If President Obama feels the duty to publicly criticize Donald Sterling's racial

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   bethperryposted 9 years ago

   If President Obama feels the duty to publicly criticize Donald Sterling's racial slurs...
   
   aimed at black people, why doesn't he voice criticism for racial slurs directed at non-blacks? While I found Sterling's comments ugly, ugly, ugly, at the very least he thought he made them in a purely private conversation. By contrast, other equally ugly (and often publicly made) slurs go ignored, e.g.: the anti-Semitic remarks spouted off regularly by Louis Farrakhan. If President Obama truly cares about ending racism, why doesn't he denounce incidents of racism when it is directed against whites, Jews and other non-black Americans? 
   
   

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   retief2000posted 9 years ago

   How about the anti-Semitic positions staked out by his own cabinet members or the ones staked out by his very own, oh so quotable, pastor Jeremiah Wright?  I remember listening to, flabbergasted at,  Barack Obama's spiritual leader say "Them Jews aren't going to let me talk to Barack!" 
   
   Could it be the color lenses Obama uses to view the world?

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      bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Very good point, retief2000! Wright has a vile mouth on him.

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      lovemychrisposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Exactly how is that anti- semitic? Its a fact that AIPAC runs Americs, and no one gets to power without them. That is not anti-Semitism, that is truth. Sterling said blacks and Hispanics are dirty and smell. You dont see the difference?

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      bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      lovemychris, I won't try to validate anyone's conspiracy theory about AIPAC. But imagine if it was a Jewish President saying, "them blacks aren't going to let me talk to Barrack." It would be just as awful and you know it.

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      dashingscorpioposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Jeremiah Wright is not the president of the U.S. As far as I know Obama never slammed any group of people based upon their race.

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   junksellerposted 9 years ago

   "I have been very clear in my denunciation of Minister Farrakhan's anti-Semitic comments. I think that they are unacceptable and reprehensible" - Barack Obama, February 26 MSNBC Democratic presidential debate.
   
   "[Reverend Wright's] comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church...They certainly don’t portray accurately my values and beliefs." - Barack Obama, news conference in Winston-Salem, N.C. April 29, 2008.
   
   I think you are seeing only what you want to see.
   
   Besides, it isn't like he is responsible for what the media brings to the light. It is a big story, the media asked him about it, what else would you expect him to say?
   
   If you want to criticize the media for being too hard on some and too easy on others, I'm all for it. The media sucks, but when it comes to race, I don't recall Obama ever really stepping outside of what are/were big issues of the day.

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      retief2000posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      But Obama was content to sit in his congregation for 2 decades listening to hate speech. People usually flee situations they find to be morally reprehensible, but not so Barack Obama.

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      Express10posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with your take JS, the President responds to things that are the big issues of the day or what is being asked of him and he cannot control what is put forth in the media as far as what he spoke about. Many do see things as they want.

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      bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      junkseller, thanks for the reminders. Maybe my question should have been: why doesn't he AS EAGERLY and QUICKLY come forth to condemn racist remarks aimed at non-blacks? He waited his sweet time on voicing anything on Wright and Farrakhan.

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      junksellerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Bethperry, it seems to me that in all of these cases (except perhaps Trayvon Martin) he responded only when they were posed as issues to him by the media. And what he has said about race I think has been very good and very appropriate.

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      bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      junkseller, I agree with you about the timing; it is generally when he's back up against a wall.

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      junksellerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Well, in his defense, to some people, he can do nothing right, and the mere opening of his mouth generates immediate 'controversy' which distracts from the matter at hand. I think I'd be stingy if I were him too, especially on such touchy subjects.

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      bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      junkseller, there is probably truth in that. But to be frank about those who have tried to be fair-minded toward him, we get socially stoned when we criticize his actions and likewise stoned when we support his actions.

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      junksellerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'm sympathetic to your plight. I don't think you are alone though, seems like throwing stones is all were good at these days. My hope is that people of fair-minds win the day, but most of the time I have very little hope of that.

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   M. T. Dremerposted 9 years ago

   I remember watching one of the press conferences shortly after President Obama was elected, wherein a reporter asked him what his thoughts were on race relations in the country. It came out of nowhere as I'm pretty sure the conference was about healthcare. I just remember thinking "what does that have to do with anything?"
   
   So, my guess is, the president responded to this particular incident because someone probably brought it up. It seems like, since he is the first non-white president, the press wants his reaction to every incident of minority racism in the country. I would hope that if someone did bring up racism towards whites, or any other group, that he would similarly denounce it. But, being silent on an issue doesn't necessarily mean approval. It might just mean it hasn't come up in front of cameras, which might speak more towards the media's position than the president's.

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      lovemychrisposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      He was askef at a press conference in Malaysia. How come no one cslled out Beck when he said Obama had a deep- seated hatred of white people? Even tho hes half white. THAT is racism!

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      retief2000posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Have you read his biographies.  His self loathing is palpable.  He does not identify with his white heritage and neither do any of his faithful followers. Isn't calling him half white racist? Does he identify himself as half white?

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      bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      lovemychris, I didn't know Beck had ever been a U.S. President.

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   dashingscorpioposted 9 years ago

   I saw the president's speech and he did denounce (all) racism.
   If anyone listened to the full tape of Donald Sterling's rant he slammed blacks as well as Hispanics. While Obama was in China a reporter asked him about his thoughts. It should be no surprise that a person of bi-racial decent and a huge NBA fan would not remain silent on a (global) story.
   If former president Bush or Clinton had made the same statement on this issue as Obama did they would be universally applauded and this would be a non-issue. However the political climate that we live in today it's impossible for (either) party to give the opposition party any praise or acknowledgement for doing anything right. You have to hate their very existence and everything the person says or does these days. 
   All politicians are elitist! Republicans and Democrats are two sides of the same coin! It makes no sense to become emotionally invested in either party. We have do the best we can regardless of who is in the white house, senate, or congress.

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      bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting and well said.

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   LandmarkWealthposted 9 years ago

   The issue is not really the President.  It is the media, and it's incredible double standard.  Sterling is essentially black listed not only from the NBA, but just about everything.  The same media is quickly forgiving of men like Al Sharpton who uses phrases like "White Interloper" then incites a riot in Brooklyn that gets 7 people killed, and he gets a TV show on MSNBC.  Jackson calls NY "Hymie Town" and is regularly brought on TV as a political commentator to heal the racial divide and council President Clinton on his extra marital affair.  We won't see Spike Lee get the same heat for his comments about "white gentrification"  I wouldn't expect Sterling to get a TV show on any cable network anytime soon.  If he is smart he will spend his remaining years outside the country.
   
   I am waiting for the national media to spend as much time on this recent case as they do Sterling. I guess Sterling's racist comments are not as interesting as 12 blacks beating a white man into a coma while he tries to help a kid after an accident.
   
   http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/04/04/ … ate-crime/
   
   I would not hold my breath.  Then again I wouldn't expect the President comment on this case either, although he was quick to jump out in front of the Trayvon Martin case.  In reality, he should just stay out of this stuff.

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      gregasposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Sharpton and Jackson are 2 of the biggest racists in the world. I think they have incited more riots and uneasy situations than they have prevented. They are definately NOT a Martin Luther King, Jr. Just my opinion, Greg.

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      LandmarkWealthposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      My father was a NYC court officer and had to strip search Sharpton twice.  That was back when he was brokering cocaine deals and trying to sneak weapons into the court house. Now he is a former Presidential candidate who chastises Don Imus for a joke

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      bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Landmark Wealth, I think you've hit the nail on the head.

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      LandmarkWealthposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks. Boxer Floyd Mayweather now says he wants to buy the Clippers. If he tries, lets see if the NBA is as harsh about his anti Asian racist rant about his chief rival Manny Pacquiao 2 years ago that he put all over the web.  I'd be shocked.

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      junksellerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Hannity, Allen West, Ingraham, Coulter, Bolling, Beck, Don Imus, J.L. Peterson, Bryan Fischer...that's just the obvious ones. To not see the free pass given their racism is just another case of seeing only what you want to see.

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   Ralph Deedsposted 9 years ago

   Beth, you've put your finger on a huge problem in this country--black racism and discrimination against whites. Having a black man elected and re-elected president must be quite hard for you to bear. Try to hold up for a couple more years when you'll be able to rant and rave at Hillary Clinton.

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      bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Aw, c'mon Deeds, don't try the race bait game with me. You picked the wrong woman married to a man darker than the President to try that crap on.

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