Racism in the USA
Senator Obama is apparently writing a speech that he will deliver tomorrow. He seeks to clarify his association with his (now former?) pastor Reverand Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. Senator Obama has removed Mr. Wright from a religious advisory committee on his campaign on Friday after intense media scrutiny to statements made by the pastor. Mr Wright has characterized the United States as fundamentally racist and its government as corrupt and murderous. While Senator Obama has been dogged by similar questions over his relationship with the pastor over the past year, he feels the need to explain himself to Americans.
I suppose that is necessary because the average white American is still living in a deluded world where he or she thinks Mr Wright's statements are a gross misrepresentation. And Senator Obama's opponents will not miss the opportunity to do some serious scare-mongering over Senator's Obama "unpatriotic" stance.
But the average ethnic minority American will tell you another story (see for example, ABC's attempt to shed light on racism towards American Muslims). And the average non-American (that is, everyone else in this world) will tell you another story of unjust and arrogant American hard power.
Essentially, what Mr Wright said is not so far from the truth, but he has been demonized for saying it. And if you, the average American, were really honest with yourself, you would accept the truth for what it is. And instead demand this of the politicians: when will be the day Americans can have a serious discourse on race, racism and discrimination in this country without the need to be on the defence?
In a television interview with PBS on Monday, Mr. Obama called his pastor’s remarks “stupid” and added that, “it has been a distraction from the core message of our campaign.”
I was a little disappointed to see him back away Mr. Wright in such a manner when he had stuck with him for so long, not only attending his church, but naming a book after one of his sermons. Perhaps I expected too much from him too soon.
I will await his speech tomorrow.
posted by LogicGirl at
11:45 PM
2 Comments:
I completely agree with your stance. And would love for our politicians to be able to tackle the issues head-on. Some in the past have ... Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson. However, they have also been branded as radicals and are not taken seriously, from a political standpoint. It's an unfortunate dichotomy where we want our politicians to speak the truth, yet we don't want them to stymie their own campaigns and limit their chances of making it into office.
I think he has redemeed himself with his speech - he did not "disown" his former pastor. We have to accept that people do mature and grow, and move away from people, as they do with ideas.
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