Why Wright Happens
By: Debra Dickerson
How come white folks can consort with racists but blacks can’t? Not that I’m conceding that Rev. Wright is a racist. But let’s stick to the point.
Jonathan Stein’s post gives me the perfect opportunity to kvetch about something that’s been driving me crazy about the attacks on Obama via Wright.
Stein’s right that vicious ads like this one will give a great many cover to vote against Obama. But here’s the thing: What about the racists and loonies who helped raise most of us? My father was bitter beyond belief about white racism, even though he had white friends and volunteered to fight in WWII. I can separate his horrific life experiences (Jim Crow sharecropper) out from my own (post-Civil Rights Movement) world view, as do most other Americans. When the elders got together and ranted and raved about the white man, I didn’t go upstairs, write a formal denunciation, and secede from my family. I considered the source and was grateful to have been born later. How dare you demand that we have no complaints? Church, and to a lesser and more troubling extent, certain forms of rap ‘music’, are places we go for catharsis. And catharsis ain’t usually a pretty sight [...]
Full Article At Your Black Scholar
Your Black Scholar: Why Wright Happens — By Debra Dickerson
Why Wright Happens
By: Debra Dickerson
How come white folks can consort with racists but blacks can’t? Not that I’m conceding that Rev. Wright is a racist. But let’s stick to the point.
Jonathan Stein’s post gives me the perfect opportunity to kvetch about something that’s been driving me crazy about the attacks on Obama via Wright.
Stein’s right that vicious ads like this one will give a great many cover to vote against Obama. But here’s the thing: What about the racists and loonies who helped raise most of us? My father was bitter beyond belief about white racism, even though he had white friends and volunteered to fight in WWII. I can separate his horrific life experiences (Jim Crow sharecropper) out from my own (post-Civil Rights Movement) world view, as do most other Americans. When the elders got together and ranted and raved about the white man, I didn’t go upstairs, write a formal denunciation, and secede from my family. I considered the source and was grateful to have been born later. How dare you demand that we have no complaints? Church, and to a lesser and more troubling extent, certain forms of rap ‘music’, are places we go for catharsis. And catharsis ain’t usually a pretty sight [...]
Full Article At Your Black Scholar