Carter's Racism accusation

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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/16/carter-racism-claim-draws-widespread-criticism/

I am afraid that our former President is missing the point. Apparently, he thinks the reason all of those who do not support Obama is because of Racism? Like the Republicans don't have any real arguements with any of his policies? He definitely lost his marbles.

 

I just think he went a couple of extra steps down the path than necessary. But I understand where he's coming from. Generations of mistrust can cause a lack of respect and ... well ... a lack of trust. I don't think the average white person believes a black man will keep their (the white dude) best interest in mind when making decisions any more than I believe the average black person trusts a white person in charge to do the same. Note that I said average there.

There is certainly a possibility latent racism "narrowed the filter" between the brain and mouth -- just as the growing partisan hostilities could be a factor. However, I think this comment says it best:

But this quote by Carter shows considerable insight IMO:

 

That sounds about right to me, T2.

 

Also keep in mind the point of view Carter is coming from. Not only is he from the deep south, he grew up in the segregated deep south.

 

So, you two think that all of the resistance Obama is recieving is racially motivated? If that is the case, if America is still "there", a 150 years later, do you really think Obama would even be alive? Do you really think brainless idots like that wouldn't of assassinated him by now? I believe there are some, but not the Majority, no way. IMO, It definitely is a minority faction of his opponents.

 

ALL? Of course not. How did you read that into what we said?

I think it has more to do with him being the other. Dark. Liberal. Not [x person's brand of] American. 'Muslim.' 'Socialist.' His being non-white just makes it easier to personify his strangeness to a certain segment of white America, since it is a visual difference rather than a conceptual one. It is certainly a factor. But all? No.

 

You guys are ignoring the background on Joe Wilson.

These were also interpreted as racist by some. One can see a pattern.

Thuurmond was a lifelong segregationist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Wilson_(U.S._politician)

 

Easy DR, you agree with Carter, who said that "an overwhelming portion of similar demonstrations against President Obama are rooted in bigotry." Maybe not all, but that would imply it as "most". If your not saying that, my apologies DR/T2, my bad.

Thrasher - Even if Wilson had some lingering resentment toward Obama for being black, it still doesn't show the majority does as well. It would take alot more than just that to convinvce me.

 

That statement implies that he has the right idea, but is over-exaggerating it. Like taking "some" are racist to "most" are racist. Neither T2 nor DR made it seem like they agreed that all or most, or even 'a lot' of people felt this way.

 

I wasn't referring to the majority; I was describing Wilson. But there are plenty of other Republican racist statements to go around. I don't think everything anti-Obama is racist oriented but there certainly are a lot of examples.

 

Bigotry =/= racism. That's what DR was saying with "the other". The racial aspect is the more visible one and so is the easiest to visualise, but that doesn't mean it's even the major one.

 

I agree. Just look at the tenor of the debate on health care. Republicans and their constituents are NOT attacking health care reform by debating actual issues - and there are ton of issues that are core Republican values that they could do this on. For example, in the senate version of the plan that was recently unveiled, roughly 40% of the cost of the plan is going to come from increased taxation. Being anti-big government, and especially anti-tax increases is a core Republican talking point.

But they don't do that. I also agree with DR that Obama being half African American makes him easy to characterize as "the other". Sometime it's blatant, like when Limbaugh calls him a "Halfrican American", but it also helps when you do comparisons to Hitler and Stallin, because we look at those people as "the other" too.

 

Well, seems to me alot of what was coming out against Obama's policies were Hitler and Socialism remarks. I don't see how you go from calling someone Hitler to hating him for being black. That doesn't make sense. I am NOT defending anyone who makes either type of comments about our Prez, I'm just not understanding where Carter is coming from. I don't see it like he does apparently. I think the greatest oppostion to Obama are those in disagreement with his policies, period. Not his race. That me be an underlying issue for some knitwits who oppose him, but to say that it is for alot of them is wrong. And Carter was inferring that in his statements.

 

I think Carter may be speaking from his views of growing up in a segregated South. I'll not claim to be any expert, but I have honestly never heard a real racist comment in person in my life. I mean, I've heard things on TV, reports on the radio, read things in newspapers, but I've never actually been standing in a room with someone and heard them make a racist comment that wasn't a blatant joke (the kind that black people and white people alike tell, and even tell to each other if they're friends).

The opposition to Obama is primarily fear-based, largely hate-based, somewhat logically-based (it does exist), but I see only rare indications that any of it is race-based (that being a subset of the hate-based opposition). Most of the hate-based opposition I see is from radical claims, his past, his party, and the like. I don't think any of it is deserved, but it's not racism either.

 

You must live a very sheltered life not to have seen or heard racism. To dismiss it as a joke is a form of denial.

 

Or a step in the right direction. Once ALL sides can joke about it, they can get OVER it. Then, just maybe, they can get past it and learn to live together without the hatred. I think that is what NOG was getting at. Crap, I just defended NOG, I need a drink.

 

Um dismissing a problem doesn't make it go away.
Education, and compassion for the persecuted would help more.

 

True, but I have always seen value in the idea that if you can make a joke out of racism, it loses its power. My wife and I are of different races (she's Vietnamese, I'm as whitebread as you get), but we tease each other all the time using racial stereotypes. When we do this, we aren't engaging in racism, we're mocking it by highlighting the absurdity of racism. We do it with religion too (she's Roman Catholic, I'm an agnostic former-Mormon). One of our best friends is from Mexico, and we make similar jokes around him (and he back at us). It's just a part of who we are, since we all grew up with an appreciation for diversity.

But still, in general you're right I think. Laughter may be effective in a vacuum, but education and compassion are the best way to bring about change in attitudes on a societal level.

 

I have to say that I'm stunned by some of the stuff I've been hearing here. When I first came to Houston it was nothing but an overgrown cow-town. I used to hear racial remarks all the time, which, since I lived in Georgia also, I came to expect from the older generation in the South. But as Houston grew into a more cosmopolitan city a lot of it seemed to vanish - there was a large influx of people from all over the world and the city seemed to have outgrown all the old Civil War, segragationist bigoty. But since Obama has been elected it's back again with a vengence and I hear A LOT of it.

I have to say, it was really unexpected in 2009, but it seems that race is a factor, at least here, and I suspect in much of the South. I talk to people and family all the time in Virginia and North Carolina and they tell me it's the same there. What is really surprising is how blatant it is. People can deny that race isn't a part of the resentment towards Obama, but I can only comment on what I hear and see. The "seeing" part is relected in some of the signs that people are carrying around at these demonstrations against Obama. I would say race is a factor, not the only one, but it's there in some quarters.

 

Do you mean "here" this topic, or "here" Houston?