Protest, Insurgency, and the Workings of White Privilege

[Razgovory]

Imagine that a prominent mainstream black political commentator had long employed an overt bigot as Executive Director of his organization, and that this bigot regularly participated in black separatist conferences, and once assaulted a white person while calling them by a racial slur. When that prominent black commentator and his sister--who also works for the organization--defended the bigot as a good guy who was misunderstood and "going through a tough time in his life" would anyone accept their excuse-making? Would that commentator still have a place on a mainstream network? Because that's what happened in the real world, when Pat Buchanan employed as Executive Director of his group, America's Cause, a blatant racist who did all these things, or at least their white equivalents: attending white separatist conferences and attacking a black woman while calling her the n-word.

Heh, didn't the guy who wrote that article remember the controversy over Obama's bigoted (and Black) pastor?

Admittedly the guy never assaulted anyone, but his bigoted musings were, at least initially, shrugged off as understandable, given the context of the times.

I don't think they were shrugged off.

[Razgovory]

And this, my friends, is what white privilege is all about. The ability to threaten others, to engage in violent and incendiary rhetoric without consequence, to be viewed as patriotic and normal no matter what you do, and never to be feared and despised as people of color would be, if they tried to get away with half the shit we do, on a daily basis.

Eh, I agree it's over the top, but I can't help but compare Der's comments about the protests over immigration reform (They had Mexican flags!) to a lot of the stuff the Teabaggers are doing, or the way a lot of the right snarked and criticized the gay community for its protests after Prop 8 but represents the tea party as Americans expressing their right to assemble.

I love that the article uses as its "typical" examples the worst possible extremist's, and assumes that this is representative of the entirety of the Evil Racist Right.

And then you come along, look at derspeiss making a single particular complaint about a very particular instance, and think "Hey, this is JUST what that guy was talking about!" Hell, the guy in question is bonkers, and your attempt to tie in derspeiss in is even MORE bonkers.

It is like you are intentionally setting out to show how completely dis-associated with actual arguments you can make a bunch of hyperbole illustrate.

I didn't see the word typical in there once.

[Malthus]

I don't think they were shrugged off.

They certainly were initially. The notion advanced by the Obama camp (and by Obama himself) was that the reverend was from a different time, and that his statements have to be understood in the context of the times; otherwise he's a great guy, doing good work.

Only after some time (and further embarrasing statements) did Obama throw him under the bus.

[Razgovory]

I don't think they were shrugged off.

They certainly were initially. The notion advanced by the Obama camp (and by Obama himself) was that the reverend was from a different time, and that his statements have to be understood in the context of the times; otherwise he's a great guy, doing good work.

Only after some time (and further embarrasing statements) did Obama throw him under the bus.

Wasn't shrugged off by Berkut and Hans who were quite smug about the whole thing.

[alfred russel]

Imagine that a prominent mainstream black political commentator had long employed an overt bigot as Executive Director of his organization, and that this bigot regularly participated in black separatist conferences, and once assaulted a white person while calling them by a racial slur. When that prominent black commentator and his sister--who also works for the organization--defended the bigot as a good guy who was misunderstood and "going through a tough time in his life" would anyone accept their excuse-making? Would that commentator still have a place on a mainstream network? Because that's what happened in the real world, when Pat Buchanan employed as Executive Director of his group, America's Cause, a blatant racist who did all these things, or at least their white equivalents: attending white separatist conferences and attacking a black woman while calling her the n-word.

Heh, didn't the guy who wrote that article remember the controversy over Obama's bigoted (and Black) pastor?

Admittedly the guy never assaulted anyone, but his bigoted musings were, at least initially, shrugged off as understandable, given the context of the times.

According to the initial post, the article was first written in 1995.

[grumbler]

I love that the article uses as its "typical" examples the worst possible extremist's, and assumes that this is representative of the entirety of the Evil Racist Right.

And then you come along, look at derspeiss making a single particular complaint about a very particular instance, and think "Hey, this is JUST what that guy was talking about!" Hell, the guy in question is bonkers, and your attempt to tie in derspeiss in is even MORE bonkers.

It is like you are intentionally setting out to show how completely dis-associated with actual arguments you can make a bunch of hyperbole illustrate.

I didn't see the word typical in there once.

It's his ninth word.

[Malthus]

According to the initial post, the article was first written in 1995.

I didn't catch that. Still, it kinda undermines the point of posting it now.

Edit: wait a second, the article specifically refers to "President Obama", so that excuse won't wash.

Imagine that a rap artist were to say, in reference to a white president: "He's a piece of shit and I told him to suck on my machine gun." Because that's what rocker Ted Nugent said recently about President Obama.

[Savonarola]

According to the initial post, the article was first written in 1995.

I believe he's citing a source from 1995 in the paragraph about Rush Limbaugh; hence the "*" at the end of that paragraph and at the bottom.

[Razgovory]

I love that the article uses as its "typical" examples the worst possible extremist's, and assumes that this is representative of the entirety of the Evil Racist Right.

And then you come along, look at derspeiss making a single particular complaint about a very particular instance, and think "Hey, this is JUST what that guy was talking about!" Hell, the guy in question is bonkers, and your attempt to tie in derspeiss in is even MORE bonkers.

It is like you are intentionally setting out to show how completely dis-associated with actual arguments you can make a bunch of hyperbole illustrate.

I didn't see the word typical in there once.

It's his ninth word.

I thought it was of.

[JonasSalk]

Dumb column is dumb.

[derspiess]

I thought it was of.

He made you look

[Faeelin]

You missed my point in the other thread, but I have to admit I'm similarly confused by what you're trying to put forth here.

Are you saying my comments remind you of the tea party protests?  Or are you saying I'm giving the tea partiers a pass for doing the same stuff illegal immigrants did in their protests?

The latter, actually. But I suppose in general I think the protests of tea parties have been covered much more symapthetically than other protests in the last few years.

[MadImmortalMan]

Dumb column is dumb.

Dude, please change your avatar. 

[derspiess]

The latter, actually. But I suppose in general I think the protests of tea parties have been covered much more symapthetically than other protests in the last few years.

So in your opinion I should show as much scorn for US citizens protesting their government as I should for people who are here illegally demanding things they are not entitled to?

[Razgovory]

I thought it was of.

He made you look

Indeed.  I'm a fool.  I always trust Grumbler.