Senator McCain's "That One"
Stan Grimes
October 08, 2008
Tuesday´s debate between Senators McCain and Obama was relative uneventful in my eyes except for McCain´s "That one" statement when referring to his opponent. Now, this may seem insignificant to McCain backers and maybe even to some Obama supporters, but is it insignificant?
McCain´s camp has said it was just Senator McCain´s attempt at humor. I was not smiling. Making the statement "that one" can conjure up some bad memories for some folks. "Which slave do you want masta? That one," the White slave-owner says. "What toy do you want son? That one," the child whines. "Which one of these men raped you," the cop asks the girl. She points, "That one."
"That one." It´s a simple statement that confers an inanimate-like quality to its target. This tells me a great deal about someone, who refers to another individual as "that one." It would not stretch the imagination to think the person using this form of communication as having no positive regard for the person to, or at, whom he´s communicating. Positive regard?
Does Mr. McCain carry such disdain for his opponent that he cannot give him a human quality?
I refer to my pets as he or she, or I call them by their names. It´s kind of natural for me to refer to most people I know by their names, not "that one." If I´m at a store shopping and my wife asks, "Who told you plaids go with stripes." I generally reply, "That sales clerk over in the electronics department." I refer to them by their jobs, their gender, or at least some form of human quality. There is no human quality in referring to someone as "that one."
I might even go out on a limb and say that I give a name to people who commit murders, rape, or any type of heinous crime. Why? Regard. Maybe not positive regard, but I do regard them as humans, no matter how barbaric their crimes may seem.
Senator Barack Obama is a human being, not a terrorist, not a murderer, and not a low-life rapist. He is not a toy in the store, a slave, or a criminal in a lineup. He deserves positive regard. He is in fact a U.S. Senator, a presidential candidate, and above all he is a husband, a father, and a son.
Senator McCain´s problem? You tell me. I´m not a psychologist. I don´t know if the good senator has some deep-seeded hate for black men, young men, or just all men. I only know that I would not refer to Mr. McCain as "that one" and I don´t think Senator Obama would either.
McCain´s camp has said it was just Senator McCain´s attempt at humor. I was not smiling. Making the statement "that one" can conjure up some bad memories for some folks. "Which slave do you want masta? That one," the White slave-owner says. "What toy do you want son? That one," the child whines. "Which one of these men raped you," the cop asks the girl. She points, "That one."
"That one." It´s a simple statement that confers an inanimate-like quality to its target. This tells me a great deal about someone, who refers to another individual as "that one." It would not stretch the imagination to think the person using this form of communication as having no positive regard for the person to, or at, whom he´s communicating. Positive regard?
Does Mr. McCain carry such disdain for his opponent that he cannot give him a human quality?
I refer to my pets as he or she, or I call them by their names. It´s kind of natural for me to refer to most people I know by their names, not "that one." If I´m at a store shopping and my wife asks, "Who told you plaids go with stripes." I generally reply, "That sales clerk over in the electronics department." I refer to them by their jobs, their gender, or at least some form of human quality. There is no human quality in referring to someone as "that one."
I might even go out on a limb and say that I give a name to people who commit murders, rape, or any type of heinous crime. Why? Regard. Maybe not positive regard, but I do regard them as humans, no matter how barbaric their crimes may seem.
Senator Barack Obama is a human being, not a terrorist, not a murderer, and not a low-life rapist. He is not a toy in the store, a slave, or a criminal in a lineup. He deserves positive regard. He is in fact a U.S. Senator, a presidential candidate, and above all he is a husband, a father, and a son.
Senator McCain´s problem? You tell me. I´m not a psychologist. I don´t know if the good senator has some deep-seeded hate for black men, young men, or just all men. I only know that I would not refer to Mr. McCain as "that one" and I don´t think Senator Obama would either.