[lbo-talk] at least he's black!

[John Thornton]

Marvin Gandall wrote:
> John Thornton writes:
>
>   
>> Julio Huato wrote:
>>     
>>> John Thornton wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>       
>>>> Why give Obama a pass on this BS? Would you give Clinton a similar pass
>>>> if she said something this offensive and stupid?
>>>>
>>>>         
>>> Because he's black.
>>>       
>> That makes it more dangerous and offensive, not less.
>>     
> ========================================
> In which case, you'd expect to see a strong backlash from within the black
> community, as there was against the Clintons for their remarks in South
> Carolina, wouldn't you? If Obama's comments were equally "offensive, stupid,
> and dangerous" to blacks, why didn't we see a similar reaction? Certainly,
> you'd think the Clinton campaign -through the black leaders who support
> it -would jump at the chance to hit back at Obama and erode his base at this
> decisive stage of the campaign.
>
> But as far as I know, very few if any have castigated Obama as an Uncle Tom
> for stating that black people have made substantial political progress but
> that there are unfinished tasks to complete to eliminate the remaining
> institutional expressions of US racism. It seems to me that for most black
> Americans this would be stating the obvious, and explains why there hasn't
> been any outcry. I imagine that those who took note of Obama's stress on the
> historical progress to date saw it, like Julio, as a rhetorical effect to
> spur further action. There may be other reasons to get exercised about
> Obama, but this one seems trivial.

More selective reading of Obama.
Obama didn't state that black people have "made substantial political 
progress but that there are unfinished tasks to complete to eliminate 
the remaining institutional expressions of US racism." as you claim. 
This is spinning his comment into something less odious than what he 
really claimed. Why would you want to do that? Why are so many people 
who should know better also doing this? Minorities have made substantial 
progress and no one doubts that but that isn't what Obama said no matter 
how many times you or anyone else assert that it is.

There is a backlash against Obama in case you hadn't noticed but the 
size of that backlash does not need to be proportionate to the 
offensiveness of his comment that blacks are 90% equal with whites.

The fact that you don't see blacks (or other minorities, NDN's that I 
read also give Obama a pass on shit like this) commenting on this more 
is not evidence that it is not an offensive statement. It may simply 
reflect the fact that the desire to be represented by a minority, 
instead of a white, outweighs the desire to point out his failings not 
that his failings don't exist.

If you want to consider the matter trivial that is your prerogative but 
claiming that there is 90% parity between blacks and whites is offensive 
and would be considered offensive if uttered by someone else.

John Thornton