America: Still Talking About Race

Townhall.com ^ | August 23, 2010 | Joseph C. Phillips

[Kaslin]

According to the website CNN.com, some of the criticism of first lady Michelle Obama is driven by partisan politics. However, “others say the attacks are rooted in white resentment of the “uppity Negro.” Two things quickly come to mind. The first is that no one other than Harry Reid uses the word “Negro” anymore. Second, that it is the 21st century and yet there are those who continue to talk about race as if it were 1955.

Last February, in a speech to honor Black History Month, Attorney General Eric Holder remarked that Americans of all colors should stop avoiding an honest discussion of race in America. Said Holder: "Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards."

I disagreed with Holder at the time and still do. Americans are not cowards when it comes to discussions of race, neither are they dishonest. Rather, I believe Americans are simply bone-tired.

The American conversation on race began more than two centuries ago and frankly, we have talked of little else. The topic permeated the discussions during the drafting of both our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution and continues today, with a black man sitting in the white house.

Not cowards, just exhausted and so very, very eager to move on!

This was the great “hope” for Barack Obama. The great tide that swept Barack Obama into the White House was not the hope of a hard left social and economic agenda. Americans were eager to move on to a new and more uplifting conversation about their nation and their lives as citizens. And one of the things they wanted to change was the conversation on race.

In fairness, changing America’s racial conversation may have been a bit too much to ask of one man. Although for a man who promised that his nomination as a candidate for president would be remembered as the moment the planet would heal and the oceans would calm, such expectations were perhaps not so outrageous. Nevertheless--his ability or inability to calm the tides notwithstanding--he is only human.

And early on, there were signs that it was all too good to be true.

There was the revelation of his 20-year association with the reverend Jeremiah Wright, pastor of the universal church of “get back whitey.” This eye-opener was followed by several editorials introducing voters to the new “racial code.” We discovered, for instance, that talking about Obama’s elitism was code for saying he was “uppity” and to point out his inexperience was to call him a “boy.” Alas, this was all a harbinger of what was to come.

This administration has attempted to marginalize its opponents by labeling them as racists; movements have been slandered with charges of racism, and principled disagreement is suddenly seen as evidence of bigotry. It all seems a bit surreal. As a nation, we seem to be talking about race now, more than we have in a very long time. As far as leading this nation into a post racial era, the election of Barack Obama can only be seen as a bust.

But perhaps I have misread the tea leaves. It may be that what we are witnessing is race- as-we-have-come-to-know-it in its death throes. We might also be seeing first hand the birth of a new paradigm of race in America—one that will carry us into the next generation.

This past March, in a deliberate attempt to provoke a racial incident, members of the Congressional Black Caucus marched through a large crowd of angry, mostly white, ObamaCare protestors. But the trick failed. The fire hoses didn’t appear; neither did the attack dogs, or the white racists shouting the N-word. Sure, the left claimed it happened--that these noble black heroes were spat upon and called ugly names as in days gone by--but the lie failed to gain traction.

Representatives Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters have claimed that race is behind investigations into their behavior, as opposed to the possibility that they have been unethical and dishonest. There was a time when such charges would have been greeted with seriousness as opposed to the snickering these recent protests have garnered.

The new left media is hard at work attempting to prove racial animus. Increasingly, however, their charges seem to read like a laundry-list of falsehoods and rather mundane annoyance: Scrutiny of the first lady, for instance.

It would be difficult for Americans to witness the cynical, dishonest, and hollow way in which race has been at issue over the last two years and not sense that something is afoot. Indeed, it may be that this nation is moving in a new direction on race. Sure, there will continue to be those who cling to the outdated view of black-white relationships, but increasingly they must be seen as out-of-step with the times. If true, it is both reason to celebrate and to shake Mr. Obama’s hand.

[Vaduz]

And in real news people can’t stand the stupidity of the Obama’s,both are dumb and dangerous.

[Uncle Ike]

” I have found few blacks honest enough and willing enough to have a calm, quiet, honest discussion. “

That’s because people (non-race-specific) who have advanced to the point where ‘calm, quiet, honest discussion’ is possible, have also advanced to the place where such discussion is no longer necessary....

[CincyRichieRich]

The leftists use race as a proxy for “oppressed vs oppressor”
Classic leftist thinking. Turn one against the other, create class struggle, class strife, leading to civil unrest. When the opportunity arises, rush in and set up a marxist government.
Looks like that already happened.

---

Exactly. Watch the mosque issue...Obama will have black owned businesses doing the work where whites will sign on to not ever be a part of it’s building. More division. I know black couples who are still saying he’s not supported because of his race...these are mostly elderly couples...no mention of his policies, beliefs, morals, nope...only race.

[GailA]

Then why did 61% of the conservatives in a ‘racially’ divided district vote on Aug 5th for Charlotte Bergmann http://www.bergmann4congress.com/ a CONSERVATIVE black female businesswoman to go up against the incumbent white, Jewish, socialist, obama butt kisser steve cohen in the US 9th District TN (MEMPHIS)?

[MBB1984]

It wouldn’t work at all if we did not have so many, even Conservatives, laden with self imposed white guilt and self loathing.

[Old Landmarks]

Liberals have their motives for lying. Their game has always been their pseudo-faith which has nothing to do with truth.

The truth is their enemy, so they lie without even a pause.

They will do anything, especially continually lying, to set up their view of utopia because the end justifies their means.

[frithguild]

I don't ever recall qnyone saying, "uppity negro"...

I heard it in Blazing Saddles.

[GailA]

So very true. Right shall become wrong, wrong shall become right as the Bible says.

[Old Landmarks]

Well said.

[Texas resident]

CNN is obsessed with race.

Most Americans only race concern is nascar.

Go away CNN.

[dfwgator]

Race, Inc., will always be around as long as there is money to be made off of it.

[xrmusn]

I had attempted to have discussions like this with colleagues but, always in the back of my mind, is the fear that it will degenerate into racial epithets.
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When I get the hints/winks/rolling eyes etc that I do not like BO just because he is black, I just tell ‘them’ that I had the same disdain for Clinton, Gore, Kerry, Johnson, MacNamara, Carter etc etc etc. Then you get called a Liberal basher but still racist.
Tell them you had no problem voting for Doug Wilder for gov of VA and I would have probably voted for a Sam Nunn, Bob Kerrey, Zoe Miller, avid fan of Sowell and W. Williams appreciate Justice Thomas and you (at least I) get the impression that Libs and Blacks don’t consider ‘my choices’ as one of ‘them’.

Just tell them you have no problem with the Black half of BO, it is the White half you despise.

[FrankR]

No...America isn't "still talking about race"...the left is still talking about race. It's all they can talk about because it's the only argument they can come up with.

Obama was supposed to heal the race thing in America; but he hasn't, in fact, he's made it much, much worse.

His rebellious, punk-ass attitude has so empowered the militant left that it's like the 60's all over again. Hate seethes from the militant left, you can see it, you can feel it.

I sincerely hope that Glen Beck's rally in D.C. this month goes peacefully, but if it doesn't, maybe the TEA party folks will take out the trash. Ol' Al will be there trash-talking and probably surrounded by his para-military terrorists to try to intimidate everyone.

But how far do we allow ourselves to be pushed? Over the cliff?

[DustyMoment]

That’s because people (non-race-specific) who have advanced to the point where ‘calm, quiet, honest discussion’ is possible, have also advanced to the place where such discussion is no longer necessary....

A fair point. But, as an eeeeee-vil white guy (married heterosexual and all!!), I would like to try to understand the mixed messages coming from the black community. For decades, white America has bent over backwards trying to accommodate them and they keep pushing us away. We keep trying to integrate and they keep trying to segregate . . . . . what kind of message does that send???

I'd truly like to understand what it is that they want. The problem is that I don't think they know what they want. They just want to keep a battle going that ended decades ago and they won . . . . they just don't realize it, yet!!

But, as has been noted recently, the race card is maxed out and we are all suffering from race fatigue. Personally, I'm tired of it all.

[MrB]

“race” is an “instead of” argument,

since any discussion of the efficacy of their policies leaves them on the losing end.

[DustyMoment]

The early claim by the race-baiters in ‘08 that you were a racist if you wouldn’t vote for Obama intentionally ignored the legitimate political disagreementas that many of us have with his policies.

That attitude still pervades the debate today and is still just as disingenuous. This, IMO, is one of the main reasons that the whole race-based debate is falling flat.

Too many of us are tired of the race card being thrown everytime a “minority” (translation - non-white) doesn’t have a rational argument to support their claims. That’s why the race issue isn’t playing this time. They’ve used it too many times.

[eddiespaghetti]

Libs just talk. The rest of us live our lives.

BINGO!!!

[Alberta's Child]

Everything I needed to know about race in this country I learned from Bill Cosby.

[xrmusn]

That attitude still pervades the debate today and is still just as disingenuous.
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Well, PC has put ‘us’ in the position that the ONLY one you can ‘dislike’ is a clone of yourself.
You (supposedly) can’t dislike a person because he/she is a slug, boor, butthead etc, they have to throw in the “REAL” reason is because they are black, female, Irish, Jewish, Italian, Middle Eastern etc etc etc.
The worst part is the people that are buying this garbage, some you would have never suspected....

[kalee]

I am weary of hearing about race. I don’t give a flip about color, I care about values. I want family, friends and representatives who share my values.