Posted by
Paul Wamack on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 3:59:51 PM
This is delightful. I am enjoying the shouting match now; you're a racist if you disagree with the President. No, you are. No, you are. School yard stuff, huh? So if it was stupid and unproductive then, why am I having so much fun now? Because ... if you push a button (any button) long enough, often enough, hard enough, it will break. Ask any kid on the 26th of December. And I think it's past time for this one to be broken already.
And who is it that keeps bringing up race? Joe Wilson is being called a racist, but what did he say that had anything to do with anyone's race? Or are we supposed to believe that black people can't lie? If that's so, then Rangel isn't the biggest tax cheat in the universe because black people can't lie and if he says that isn't income, that should be good enough for everyone to accept and sit down. And William Jeffers shouldn't have to explain anything more than just saying that he needed those National Guardsmen to go to his home and retrieve a cooler full of cash that he was afraid would thaw and spoil. That should be enough explanation for anyone. Don't you think? After all, anything else would simply mean that the person asking the questions is a racist.
But I do know who the racists are and I am having a fantastic time delighting in it. I have been talking to people who are so thrilled to have been a part of history, to have had the unique chance to vote for the first black President of the United States. And oh, it was great, it was a moment to tell their grandchildren about. And I smile. And then the smile just keeps growing. And I usually try to get them to elaborate. Because ... here it comes ... once their foot is firmly in their mouth .... behold! Here is a racist!
And I love to tell them so. Of course, they indignantly deny it. (That, after all, was why they voted for the first black president -- so they could deny being racists if anyone was wicked enough to ever accuse them of it again. Oh no, they can say, I can't be a racist, because I voted for Obama ...) But it's almost too easy from here. You see, I explain, you just voted for a man because of the color of his skin. You just said so. You did, you did, you did. You voted to be part of history, to help elect the first black President. You are a racist. There is no other explanation for it. Your vote was race-based and that is what racism is.
Of course, the rest of the conversations with these racists aren't worth repeating. They go defensive, and they want to say that there were other reasons. But you just said it was .... and the other reasons are looking pretty stupid these days.
It's so interesting to also note that black people can't be racists (although of course they are and far worse than the whites I know). Mr. Obama can call his own grandmother "a typical white person" and that's OK, but could you imagine those words crossing Sarah Palin's lips? Or if she called someone "a typical black person"? It's a dark little secret that the most of the recent discrimination cases are about blacks being insultive to whites and promoting other blacks .... and then being totally shocked, truly upset when they get complaints of racial discrimination and favoritism filed against them. But ssshhh! don't tell anyone. This is a secret weapon that is going to be very useful before it becomes common knowledge. Most Equal Opportunity offices already know it and don't want to admit it. So it's still very hush hush ...
So I am pleased to see Jimmy Carter and Maureen Dowd (the only one that I know of who ever ACTUALLY addressed Mr. Obama as "boy") start accusing folks of racism. It's fun to see THEM bring it up. From where I sit, racism is what has gotten this President as far as he has gotten to date. Breaking that button about now would be one of the better things these people could do for their country. If millions of people have absolved themselves of their racism with their vote last November, then perhaps we can go forward with something a little more substantive in our national discussion than you're a racist, no you are, no you are.