It is in the ether. Brother Cornell Belcher took the words right out of my mouth. Finally, someone has the courage to state the obvious.
One of the reasons I keep returning to how Herman Cain and other
Moreover, the argument by white conservatives and their black conservative lapdogs that African Americans are tricked or bamboozled into voting for the Democrats is doubly problematic because it harnesses the image of black people as childlike and simple--a group not fit for the American democratic project--better suited for a life of toil and labor on the plantation, content to serve White folks (with a toothy grin), as opposed to leading a country.
In turn, this argument reinforces the age old idea that of all groups in America, black folks are not suited for citizenship. When Cornell Belcher asks, "what if Jewish folks were called brainwashed by a political candidate? How would the media respond?" he hits the nail on the head and exposes a racist and white supremacist assumption about black freedom, dignity, and personhood, one which still lingers on into the Age of Obama.
I suspect that if a major candidate dared to suggest Jewish folks were brainswashed all hell would break loose--and rightly so. If a major candidate dared to suggest that white working class voters or Christian Evangelicals were brainwashed into voting for Republicans the Tea Party GOP would become apoplectic just as they did when President Obama meekly observed that some in Red State America are blinded by "guns, god, and religion."
But in America, the white racial frame is the de facto state of normal. Thus, there is silence when the citizenship and political sophistication of black Americans is impugned. Why? Because many Whites (and some others) would take such a claim as a given, a nothing to see here, Star Wars inspired move along moment.
Herman Cain and other Black Conservatives are human puppets who eagerly sit bare bottomed on the naked lap of Whiteness: thus they give a pass for these racist assumptions, as they excuse make and enable a distorted and warped black image of black humanity, an image that is soothing and a good fit for the racial depravities of the White (Conservative) Mind.
13 comments:
No, no they would not.
Just like Obama would never tell a group of non-black people to "stop complaining".
Black politicians are reinforcing the message that speaking to black people however they choose is perfectly acceptable.
Good luck to his O ness in the next election. Because this brainwashed, complaining black woman is sitting that one out.
Yeah, notice that Black Conservatives are mainly brought off the shelves by White Conservatives to make a racial point AGAINST black people.
The only real exception being Micheal Steele, who goes everywhere and goes off on his own agenda driven racial tangents, even if the topic isn't about race.
Agree with Franklin and little disappointed but understanding of Ankhesen... just listened to Chauncey on the Papantonio show and yes, the Tea Bagger Rethugs do resemble the Baker's rebellion... and you are so right about low information voters being willing to vote against their own interest, cutting things in Government to spite someone else, regardless of the damage done to themselves...
@Ank. Oh lord. You jumpin ship say it ain't so!
@Franklin. I keep telling folks they are in a jar stored away marked break in case of emergency. No one believes me!
@Big Mark. Thanks for the complement. I hope I made sense and didn't embarrass myself. Elites have always been elites; they will divide and conquer every chance they get and that is the work that whiteness does in this country. Too bad only a few white people have woken up and embraced the title "race traitor."
No. I would also add, even if a Jewish candidate told that to fellow Jewish people, or Christian Evangelical told fellow CE people, you get the picture.
One of the reasons Cain gets away with this crud is because he articulates white bigotry for them, and thereby allows them to hide behind him.
Or, to be more specific, he articulates anti-Black bigotry, for all comers.
@ Chaunceydevega
"Break Glass In Case of Negro!"
You've already said it, Herman Cain is on that stage during the Republican debates because he's black. Black Conservatives get where they are by mouthing what white racists want to hear.
Not that they understand that, I think. Cain suffers from the same BS that Clarence (No Talkie) Thomas suffers from. You see EVERY OTHER black person has achieved everything through affirmative action and what the liberal white folks gave them. Only Real Black Men such as Herman Cain and Clarence Thomas actually worked for it and in no way benefited from racial quotas or attempts by a certain right wing party to prove it's not racist. No, they did it themselves. Don't you know?
Blacks brainwashed. Kinda like the rest of America.
@Ankhesen Mié
You'll probably have lots of company sitting it out.
"Most black people will not directly and openly criticize Obama, they will just stay home next November and I don't think that is a bad thing. The democrats have proven themselves to be no friends of black people, of labor or of the left in general. It is time for them to go. If we are going to have a president willing to cut social security, we may as well have a republican anyway."
http://freedomrider.blogspot.com/
I'm sure the "sit this one out" crowd will express no regrets when President Romney nominates his 2nd Justice to the Supreme Court.
Those of us who care about practical outcomes don't have the luxury of adhering to this naive college-kid ideological purity.
Gordon..
Super post!!!
@nomad
Most black people will not directly and openly criticize Obama, they will just stay home next November and I don't think that is a bad thing
Hm, that's definitely wishful thinking on someone's part. What is the historical precedent for us staying home, regardless of who was president or the incumbent?
"I'm sure the "sit this one out" crowd will express no regrets when President Romney nominates his 2nd Justice to the Supreme Court.
Those of us who care about practical outcomes don't have the luxury of adhering to this naive college-kid ideological purity."
The lesser of two evils is still evil.
The choice is between extreme right-wing (Republicans) or right-wing (Obama). If people choose right-wing (Obama) but dressed up as a Democrat, when the right-wing policies implemented by Obama make everything worse for the majority as they always do, the corporate media will say "well we tried the left-wing way of doing things and it has been a failure, now it's time to try some right-wing solutions" and the majority of the sheep will of course believe it and vote for the Republicans.
So voting for the lesser of two evils only discredits left-wing politics in the mind of the low information masses and ensures a Republican in the white house anyway.
Voting for Obama just delays the inevitable in this corrupt system and rewards Trojan horses like Obama for their deception treachery and broken promises.
Trojan horses like Obama can do even more right-wing damage in some areas because hiding behind the Democrat title he can offer up social security to be cut just as only Nixon could go to China.
I agree with Ankhesen Mié, I will not help to legitimize this charade they call democracy by voting, and I would not reward a black trojan horse who always has words of admonishment in his mouth for black people and only black people because of his complete disdain for us and our concerns.
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