This made my day!!

“...Even Magic Johnson can’t fuck that many women worldwide and he has a plane!”

I can’t stop laughing.

Now, what about Bill Clinton? Do you think HE could do this?

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By Conservative Yankee, April 7 at 4:45 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Bill's women seem to be a type.

BUT Bill’s far too fat… maybe 200 hundred before his heart attack!

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By Fadel Abdallah, April 6 at 5:37 pm #
(358 comments total)

Of course, Rev. J. Wright was right about racism all the way. Meanwhile, all the white bigots and racists were wrong all the way.

Rev. Wright was ahead of his time in seeing the truth and talking about it, whereas the racists were far beyond the times in discovering their disease and accepting to be treated. The distance between Rev. Wright and the racists is like the distance between one seeing the present and future through the past and ones still living in the medieval mentality of the distant past without recognizing the progression of times.

In light of this, the racists are the ones that should be under attack, not the warrior fighting racism.

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By Will, April 27 at 8:20 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Re:

You speak the truth.  I keep hoping that mainstream media will finally (but before its too late) reveal “the emperor’s new clothes,” i.e. attacks on Wright, pandering to the “uneducated blue-collar whites,” to be what it is:  pure, simple, obvious racism.

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By bert, April 4 at 3:38 pm #
(679 comments total)

Reply to Conservative Yankee

<<<<<< It is physically impossible for “ALL humans” to be “… >>>>>>>

Well get the book or watch the video and see for yourself. He actually traces, with DNA evidence, how humans left this one tribe and migrated all over the earth. And it did not take that long. It happened faster than nost people believed possible. But he shows how it did.

And being a scientist he knows there is always more to learn and that models keep changing as we get more evidence.

BIO OF WELLS FROM WIKIPEDIA

“Wells did his Ph.D. work under Richard Lewontin, and later did postdoctoral research with Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza and Sir Walter Bodmer. His work, which has helped to establish the critical role played by Central Asia in the peopling of the world, has been published in journals such as Science, American Journal of Human Genetics, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

He wrote the book The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey (2002), which explains how genetic data has been used to trace human migrations over the past 50,000 years, when modern humans first migrated outside of Africa. According to Wells, one group took a southern route and populated southern India and southeast Asia, then Australia. The other group, accounting for 90% of the world’s non-African population (some 5 billion people as of late 2006), took a northern route, eventually peopling most of Eurasia (largely displacing the aboriginals in southern India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia in the process), North Africa and the Americas. Wells also wrote and presented the PBS/National Geographic documentary of the same name. By analyzing DNA from people in all regions of the world, Wells has concluded that all humans alive today are descended from a single man who lived in Africa around 60,000 - 90,000 years ago, a man also known as Y-chromosomal Adam.[1]

Since 2005, Wells has headed The Genographic Project, undertaken by the National Geographic Society, IBM and the Waitt Family Foundation, which will add to our knowledge of human history by analyzing DNA samples from around the world, thereby creating a picture of how our ancestors populated the planet.”

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By bert, April 6 at 4:56 pm #
(679 comments total)

Re: Reply to Conservative Yankee

Sorry CY. It is Spencer Wells. (His full name is listed a few posts down and I did include it and book title in first post.)

But I am happy to provide again. If you get any of these I would be interested in what you think.

Both are probably availabe at the library too.

I have included links to both the book and the DVD.

Happy reading and/or viewing.

BOOK:

http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Man-Genetic-Odyssey/dp/0 812971469

DVD

http://www.shoppbs.org/sm-pbs-journey-of-man-dvd--pi-1 402989.html

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By Conservative Yankee, April 5 at 6:06 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

I ass-u-me (always a bad idea)

You are speaking of the “Reverend Jonathon Wells PHD?”

You just refer to him as “Wells” so he’s hard to research.

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By Leefeller, April 4 at 5:14 am #
(1216 comments total)

Blunt truths

Out of context sound bites selected to make the comments contentious and unpatriotic, dost not matter to the bigots for it was spoken by a black man.

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By Conservative Yankee, April 3 at 5:07 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

bert

before jumping on others for historical “errors” it is a good idea to get your own version of “facts” to fit reality.

From Wikipedia

“Peking Man (now sometimes called Beijing Man), also called Sinanthropus pekinensis (currently Homo erectus pekinensis), is an example of Homo erectus. The remains were first discovered in 1923-27 during excavations at Zhoukoudian (Choukoutien) near Beijing (Peking), China. The finds have been dated from roughly 250,000-400,000 years ago”

He is not the first “human”. As you note, most scholars believe the first human was female. and most likely born in Africa.  There are some studies that contend humans emerged in different areas (South America and Australia) about the same time.

So far no link at all has binded the Australian aborigines to any other race. Likewise the Hutu.

The 40,000 60,000 start date for humans is one of many Xtian fairy tales.

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By jack, April 6 at 8:34 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

The Real EVE

See the Discovery Channel website/internet search for info on the research for the documentary “The Real Eve” It is a documentary done a bit like a feature film which traces the entire human race to 3 women who lived in Africa thousands of years ago.
It is one of the best works done on the subject.

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By bert, April 3 at 9:22 pm #
(679 comments total)

Reply to CY

The school system must be worsr than I think. Can’t you even read a simple sentence and understand it?

THIS IS WHAT I WROTE

Spencer Wells who wrote the book The Journey of Man (also an excellent PBS special and video) who has proven that all humans alive today are descended from a single man who lived in Africa around 60,000 years ago.

Wells does not say this ‘single man’ is the FIRST man (or woman), just that everyone else on earth today is descended from this man.

The book is sometimes a hard read becasue of all the DNA background. The video is much easier to understand. Better to see it than to rely on Wikipedia. Plys Wells’s research is far more recent than Peking Man, and actually fills in some of the holes.

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By PatrickHenry, April 4 at 2:16 pm #
(1063 comments total)

Theory of Evolution

It keeps evolving.

Report this

By Conservative Yankee, April 4 at 7:22 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Insulting and incorrect bad dad combination !

It is physically impossible for “ALL humans” to be “...descended from a single man who lived in Africa around 60,000 years ago.” If the human race has been here and widespread (In China as well as Africa) for 200,000 years.  Even Magic Johnson can’t fuck that many women worldwide and he has a plane!

I assume you must have misunderstood what was being said. The racial differences that distinguish Peking Man and those from the Spanish “homo antecessor” (400,000 BC) were already established.

Many theories and no absolutes…

Report this

By bert, April 2 at 6:22 pm #
(679 comments total)

Reply to jack

<<<<<< I am very surprised you were unaware of sexual exploitation of female slaves. NAIVE!! >>>>>>

Quote me jack. Cite from one of my posts where I say or I deny this. I have never even duscussed this topic on this or any other blog. (until now)

I was referring only to your wildly insane and historically inaccurate assertion that Strom Thurmond was a founding father. And the woman in question was not a slave.  “At the time of Washington’s birth, her mother worked for Edgefield’s segregated school system, and Thurmond taught and coached white students. “ [Ken Cummins 12/02, The Black Comment]

In the first post you never mentioned Jefferson. You mention his name in your 2nd post or response to me.(And yes, I know about Sally Hemmings. And she was his long term lover.)

The only example you cited for founding fathers in that first post was Thurmon. I hate to tell you {well, not really} he was NOT a founding father.

And here is your actual quote:  “Our founding fathers raped slave women, were racist and white supremacists but we do not think any less of them (i.e. Strom Thurmon)” Posted By jack, March 31 at 8:39 am #145660(Unregistered commenter)

i.e. means ‘for example.’ So you said/wrote that Strom Thurmon was a founding father. He couldn’t have been. He was not even born yet. He was born after the Civil War. Different age in American history.

And here is part of my reply back - “I never knew Strom Thurman was a Founding Father.” I was needling you about your apparent lack of knowledge about U.S. History.I take it you don’t get sarcasm very well either.

And no it neither shocks or surprises me that we are all of mixed blood. I have know that all my life. And I have already dealt with this on a different thread when I talked about geneticist Spencer Wells who wrote the book The Journey of Man (also an excellent PBS special and video) who has proven that all humans alive today are descended from a single man who lived in Africa around 60,000 years ago. The book and the video document his discovery.

So get off your high horse jack and learn your history and learn how to write.

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By jimmyjam, April 7 at 1:55 pm #
(140 comments total)

Re: Reply to jack

How soon we forget when it one of our own.
Robert Carlyle Byrd (born November 20, 1917) is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia and a member of the Democratic Party. Byrd has held the office since January 3, 1959; he is the longest-serving member in the history of the Senate. He is also the longest-serving—and oldest—current member of the United States Congress.

Byrd is President pro tempore of the United States Senate of the 110th United States Congress, a position that puts him third in line of presidential succession, behind Vice President Dick Cheney and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He also held this post previously from 1989–1995, briefly in January 2001, and from June 2001 – January 2003.

He also previously held many leadership positions: Senate Conference Secretary, Majority Whip and twice Majority Leader. He is the only former majority leader currently in the Senate.

Participation in the Ku Klux Klan
In 1942, 24-year-old Byrd joined the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), whose parades in Matoaka, West Virginia, he had witnessed in his childhood. He was unanimously elected Exalted Cyclops, or leader, of his local chapter.[4]

Byrd, in his autobiography, attributed the beginnings of his political career to this incident, although he lamented that they involved the Klan. According to Byrd’s recollection, KKK official Joel L. Baskin told him “You have a talent for leadership, Bob ... The country needs young men like you in the leadership of the nation.” Byrd recalls that “suddenly lights flashed in my mind! Someone important had recognized my abilities. I was only 23 or 24, and the thought of a political career had never struck me. But strike me that night, it did."[4] He participated in the KKK during World War II, holding the titles Kleagle (recruiter) and Exalted Cyclops. He did not serve in the military during the war, working instead as a welder in a Baltimore, Maryland shipyard, where he helped build warships.[citation needed]

Byrd commented on the 1945 controversy about racially integrating the military. Byrd, when he was 28 years old, wrote to segregationist Senator Theodore Bilbo, of Mississippi, vowing never to serve in such a military:

Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.[5]
He had earlier written Bilbo “I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side”.
From Wikipedia

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By Jack, April 4 at 6:46 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Re: Reply to jack

She was his slave and mother of his five kids.  He built a tunnel to her quarters so he could visit her when he wished.  A slave does what the master requests. She was not owned by anyone but Jefferson and was 16 years old when he began his “relationship” with her.

The popular view of the founding fathers as great leaders and Christian men of high moral character is a bit changed when you look at their actions (rapes,sexual exploitation, torture,etc). This may explain why Blacks do not get misty-eyed when these guys are mentioned.

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By jack, April 3 at 7:14 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Re: Reply to jack

I am not speaking of times prior to the North American slave trade. The founding fathers and other wealthy slave owners did sexually exploit slave women. I mentionned Strom Thurmon as an example of how long the behaviors existed and as a rich, white man in modern times who had more power to use his Black servant ( who mysteriously died a few years after child birth).  There is no moral outrage at these men who have had the power to rape/abuse women without consequences .  There is no sympathy for the hundreds of thousands of girls/women who were sexually exploited for hundreds of years.  The mixed blood in African Americans came from the wealthy white,Christian slave owners like Washington , Jefferson. Sally Hemmings was his SLAVE. He did not free her! He built a special room/tunnel so he visit her as he wished. He begain sleeping with her when she was 16 and he was about 40. It is rumored that one of his five kids passed for white.  We know that the only people in the USA named Washington or Jefferson are Black since whites at the time did not want to be suspected of actually having Black Blood.  Strom Thurman is an example of how long such power and control existed for powerful white men . He is one baby dady who actually helped to support his kid. He had no fear of being questioned or called out for it . See the PBS series “African-American lives” for more info on Black history.
As for early man,the Discovery Channel video “The Real Eve” describes how we are all related to 3 Black women who lived in Africa many thousands of years ago”

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By bert, April 3 at 9:34 pm #
(679 comments total)

Re: Re: Reply to jack

Jeffersom us one of my favorite Presidents. I have read numerous bios and have been to Monticello three times.

As for children:

“Members of Hemings’ family have passed down the paternity claim through the generations. Last year, a DNA study concluded that Jefferson was likely the father of at least one of Hemings six children, Eston Hemings, the slave’s youngest son (JET, Nov. 16, 1998). “

You can read the entire article here:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-54851954.html

This is not the definitive piece on the issue. But there is no doubt Hemmings was his mistress.

The Monticelleo organization says that more study needs to be done. NOT. DNA is pretty compelling proof.

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By jack, April 2 at 4:37 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Wright was actually quoting a passage Ambassador Peck, a white person when he stated that the chickens wer coming home to roost.  SO you can direct your comments at the at Mr. Peck! IF YOU DARE
Listen/ Read the full sermon. Not the edited one created by the powerful white media. IF YOU DARE

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By Bill Blackolive, April 2 at 8:42 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

LATEST ON HOMOSAPIENS

Latest on homosapiens is we are 200,000 years ago born on Earth.  None of this gets taught in the first grade.  The US got going on its spoils of war then entered the southern Americas in racist balderdash.  By world War I we had too much industrial might for Germany or anyone past World War 11.  We have been the most indoctrinated country. Read Henry Miller’s THE AIR CONDITIONED NIGHTMARE. Miller claimed our birds die on this white bread.  Other dictatorships ruled in plain fear, we did brain wash.

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By Lee, April 2 at 7:55 am #
(110 comments total)

WHO'S THE RACIST?

Backers of Barack Obama say he has the best opportunity to create a new sense of national unity and to transcend divisions within this country ...You mean the same Barak Obama who attended an anti-American, racist church for 20 years? ... You mean the same Barak Obama who swore allegiance to the divisive ‘black value system’ for 20 years? ... You mean the same Barak Obama whose chosen mentor/advisor for 20 years is an anti-American, racist, who gave a disgusting, racist like Louis Farrakan a life time achievement award? This is the best person to bring unity to America? WHAT, ARE YOU KIDDING?

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By Leefeller, April 2 at 4:22 pm #
(1216 comments total)

Re: WHO'S THE RACIST?

We know who the racist is, anti American Church?  So anyone who calls our government on it’s lies and deceptions is anti American.  Great logic, small minds think alike, yes we do know who the racist is.

Never question authority, it hurts.

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By Leefeller, April 2 at 5:56 am #
(1216 comments total)

Truth is not nice

Have not seen anyone comment on the truths that are U.S. yet, but could have missed them.  Our country has abused many over the years, the Back people may be at the forfront, but I suspect we are forgetting the Native Americans and of course what we did to our own Japanese citizens. 

Bigotry has to do with differences any little differences, now we have the Mexicans to abuse, everyone gets a turn in the barrel. 

Bigots need something to make them selves feel good about their disfunction, why not pick on someone different, there are many easy targets to choose from. Hell, make one up.

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By JimBob, March 31 at 9:05 pm #
(65 comments total)

You’re quite right.  At the same time, many other populations came to America in poverty and subjugation if not slavery yet their whiteness allowed them to assimilate rapidly.  In fact, why was it possible to enslave Africans if not because of the marked extent of their Otherness?  There were other primitive and defenseless white populations on the planet which could have been dragged here in chains, but the lack of an inherent sense of their Otherness would not have allowed Americans of European descent to accept them as slaves. 
My point is that the maintenance of the institutional, habitual, ingrained racism to which you refer is at least partially fueled by something that is built into human DNA.  It is not so much secondary as it is fundamental, with many layers of socialized behavior overlaid upon it. It is never discussed, never admitted to; I propose that if it were, a healthier discussion of the evils that were allowed to happen because of it could take place.

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By JimBob, March 31 at 9:06 pm #
(65 comments total)

My bad...

The above was meant to be a response to cyrena’s reply to my post below, but I mis-posted it.

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By cyrena, April 2 at 9:36 pm #
(4025 comments total)

Re: My bad...

Not to worry JimBob,

I figured it out, and probably the rest of us did as well.

I was fortunate enough to FINALLY learn the real history of the US, and I’m embarrassed to say that it was only in the past decade.

As a person of color born in the 50’s, the true history of the US (which had slavery and racism at it’s foundation at the onset) was NEVER taught in my first 12 years of education. Rather, we just got the standard Thanksgiving stories about the Natives sharing turkey dinner with the Pilgrims, like everybody was all happy and stuff.

Not quite. Those times were outright VIOLENT!!

And now, in my further and more detailed studies of Constitutional Law, the truth reveals itself.

And, I do believe in the adage that “The truth shall set us free.” ALL of us. That does mean that we have to find it out though. History is the best place to begin. It’s been hidden under the rug for far too long. Just sweeping it there DOESN’T make it go away.

Report this

By bert, April 2 at 5:34 pm #
(679 comments total)

Re: My bad...

Compared with other sites Truth Digs is a bit ‘off’ with regard to Main Poat and replys. It probably was not your fault JimBob.

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By Fadel Abdallah, March 31 at 8:08 pm #
(358 comments total)

Lee! Whites are of two types: one type is noble and conscientious,like Tim Wise; and the other type is called white trash, so which type are you?!

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By Conservative Yankee, April 2 at 8:48 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Can you be noble and live in a

Only two types of whites?

Wow

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By JimBob, March 31 at 7:07 pm #
(65 comments total)

Posting this again because I believe it...

We’re in denial about the basis for racism which, if perhaps we can own it and face up to the truth of it, will allow all humans, of every color and race, to live together more peacefully.  That truth is that we, like other “pack animals,” are most comfortable when surrounded by those who look, sound and act like us.  We can overcome that basic instinct, just as we can learn not to freak out at 40,000 feet in an airplane or while maneuvering down a crowded freeway with death or serious injury hovering mere inches away from our bumper.  But first we have to acknowledge that, just as we’re more relaxed on the ground or strolling through a park, we are in fact conditioned to want to see ourselves in those around us.  Too many millennia of human development, in which small differences in physiognomy signaled danger from groups with threatening agendas, have passed for us to simply wave away our gut reaction to “the Other” because we’ve arrived at the intellectual conclusion that “all men are created equal.” Obviously, this doesn’t mean we should all clan up into homogeneous groups and build walls to keep out “exotics.” But if we’re going to derive the benefits that accrue to heterogeneity we need to admit that on a reptilian level, it goes against the grain.  Once we do that, we can develop the means to accommodate and mitigate natural reflexes.  But as long as we are in denial about our fundamental nature, as long as we tell ourselves that it’s just plain morally wrong to feel as we do, we won’t find a true and lasting solution to the question of how we can all live together in acceptance and peace.

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By cyrena, March 31 at 7:56 pm #
(4025 comments total)

Re: Posting this again because I believe it...

This is part of it JimBob, but only part of it. Other cultures don’t have these same issues.

We have to also accept all the rest that comes with it, which is that our nation was founded on slavery.

Even now, you’ll find people that are perfectly accepting of black folks and others of color, UNTIL they (the people of color) manage to acquire something that the member of the dominant culture doesn’t have, and it doesn’t matter what it is. It could be an assumed better job, a bigger house, a better education, fame, power, whatever it is.

That’s just the way the socio-psychological structure of our society, which has been based on capitalism from the beginning.

So yes, these other standard human reactions do come into play, but they are secondary to MAINTAINING the the racism that is institutional. You’re talking about racism on the micro-level, (generally a result of ignorance or lack of exposure) and people get over that the same way they get over a fear of flying at 40,000.

Racism in America exists on the MACRO level, and it’s endemic. It’s part of the structure of the society. It always has been. That’s why we need to know our American history, for it to really correct.

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By Outraged, March 31 at 6:47 pm #
(866 comments total)

I swear some people are thick as a brick arent they?

Thanks Fadel Abdallah for posting Tim Wise’s article.

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By shanenol, March 31 at 3:41 pm #
(6 comments total)

While I agree with some of the points pastor Wright brings to the forefront I also believe that many of his comments and actions perpetuate the same kind of racism he is so vehmently preaching against. Furthermore, I think Clinton’s tactic to publicize and emphasize Obama’s relationship with Wright is underhanded, but then again that’s politics.

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By jack, April 2 at 1:27 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Re: Shanenol

How does Wright discussing injustice create racism?
ML King did the same thing.  King expressed his dissapointement with the broken promises of America.
King also stated that America was the greatest purveyor of violence in the world.  He later said that America was going to hell( for its immorality/violence, injustice and denial of equality)
see the http://www.maarfa.org site for a glimpse of US history that few whites are aware of.

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By bert, March 31 at 8:45 pm #
(679 comments total)

Reply to shanenol

You write “I think Clinton’s tactic to publicize and emphasize Obama’s relationship with Wright is underhanded,..”

For the 100th time, Clinton had NOTHING at all to do with the Wright controversy. The information has been out there for over a year, especially on right wing conservative blogs and newspapers.

In fact on Jan. 9, 2008 Joe Conoson posted right here on Truth Dig about what Obama could expect if he was the nominee, and Wright was on his list. That was several months before he became a household name. Link below.

http://www.truthdig.com/report/print/20080109_the_comi ng_attack_on_barack/

Why do you always blame Hillary? This controversy is of Obama’s own making. Obama made it an issue by not breaking his association with him, and t making him his mentor, and staying in the church for 20 years.

And for the record, Brian Ross of ABC News broke the story and no Clinton did not leak it. There were rumblings from several sources, all Ross did was go to the church web site, biught the tapes, then watched them. The rest they say is history.

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By Conservative Yankee, March 31 at 11:18 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Reasons

Jerry Wright is black (well sort of) and Jerry Falwell was white (I guess) what is the difference between saying “God brought 9/11 down on us because we embrace values Leviticus (The house of pre-xtian rabbis)warn against” and saying The Muslims inflicted 9/11 on us because we treated them badly. 

One of the reason’s Wright’s sermons do not connect with “white America” is that most white folks do not trace their line back through slaves. Most white folks have not lived in a Ghetto, and it is difficult to tell one white (say a Catholic liberal) from another (say a protestant conservative)

I have lived in a Ghetto, I have listened to priests in a Catholic Church say things much like what Wright said to his followers. In some fashion, it is a message of hope.

here are some phrases I heard while at St. Peter’s on Main South in Worcester”

“The Devil sits with those charlatans in Boston who believe it is right and just to take from those who have almost nothing and give to those who live like royalty.”

“Theft is not wrong when only profit is lost while the hunger of a child is sated.”

“The prisoners in West Boyleston (Worcester House of Correction) have committed no worse acts than has the Governor of this Commonwealth”

“The poor can never be as evil as the rich, for it takes money and power to be so universally cruel while remaining blissfully unaware of the consequences.”

These statements, when taken together, essentially say; “God Damn The Commonwealth”

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By jack, March 31 at 9:11 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Unedited sermons

People should take the time out to listen to the unedited sermons of Wright on youtube.
The media lied to raise their ratings. Obama pacified some of them but refused to disown Wright.
Even Rev. King stated that America was going to hell and that America was the greatest purveyor of violence on the planet.
More people are now realizing that Wright is a brilliant scholar. His sermons are now available at itunes! The founding fathers raped slave women and held white supremacists view , but we are taught to ignore this fact.  The media gave little analysis to Strom Thurmons hypocrisy while they are demonize Wright!

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By jack, March 31 at 8:39 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Wright never encourages hate of anyone.  He is a critic of the US gov’t and uses examples of colonizers throughout history (Ancient Rome, Communist China, Russia etc) and their subsequent downfall due to their refusal to behave in a moral and ethical way.
Our founding fathers raped slave women, were racist and white supremacists but we do not think any less of them (i.e. Strom Thurmon)
Wright never says Blacks are superior to whites.
His topic was God and Gov’t.  His point was Governments who behave in an immoral, cruel way in domestic or foreign policy will fail and instead of us saying God Bless Americs we will be saying that God damned America for killing innocent people for thinking she is supreme (above God)

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By bert, March 31 at 8:50 pm #
(679 comments total)

Reply to Jack

You write:  “Our founding fathers raped slave women, were racist and white supremacists but we do not think any less of them (i.e. Strom Thurmon)”

Where did you learn history?  What history book did you read? Your teachers must be really proud of you. I never knew Strom Thurman was a Founding Father.

Also, go read what black liberation theology is all about.

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By jack, April 2 at 2:24 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Re: BERT- Founding fathers and sexual exploitation

See the PBS web site for the documentary African American Lives”
Research “Sally Hemmings” Jefferson’s slave/mistress
this was a common practice for men such as our founding fathers. Washington to Strom Thurmon, they were above question. Hence the average Black person in the US is 15-50 % white.  I am very surprised you were unaware of sexual exploitation
of female slaves. NAIVE!!

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By jack, April 2 at 1:39 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Re: Reply to Jack- WAKE UP BERT!

I hate to shock you, but nearly all African-Americans are 15-50% white due to the sexual exploitatin of Black women during and after slavery. Pres. Jefferson and Washington are an example of our heroes who had children with their slave women i.e. Sally Hemmings)
That is why the only people named Washington and Jefferson are Black.  The white people back in those days changed thier names so they would not be accuses of having Black blood and being mistrated as a result.
Do not act so surprised.  Slave owners bought hundreds of young female slaves. Of course they used them physically-duh! 
Strom Thurmon is a more modern day example of how white men were beyond question and did as they pleased ( no detriment to their careers or status).
So much of the true story of Black people has been left out of history books

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By Louise, March 31 at 7:17 am #
(743 comments total)

Rob Adcox:

“… would a true Christian espouse hatred of an entire race of people from a pulpit?”

***

Well duh ... watch them go after those “Islamo” fascists on the boob tube! Complete with backdrop portraying typical “Arab” tooting gun, dressed in red robes and sporting small horns on forehead!

***

“I know he’s arrogant (another unchristian trait), but come on.”

Right ... come on already!

Definition of arrogant:
- Exaggerating or disposed to exaggerate one’s own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner.
- Having excessive pride in ones self.
- Making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming; insolently proud:

Now if that doesn’t describe most well known Christian Preachifyers, I don’t know what does!

That humility thing can often be found among their “followers” but rarely in the “leader.” Which pretty well insures the guy taking the name of God in vain will continue receiving un-earned respect, un-earned income and un-earned power.

And, in spite of the fact that the “piously” outraged Wright attackers claim to be offended by his alleged racism. The reality is, they are delighted. Kinda takes the spotlight off their own racism, while still allowing them to lustily pursue said racism!

A win-win for the lose-losers.

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By Austin, March 31 at 7:16 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Krauthammer right for once.

(Fox’s Charles Krauthammer berated Wright for saying the 9/11 attacks were “chickens coming home to roost.” Krauthammer labeled the pronouncement “vitriolic divisiveness”)

Krauthammer is right: the statement is divisive because it divides those who want to know the truth--whatever that truth may be--from jingoistic nationalists, who shun unpleasant truths and anyone who speaks them.

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By Leefeller, March 30 at 8:23 pm #
(1216 comments total)

Bigots

Great piece. Sadly the bigots and racists will not read it or want to comprehend the real truths. 

It remains to be seen if Obama is hurt from the bigoted numbers.  Hopefully they are lower in numbers than in the past.  Part of Obamas Hope.

Like Obama, a refreshing piece of reality.

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By Rob Adcox, March 30 at 5:39 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Leave it to a liberal to overcomplicate this issue. First of all, Wright claims to be “Christian”, but would a true Christian espouse hatred of an entire race of people from a pulpit? Of course not. Since God is no respector of persons, why should Wright be? Does he think his business is more important than God’s? I know he’s arrogant (another unchristian trait), but come on. And let’s not forget the real reason Wright condemns we crackers: because he knows that there is an entire industry of race manipulation as pioneered by con artists like Sharpton and Jackson. Wright has ZERO credibility.

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By cyrena, March 31 at 2:18 pm #
(4025 comments total)

Re:

“....but would a true Christian espouse hatred of an entire race of people from a pulpit?...”

Well, indeed I HAVE heard alleged Christians DO this..espouse hatred of an ENTIRE RACE from a pulpit, (and other locations).

However...WRIGHT HAS DONE NO SUCH THING!!

So, it’s all in your imagination cracker.

(and those twisted out of context sound bytes).

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By Leefeller, March 31 at 6:02 am #
(1216 comments total)

Real Christians

It is so nice to hear a real Christian, condemn an other alleged unreal Christian. Me the right Christian, anyone that does not agree with me is not a true Christan. 

“Wright has zero credibility”.  Blunt truth should never be brought to the pulpit, only the comfort of the pew allowed.

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By republicanSScareme, March 30 at 3:32 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

The nut-wing would be wise to hide what Reverend Wright says instead of advertising it. The more people hear what he says, the more they agree with him.

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By Leefeller, March 31 at 6:10 am #
(1216 comments total)

Keep he head in the sand

Ok We should never disturb the Disneyland with reality. People should never hear the Blunt Truth, they cannot handle it and of heaven forbid, they may agree with it, we cannot have any of that.

Live a lie or keep ones head in the sand. Apathy or ignore, well it has worked before.

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By Fadel Abdallah, March 30 at 3:27 pm #
(358 comments total)

Here’s Part 6 of Tim Wise’s Article!
====================================
So what can we say about a nation that values lies more than it loves truth? A place where adherence to sincerely believed and internalized fictions allows one to rise to the highest offices in the land, and to earn the respect of millions, while a willingness to challenge those fictions and offer a more accurate counter-narrative earns one nothing but contempt, derision, indeed outright hatred? What we can say is that such a place is signing its own death warrant. What we can say is that such a place is missing the only and last opportunity it may ever have to make things right, to live up to its professed ideals. What we can say is that such a place can never move forward, because we have yet to fully address and come to terms with that which lay behind.
What can we say about a nation where white preachers can lie every week from their pulpits without so much as having to worry that their lies might be noticed by the shiny white faces in their pews, while black preachers who tell one after another essential truth are demonized, not only for the stridency of their tone--which needless to say scares white folks, who have long preferred a style of praise and worship resembling nothing so much as a coma--but for merely calling bullshit on those whose lies are swallowed whole?
And oh yes, I said it: white preachers lie. In fact, they lie with a skill, fluidity, and precision unparalleled in the history of either preaching or lying, both of which histories stretch back a ways and have often overlapped. They lie every Sunday, as they talk about a Savior they have chosen to represent dishonestly as a white man, in every picture to be found of him in their tabernacles, every children’s story book in their Sunday Schools, every Christmas card they’ll send to relatives and friends this December. But to lie about Jesus, about the one they consider God--to bear false witness as to who this man was and what he looked like--is no cause for concern.
Nor is it a problem for these preachers to teach and preach that those who don’t believe as they believe are going to hell. Despite the fact that such a belief casts aspersions upon God that are so profound as to defy belief--after all, they imply that God is so fundamentally evil that he would burn non-believers in a lake of eternal fire--many of the white folks who now condemn Jeremiah Wright welcome that theology of hate. Indeed, back when President Bush was the Governor of Texas, he endorsed this kind of thinking, responding to a question about whether Jews were going to go to hell, by saying that unless one accepted Jesus as one’s personal savior, the Bible made it pretty clear that indeed, hell was where you’d be heading.
So you can curse God in this way--and to imply such hate on God’s part is surely to curse him--and in effect, curse those who aren’t Christians, and no one says anything. That isn’t considered bigoted. That isn’t considered beyond the pale of polite society. One is not disqualified from becoming President in the minds of millions because they go to a church that says that shit every single week, or because they believe it themselves. And millions do believe it, and see nothing wrong with it whatsoever.
So white folks are mad at Jeremiah Wright because he challenges their views about their country. Meanwhile, those same white folks, and their ministers and priests, every week put forth a false image of the God Jeremiah Wright serves, and yet it is whites who feel we have the right to be offended.
Pardon me, but something is wrong here, and whatever it is, is not to be found at Trinity United Church of Christ.

Tim Wise is the author of: White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son (Soft Skull Press, 2005), and Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White (Routledge: 2005). He can be reached at:
This essay originally appeared in Lip.

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By Lee, March 31 at 11:04 am #
(110 comments total)

RE: Fadel Abdallah

You know, there are still a lot of Americans who are patriotic, and proud to be Americans. Although there are some things wrong with this country, there are a lot more things right with this country. I guess that’s why in spite of the continual America bashing from people like you and Cyrena and Leefeller, you choose to live here, instead of the Islamic countries you constantly defend. What have you three ever done to positively contribute to America? Have you been in the military, or public service of any kind? I have ... as did my father, cousins, uncles, etc.. Please let us not forget that thousands of Americans of all races have either risked their lives, or given their lives for the freedoms you ingrates now enjoy.  My Grandparents came here from an oppressive foreign country in order to start a ‘free’ new life. They ran into bigotry and racism, but they respected and embraced the American culture, instead of bashing it. They worked in sweat mills, along with people representing other countries and races to help make this country they were so proud of a better place. Like many others who came here, they assimilated into the American melting pot. People like you, Wright, etc. enjoy all the benefits of living here, while constantly complaining, accusing, etc..  This whole country is composed of various minorities with difficult histories, but you seem to think this country owes you entitlements over and above the rest of us.  if you think it’s so bad here, why don’t you move to an Islamic country, and see how many rights, freedoms, and harsh punishments you would endure. Talk is cheap! You malcontents wouldn’t even have the freedom to shoot off your mouth in the Islamic countries you defend. One of the great acts of wisdom that was established in America was to separate church and state. The thought of living under a 12th century theocracy with brutal restrictions and punishments is pretty scary. If you America bashers prefer to live under that kind of tyranny, fine ... but, don’t try to shove it down our throats.

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