You would think they would just learn to shut up
Sorry folks for bringing all of this Obama stuff here, but it just keeps coming. Sen. John Kerry is now the latest person to inject race where it is not necessary.
Kerry: Obama Could Help US Relations with Muslim Nations ‘Because He’s a Black Man’
ABC News
March 20, 2008 2:45 PMIn an interview with Massachusetts’ SouthCoastToday (watch it HERE), Obama-backing Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., says among other reasons he’s supporting Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, is his belief that “it would be such an affirmation of who we say we are as a people. if we could elect an African-American president, young leader, who is obviously visionary about the ability to inspire people.”
Kerry said that a President Obama would help the US, in relations with Muslim countries, “in some cases go around their dictator leaders to the people and inspire the people in ways that we can’t otherwise.”
“He has the ability to help us bridge the divide of religious extremism,” Kerry said. “To maybe even give power to moderate Islam to be able to stand up against this radical misinterpretation of a legitimate religion.”
Okay folks, now watch this!
Kerry was asked what gives Obama that credibility.
“Because he’s African-American. Because he’s a black man. Who has come from a place of oppression and repression through the years in our own country.” (more…)
For starters, Obama hardly came “from a place of oppression”. Instead, he is a tribute to the fact that as a Black man, one can be successful in this country. Second, his touted ability to bring folks to the table here in the states had NOTHING to do with his color. And third, does Kerry know how non-Muslim Black men are treated by Muslim extremists in places like Africa?
March 20th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
what? kerry stfu. Because he’s black he should automatically be able to quell any Muslim issues?
March 20th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Every 50 years or so, we get another chance to do this right. We hope that after another 50 years goes by that we will be able to talk about race, these last few days seem to state that we may yet not be ready, even though its promising. If anyone can take us across that divide, it will be “the young senator from Illinois.”
For purposes of the presidential election, I would agree with your post title, but eventually that closet has to have an “extreme makeover.” It has to be opened and cleaned out. It is obvious that a lot of folks believe that there is no problem, based on comments such as “are you guys still talking about that slavery and discrimination thing?” A lot of people are obviously very self-righteous, unable to take a mirror to their own face. Apparently they no longer teach impartiality in journalism classes.
It is also really interesting to see the talking heads suggest, “are you serious, those things are said in those churches, those people really feel that way, I wonder why”
As one white person mentioned today as many came to his support “we can’t forget that he’s half white.” I am not sure what she meant, but it almost seemed as if she were saying “he’s not all yours guys, we want to play with him too.!”
March 21st, 2008 at 10:38 am
Do you honestly think that Kerry made an incorrect statement? The fact that most of the rest of the worlds looks a lot more like Obama than the previous 43 presidents obviously fosters more of a comfort level with this country.
March 21st, 2008 at 11:17 am
Again, I point you back to how non-Muslim African men have been treated over the years by radical Muslim groups. While having a Black president can be very symbolic, it will do no more to quell any anger radical Muslims have towards America than they currently have with a White president.
What is really going to be interesting is to see the effigies of “President” Obama in the middle east being burned or lynched and whether or not the media will cover it.
March 24th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Duane,
How much contact do you have with folks from the middle east? I hate catch phases like “radical Musilm groups”. What exactly does that mean and how do you differenciate from “other” radical groups. Why does not popular American media and culture openly refer to Mormons as Radical Christians, hell for that matter I would have to class many black pentecostals and baptist as radical religious freaks too, right?
Dont know about the rest of the country but in NYC Arabs and people from the middle east are a dime a dozen (good thing). Somehow the vast majority of them are more openminded and level headed than many of the native born black and white bozos that I come across daily.
The truth of the matter is Obama can and most likely would be a better representitive of US foriegn policy in that region. Why, he is NOT a “whiteboy” and does not share in the thousands of years of hatred and warfare that has existed between the European powers and the Muslims of all cultures; Turks, Perisans, Arabs, etc.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:00 am
How much contact do you have with folks from the middle east?
Here in California, I would say probably just as often I as do with Asians. Then again, I don’t make it a point to ask for place of origin for folks I meet.
I hate catch phases like “radical Musilm groups”. What exactly does that mean and how do you differenciate from “other” radical groups.
You may hate these phrases, but the truth is that you have Muslims out there who do take a do take a very extreme approach to their religion of peace. The example I gave above is one piece of evidence of that. As for Muslims in general, America is full of hard working Muslims who are not interested in blowing up folks who do not submit to their religion. The later group defines THEMSELVES as moderate while labeling the other as extremists. On the other hand, yes, there are folks out there who act on beliefs that are not substanciated in any way by the Bible under the banner of “Christian”.
Why does not popular American media and culture openly refer to Mormons as Radical Christians, hell for that matter I would have to class many black pentecostals and baptist as radical religious freaks too, right?
Oh but they do my friend. Ever heard of the “extreme right” or “far right”? It is the same group media and some liberals won’t hesitate in associating the likes of Timothy McVeigh, Hal Turner, the klan and every abortion clinic bomber out there.
The truth of the matter is Obama can and most likely would be a better representitive of US foriegn policy in that region. Why, he is NOT a “whiteboy” and does not share in the thousands of years of hatred and warfare that has existed between the European powers and the Muslims of all cultures; Turks, Perisans, Arabs, etc.
Again, you look over the lessons of history. Having a Black president will no more change the minds of Muslim extremists on how they feel about those who do not submit to Allah’s will than with a Black president. This whole notion that Muslim nations will somehow see a sense of brotherhood in Obama because he is Black is ludicrous. Plus, as long as America is not willing to go through the same Islamiffication that the U.K. is going through to its own peril (take some time to read about that. I know I covered it here on this site. Mind you, with all of their back bending for the Muslim community, Bin Laden STILL issues out a tape warning that country along with many of the clerics who reside in the U.K. ), the U.S. will still be enemy #1.
The whole brotherhood thing based on skin color certainly did not work for Condoleezza Rice with Palestinian folks. ‘Memba this?
If Obama does get elected, it is going to be really interesting to see the response on the left when some of these same groups begin to portray him as a monkey or being lynched. I am willing to bet you that MSM will of course overlook these depictions because it does not fit the narrative you are suggesting here.
March 24th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Lets not get our apples and oranges mixed up here, ok.
First I did not state that the Muslim world would treat Obama differently because he is black. I stated that Obama may take a different approach to the middle east than many other former presidents because he is NOT cut fromt eh same clothe as them. In my opinion Obama (if he wins) will have more problems with the European nations (and their press) and the Isrealis than the middle eastern nations. Yes it will be the so-called friends of the USA that will feel they stand nothing to gain with him as president that will quitely and not so quitely attempt to undermine him.
Look if black folks (like Condi Rice) are willing use their black face to promote a nasty, biased agenda for the USA they can expect to get insulted by the people they offend. Do you honestly think that those palestinians are ignorant of our black history in the USA?
And if you look at the cartoon closely you see the “monkey” in her belly is G.W. Bush. You are missing the point (insult)! Condi is carrying Dubya’s baby. When viewed in that light the insult can be interpeted many different ways.
So if I call Bush a monkey as an insult, would you than interpet it as me calling him blackman?
I work with a two Nigerians and a guy from Ghana. Let me ask the Africans here if they few the insult the same way and I will get back to you.
March 24th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
First I did not state that the Muslim world would treat Obama differently because he is black. I stated that Obama may take a different approach to the middle east than many other former presidents because he is NOT cut fromt eh same clothe as them
And yet you describe those others as “whiteboys” while going on to associate these “whiteboys” with historical European powers.
And if you look at the cartoon closely you see the “monkey” in her belly is G.W. Bush.
When viewed in that light the insult can be interpeted many different ways.
Remember, you are now entering into a game that can be played both ways. The same argument could be made for folks like William Bennent who was blasted for supposedly called for the abortion of every Black baby. Then also you have Ol’ Imus again who used the words “nappy-headed hoes” when describing the Rutgers basketball team when casually talking about one of their games.
I work with a two Nigerians and a guy from Ghana. Let me ask the Africans here if they few the insult the same way and I will get back to you.
Better yet, ask them if they know anybody from Darfur who has gone through what the video above described and ASK THEM. I wouldn’t ask somebody in Korea about the goings on in China.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:53 am
“Dont know about the rest of the country but in NYC Arabs and people from the middle east are a dime a dozen (good thing). Somehow the vast majority of them are more open-minded and level headed than many of the native born black and white bozos that I come across daily.”
Just because you come across level headed and open-minded people from Arabia and the Middle East daily doesn’t mean Arabs and Middle Eastern people everywhere are level headed and open-minded.
“The truth of the matter is Obama can and most likely would be a better representative of US foreign policy in that region. Why, he is NOT a ‘whiteboy’ and does not share in the thousands of years of hatred and warfare that has existed between the European powers and the Muslims of all cultures; Turks, Perisans, Arabs, etc.”
Would those Muslim cultures include white boy Muslims in Bosnia, Russia, and Albania? You use Muslim and middle eastern interchangeably. Not all Muslims are Arab or Middle Eastern and not all Arabs or Middle Eastern people are Muslim. Some are Christian or Jewish even.
Furthermore, though I think Obama would be better that the other two choices in terms of foreign policy, do not assume that people in the middle east see Obama the way you think they see him. They generally do not embrace concepts like “people of color” or Third World unity.
BTW, Turkey was a former imperial power whose empire included parts of Europe.
Many in that part of the world organize their lives around religion, ethnicity, and clan. To the extent that they see themselves racially at all, many see themselves as white people. Others may be immune to appeals based on being people of color simply because it doesn’t resonate with them.
Additionally, as I have been told my some African friends of mine, many middle easterners and North Africans are not particularly fond of black people. Arabs were some of the biggest buyers and sellers of Africans. Not saying they are KKK style racists, just saying we should avoid projecting romantic qualities onto others and assuming they are natural allies because we see them that way.
For more information, please read this article about people of African descent in Yemen:
Languishing at the Bottom of Yemen’s Ladder
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/world/middleeast/27yemen.html?_r=1&st=cse&sq=yemen&scp=4&oref=slogin
In some Arab countries people who look like Obama are at the bottom of the social scale…Something to think about.
An article about Iraqis of African descent:
A Legacy Hidden in Plain Sight
Iraqis of African Descent Are a Largely Overlooked Link to Slavery
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A6645-2004Jan10