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A diservice to Rev. Wright?
Posted by gmoney • 3/24/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: barack, media, obama, religion, wright
Damn Typo.... I hate spelling! I meant "disservice"
Imagine what it would be like to have your life compressed and judged on 20 seconds of ignorance.
Are we doing a disservice to Rev. Wright by only taking the sound clips/bites from the media and judging the man?
The same goes for Michelle Obama, when she said for the first time in her life she is "REALLY" proud of our country. Or when Barack Obama stated "typical white people"
Are we that narrow minded, are we that short on time, or do we just not care. Is it more important to get the TRUE story or is it more important to sensationalize a 10 or 20 sec sound bite.
User Comments
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I believe so but that is what you must expect - people usually go in with their opinion already made up and find info to support them.
Same with all that Muslim school stuff. -
I think people are so inured to the complexity and horror that is our political system in the last few years that they grab a hold of sound bites or titillating gossip that gives them enough of a "jolt" to pay attention again - if only for a few moments.
The media's 24 hour hunger for something it can call news also doesn't help. When the same "news" program allots equal time to both Paris Hilton or Britney Spears antics and coverage of the candidates' speeches and position papers it takes shocking sound bites to rouse people out of their stupor enough to watch whats going on around them.-
Didn't even realize Techfun had a new avatar till just now... =P
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Life is tough, sometimes you only get 1 chance. As president there may come a time when a person has to make a decision quickly. They may have to act without all of the information, they may have to use their judgement.
Obama had a lifetime to figure out who to associate himself with, he had months to plan his presidential campaign and he had months to prep his wife on what to say and what not to say.
Does that mean Obama wouldn't be a good president, probably not but thats the way we have allowed the political system to become in our country.-
I guess my point is we are so quick to judge.... We are passing judgment on Obama on Wright. I just think that sometimes we need to give people a pass or look at the totality of the situation.
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Most of the time people feel that way when it's their own candidate being judged.
Do you feel the same way towards say George Bush? Do you still find yourself wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt?
Somehow if you are honest, then I don't think you do.-
I like to think that I will give him the benefit of the doubt...... but his track record is a bit blemished.
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Is that code for No?
Are you privvy to the Intel that he had? Are you privy to all of the discussions and thoughts that went on prior to Iraq?
I mean, without actually being there and knowing the real facts, not just the media facts, shouldn't you defend him as fervently as you are Obama?
The answer is of course yes, if you REALLY believe that garbledygook that you said up top.
Like I said though, most people are quite forgiving when it's their own candidate and quite unforgiving when it's the other party candidate.
It's quite common, even if you don't recognize it in yourself.-
Come on there has been little or no evidence that we should have gone into IRAQ. Afganistan YES, SAUDI Arabia YES, Syria YES. Iraq no.
Colin Powell even disputed the reason why we are in IRAQ. 8 or 9 of the terrorist from 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia, not Iraq. I will give baby bush the benefit of the doubt in situations, but when it comes down to Iraq.... come one, that is and was JUST WRONG.
This is not about my own candidate, I am from Texas and Baby bush to some extent has a soft spot in my heart, but that the end of the day his presidency will be tainted. I disagree and have always disagreed with our action in Iraq. I don't feel any safer today then I did the day before 9/11 or the day after.
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The only thing you know about the entire thing...is what the media has told you.
I don't disagree that it may be found to be wrong someday, but it hasn't been investigated yet as most of it is classified still and not available for public viewing.
Like I said....most people are hypocrites when it's convenient. -
@G
You got that right.
I think Bush was given just that( benefit of the doubt) for a very long time, it did take this country a long time to add it all up.
My question would be what in George Bushes history as a graduate of one of the most elite private secondary schools in the nation Andover, Yale University, and Harvard Business school would lead anyone to feel the need to give him the benefit of the doubt in his obfuscated case for war. A war for oil, when it has already been established that Al Quaeda was not in Iraq nor were they threatening. Something his administration was very well aware of though the public at that time, due to crappy news journalism, was not.
And then choosing a Haliburton executive as his running mate and subsequently contracting billions of dollars worth of war spoil work to a Haliburton.
I think he had years of benefit of the doubt. -
The only thing any of you or I know about Iraq is what the media has told us. So is the media accurate when it is skewering Bush but it's inaccurate when it's skewering Obama?
yes or no.-
BlogEntrepreneur,
What additional information do you have about Iraq.... what information do you have that will give me a better idea of why we went to IRAQ? Please show me something so I can be better informed?
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I don't have any either. Did you miss the part where I wrote that the only thing we know is what the media has told us? Well since I am not a hypocrite, I clearly understand that it applies to me too.
If I were to go off a gut feeling then I am with you...Iraq was a cluster....but then again I am not the one who bemoans the media and not being able to know the whole story.
That was you....when talking about your candidate.
Which was my point right from the start.-
Bush is a easy target....
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Can't argue with you there. He makes it easy to take potshots at him for sure.
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A friend, or I guess I can't call him a friend, an acquaintance of my family worked for Blackwater, still does I think. I'm sorry, the stories he told even three years ago were enough to make my stomach crawl.
I also worked( still do but only temp pt now that I am back in school) for an international refugee agency and no I was not in Iraq but I know of and have spoken to both workers on the ground there, and the refugees themselves, as we have displaced so many and are as a country accommodating very few considering the lives we put at risk by are direct action.
I read blogs of people who either live in or have fled Iraq, or have family there, have friends with family still there or who have fled, so I try to listen to it all, put it together and come to my own conclusion. I rarely watch telly these days as it is a joke the news, it is entertainment news.
Iraq, although under tyrannical rule, was liberal and educated with huge infrastructure, and bound eventually to change from the inside out - with our help if they desired it, but no we did this and now their infrastructure is gone. Nothing changes for the best from the outside in anymore. At least when you go into a country which was by all accounts rather modern. Bushy and all knew that, that is common knowledge.
Conquering of sovereign nations for booty or natural resources doesn't work. War is costly in lives and dollars, in this case the money manipulators with influence, not elected officials had a vested interest in government policy in the initiation of this war.
yes I read a lot of media, from "The Atlantic" and "Harpers" to "Foerign Policy" to "The National Review" to try to balance it all out, so shoot me.
I go to a school rift with policy freaks in the middle of the nations capital so there is a lot of times people just converse about it and share their opposing viewpoints. None of this makes me an expert but I think everyone comes to their opinion a certain way and this is how I come to mine.
Everything here is opinion, hopefully most of what people base their opinion on is fact. -
I mean, I plan on addressing this issue in depth in my blog, but I do not feel like we are doing a disservice to him. You must be responsible for what you say and Rev. Wright was way out of line with his comments. How can we put the whole race issue aside, when people are making comments like that. Of course, Geraldine Ferraro didn't exactly put out the fire either.-
Asa I continue to ask people. What did Rev. Wright say that was racist. The guy is a over the top blow hard and rivals the like of Hannity and Limbaugh.... but please what did he say that was racist.
He said that Hilliary Clinton has never been called a Ni***r. He says America a lot of the time and says we when talking about America, but at what point did he say something racist?
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Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's a duck.
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have not made the point or answered the question, but it has been fun playing
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If you analyze what he says, its no different than what Noam Chomsky and other dissidents say. This is just being pimped for maximum political gain and also media ratings. I find it interesting that Rev. Wright gets DEMONIZED by Faux news while Rev. Manning (ultraconservative black) gets to call Barack Obama a "pimp": customessaywriting.blogspot.com/2008/03/barack-obama-is-pimp.html and Faux news doesn't bat an eye to this LUDICROUS charge.-
Very good point LISA
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Great observation!!
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ABSOLUTELY the best thing I have read about the Obama/Wright controversy.
This from a former "as a clenched-fist-pumping black nationalist."
This is a MUST READ if you want to understand this particular issue of race.
Washington Post Opinion Piece:
He's Preaching to A Choir I've Left
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032102742.ht... -
I just posted my full feelings on the issue on my blog, take a look if your interested.
www.politicstodayusa.blogspot.com -
Amazing... When it's Imus who gets caught in a racial slur, he should be fired... but when it's an Obama supporter, by golly it's a disservice?
If it's someone you DONT support, it's justice... when it's someone who you do support, then it's "pimped out"?
This argument is getting old.
Excuse what he said all you want - but one comment like his was one too many. And that goes for all of them.-
I have asked and asked, what are the RACIAL/RACIST statements that were made. I am still waiting for that comment.
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What I don't understand is how people can compare Imus, a rich white man calling young woman who never did a thing to him "nappy ho's" just to get him and others of his kind off, to a Reverand who is basically tallying up years of truth and expressing anger which many feel is justified. Oppression can breed hate and it is only dialog which will eventually erase all that.
What have we become that we allow Imus's to be entertainment and yes Republican and Democrats alike should be shamed for using shows such as Imus as forums. -
I'm not sure if the problem is that we are judging too quickly or if there is a huge cultural chasm and we don't get him and the context in which he made his remarks. Interestingly, Obama's speech might change that culture.
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Did we judge too quickly? Maybe.
But what I do know is that Obama isn't the only "victim" of this.
Presidential candidates and others in the public eye are judged more critically than those of us who choose to live our lives privately. Is that wrong? Maybe. But should that be expected? Absolutely. The candidates--ALL of them--should be fully aware that the media is waiting for them to screw up. And quite frankly, all of them have been "victims" of the media. Obama is certainly not the only victim.
Have we been too harsh on Obama? In my opinion, no. If you want to know more about a person's character, you look at the people that person chooses to surround himself/herself by. You look at his or her best friends, his or her spouse, his or her mentors, etc. It's natural for us to gravitate towards people who hold similar values and beliefs. Obama CHOSE Rev. Wright as his "mentor", chose to attend his church for over 20 years, chose to make Rev. Wright a part of his campaign committee, chose to receive counsel from Rev. Wright before running for Congress and again before running for president, chose to make Rev. Wright a close friend. Have we judged quickly? Yes. Are our judgments and concerns valid? Absolutely.
We are all judged by our friendships--by those we choose to surround ourselves by. Even our legal system supports this belief. If you're standing around while your friend commits a crime, and you do nothing to stop him, you're guilty also. Should Obama be above that? Absolutely not.
Regarding Wright specifically...if this type of rhetoric is common in black churches, which I have read from many sources, I would just offer a word of caution to them. A church found to be "preaching politics" from the pulpit is in danger of losing it's tax exempt status. And I have seen clips of Wright "preaching politics" and telling his congregation why they should support Obama. That's against the law.-
I am up way to early.... need to go back..... to ..... bed....
But really, this is funny to me that preaching politics from the pulpit is a "black church issue" or preaching about touchy issues are a "black church issue". There are plenty of "majority group churches" that preach about issues that are just as inflammatory, there are "majority group churches" that talk about politics. Here is the great state of Texas I have been to 2 "majority group churches" that preach with a FIRE of some sort of ignorance and push boldly a political agenda.
McCain's pastor speaks of ignorance, but his hate is of gays and women that have abortions, these are things that most conservatives are ok with hating, so there is no issue. He also has preached of a hate of Muslims.... again it is ok because most Conservatives hate or dislike Muslims.....
Listen, I can give examples all day long. The bottom line is that Rev Wright is not the best company for Obama, but if we dig deep enough I am sure that we can find the same thing about the Clintons (lord knows they got some dirty bed fellows) and dig deep enough with McCain and you will find his preacher, some of Bush's old cronies, and other stuff.
So was Obama "WRIGHT" on picking his good friend, father figure, spiritual adviser.... let's just say it was not the wisest choice. So let's say for sake of a argument that his judgment was not good at all on that one.
But he would have got Iraq "WRIGHT"..... unless you believe there are/were/still could be WMDs in IRAQ.
After listening to about 2 weeks of this junk, I finally stood back and said what is the worst thing that Rev. Wright has done? He gave that award to Farrahkan...... that was really bad in my book. I have a very good friend that is Jewish..... I know that he did not like the award that was given. He sees the bigger picture and still thinks that Obama is the best candidate.
Actually we are not judged by our friendships, because in everyday life you are not scrutinized like political candidates are. I have friends that are shady, I have friends that own companies and are G_d fearing people..... I have friends that have had abortions, I have friends that attend both majority group and minority group churches. Trust me with all these different friend groups I would HATE for someone to be so superficial as to judge me by the group of friends that I have.
By the way, the Rev. Wright rhetoric that you speak of is not common in all black churches, the same that it is not common for black folk to be on welfare, to be from a broken home or in a gang or recently released from prison.
The only thing I can recommend is for you to visit a "black church" Not just one time but maybe for a 2 month period. Find out what it is like. Then pass judgment on something other than a "clip". I bet you will be welcomed with open arms. Some people might look at you silly but over all the church will welcome you.
I have been to "majority group churches" and to "black churches" my entire life, so I don't simply speak from a sound clip. I don't need a different eye color to understand what it is like to be discriminated against. I live in a majority country and I understand the majority way....... -
Wow...I have no idea where that rant came from...or why.
That statement was not a matter of opinion, it's fact.
I saw a clip of Wright preaching from the pulpit to his congregation stating why they should support Obama. That is illegal...period. It's not a black church issue. It's not a white church issue. It's a CHURCH issue. If MY pastor was caught telling the congregation why they should vote for McCain, he could get in trouble, and the church could lose their tax exempt status...period. It's not a matter of opinion. It's not something that can be disagreed upon. It's the law. -
It is the law you are correct! My point is that it is done in all churches. Presidential candidates have a long history of speaking in churches during election time.
I am taking this personal. I am sorry, but it is hard for the Majority group to understand the sentiments of a black community.
Since Regan I have been following the presidential races and politics in general.
Obama is a good man by all accounts. It is hard for me to see 4 or 5 white commentators discuss 2 black men like they understand or know them or their way of life. It is even worse when one black conservative or one black liberal person is stuck on the air to act like it is a balanced review of what is going on. One black person does not speak for all black people.
I promise you that Rev. Wright with all his antics and crazy sermons has done more for his community and city white or black than most of the talking heads will ever do. One crazy black Rev does not define a church or his congregation.
Unfortunately and with all do respect you can never know what it is like to have faith in a man that looks like you and talks like you and is the embodiment of what my parents raised me to believe, fight for and love. You can't understand what it is like to see people try to tear him down. When Rush Limbaugh plays "Barack the Magic Negro" no one says ANYTHING..... "Barack the Magic Negro".... where was the majority group on that one..... sitting around the table laughing......... Where was the outrage, where was the fire, where was the media.
So for me it is personal.
With that said I don't think that I am going to commentate on any of this anymore, because I just really got how personal this is for me.
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I don't even go to church so black or white...doesn't much matter to me.
I agree with you about "your" friends but "you" aren't running for president. If you DO run for president, then you can damn well bet you will be judged for your friends.
The Clintons were, Bush is and so is Obama. -
OK...my final (maybe) word on this in today's post:
Understanding the Sin of Racism
thescroogereport.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/understanding-the-sin-of-racism/
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