A guest post by my sister in the name of love, Chipster
It's pretty damn embarrassing to be white these days, I can tell you.
After we had Professor Gates, who knew his constitutional rights better than to step out his front door and in refusing to do so, infuriated Sgt. Crowley by hampering him in the "performance of his duties" (emphasis on the word performance, in the theatrical sense). Then we had the Shirley Sherrod charade when a desperate white pundit was so eager to make a name for himself that he fabricated news - by ginning up a story of a pioneering community development, human rights activist as a "racist." And she might have been, with understandable outrage at her father being killed by a white farmer, never prosecuted. But instead, she shared her journey of reflection and righteousness, only to have it adulterated by smear tactics accusing her of the very racist thinking she condemned by relating her soulful journey to her audience.
Missed by many in the "racism" was Mrs. Sherrod's actual message: the exploitation of the "haves" by the "have nots." Now, as during the civil war, it is a conflict between moneyed interests, and ordinary people striving to make a living for themselves and their families.
Next, we got to the transparently revolting moments, when overt racism was all out front when a white "helper" woman chastised a black woman caller for lacking a "sense of humor." Seeking help, the caller was taunted with animosity and ridicule by the multiple degreed "marriage and family counselor" who said, "If you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry out of your race." No, subtly there: stay separate so we can stay unequal. The melting pot was a nice national ethos when Dr. Laura's Jewish and Italian parents inter-married, producing what Dr. Laura characterizes as a "dysfunctional" family. No kidding.
Maybe it was her hurt and rage at living in that family that fueled her apparent "hypersensitivity" to spousal differences. Exhibiting human empathy means listening with understanding and courtesy, to say nothing of refraining from putrid, volatile epithets; all that was beyond Dr. Laura. Anyone who doubted her intent need only hear her say "baaaalack" to understand it.
Both Shirley Sherrod and Laura Schlessinger had childhood scars. One black, one white. One chose to teach human dignity, the other chose to denigrate it. But then again, comparing Shirley Sherrod with Dr. Schlessinger is no match, not even close.
"...if by a 'Liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a 'Liberal,' then I'm proud to say I'm a 'Liberal.'" --- JFK, NY Liberal Party Nomination, 9/14/1960
"The Constitution does not include a statute of limitations." - WEXLER
NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the NSA may have read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. You have no recourse nor protection but to call for the impeachment of Bush & Cheney. See the growing impeachment list: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resolutions-list
It's pretty damn embarrassing to be white these days, I can tell you.
After we had Professor Gates, who knew his constitutional rights better than to step out his front door and in refusing to do so, infuriated Sgt. Crowley by hampering him in the "performance of his duties" (emphasis on the word performance, in the theatrical sense). Then we had the Shirley Sherrod charade when a desperate white pundit was so eager to make a name for himself that he fabricated news - by ginning up a story of a pioneering community development, human rights activist as a "racist." And she might have been, with understandable outrage at her father being killed by a white farmer, never prosecuted. But instead, she shared her journey of reflection and righteousness, only to have it adulterated by smear tactics accusing her of the very racist thinking she condemned by relating her soulful journey to her audience.
Missed by many in the "racism" was Mrs. Sherrod's actual message: the exploitation of the "haves" by the "have nots." Now, as during the civil war, it is a conflict between moneyed interests, and ordinary people striving to make a living for themselves and their families.
Next, we got to the transparently revolting moments, when overt racism was all out front when a white "helper" woman chastised a black woman caller for lacking a "sense of humor." Seeking help, the caller was taunted with animosity and ridicule by the multiple degreed "marriage and family counselor" who said, "If you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry out of your race." No, subtly there: stay separate so we can stay unequal. The melting pot was a nice national ethos when Dr. Laura's Jewish and Italian parents inter-married, producing what Dr. Laura characterizes as a "dysfunctional" family. No kidding.
Maybe it was her hurt and rage at living in that family that fueled her apparent "hypersensitivity" to spousal differences. Exhibiting human empathy means listening with understanding and courtesy, to say nothing of refraining from putrid, volatile epithets; all that was beyond Dr. Laura. Anyone who doubted her intent need only hear her say "baaaalack" to understand it.
Both Shirley Sherrod and Laura Schlessinger had childhood scars. One black, one white. One chose to teach human dignity, the other chose to denigrate it. But then again, comparing Shirley Sherrod with Dr. Schlessinger is no match, not even close.
"...if by a 'Liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a 'Liberal,' then I'm proud to say I'm a 'Liberal.'" --- JFK, NY Liberal Party Nomination, 9/14/1960
"The Constitution does not include a statute of limitations." - WEXLER
NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the NSA may have read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. You have no recourse nor protection but to call for the impeachment of Bush & Cheney. See the growing impeachment list: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resolutions-list
No comments:
Post a Comment