Mr Obama, Denounce Institutional Racism & Tell Me Somethin' Good!
Bill Falzett III
May 02, 2008
It is easy for me to shrug off Reverend Wright, and Obama's defense of him as exactly what I would expect from extremists. I can chalk it up as another reason not to support extreme positions and candidates, and to point it out as an example to others. Therefore my usual position in such situations is to remind myself and anyone who will listen that idiots are best ignored. However, in this case I am afraid it's not that simple. This is a situation of national importance, which speaks to undercurrents in our society, and to the judgment of a man who has the potential to become the head of state, and therefore deserves a more thorough analysis.
Until the last couple days, Mr. Obama has been trying to downplay the message of Reverend Wright, its meaning, and its relevance to the campaign. We've heard the ladies of "The View" debate the meaning of the term racism, and dismiss the notion that Wright's comments qualify as racism or hate, as if he were exempt by virtue of his color. Most of the defense to date amounts to nothing more than rationalizations and excuses. Obama's failure to denounce the reverend, and thereby distance himself from the ideology has damaged his campaign. Additionally the incident has put the issue of racism more glaringly in the public spotlight than it has been in decades.
Wikipedia defines racism as, "discrimination based on race." For example, "One with racist beliefs might hate certain groups of people according to their race". Wikipedia goes on to define "Institutions" as "structures and mechanisms of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals." Finally, Wikipedia defines "Institutional Racism" as "a form of racism which occurs specifically in institutions". I think most of us would be comfortable with these definitions. On this basis, I think most would agree a church is an institution with the power to daily affect the beliefs, actions and outcomes of a large group of people in our society. The poisonous words of Reverend Wright and others of his ilk affect the beliefs and prejudices of blacks in churches nationwide. It is a blatant and unapologetic example of Institutional Racism. Barack Obama or anyone else who not only sits quietly through this type of sermon, but also exposes his children, and then goes on to defend the language for any reason, is condoning it, and acting as an accomplice to the spread of racial hatred in America.
Since the beginning of our country, we have struggled with racism. Since the time of Abraham Lincoln, we have progressed in removing it from our institutions. This presidential campaign has shown us we have more work to do in this regard, and has arguably set race relations back decades. Obama presents himself as a candidate for change. To most, change means progress, not regression to an earlier, uglier time. We don't need a president who is a party to the spread of hate and racial divisions. If Barack Obama wants to be the president of all the people, he needs to be telling us about how this is the land of opportunity that allowed a poor black child on the welfare rolls to rise to a seat in the U.S. Senate. He needs to talk about the many good people of all races who contribute to the character and success of this country. We don't need to hear him excuse absurd rants about how blacks are held down by the conspiracies and actions of whites.
I am reminded of a song from the 1970s, in which Chaka Khan wailed, "Tell me somethin' good! - - Tell me; Tell me; Tell me!" I don't want to ignore the problems of our country, but I don't want to hear daily of how I am a member of a villainous race intent on the destruction of blacks. This is certainly not what I want from my President. Mr Obama, if you are listening, and you really want to be my President, denounce Institutional Racism, and instead, TELL ME SOMETHIN' GOOD!
Until the last couple days, Mr. Obama has been trying to downplay the message of Reverend Wright, its meaning, and its relevance to the campaign. We've heard the ladies of "The View" debate the meaning of the term racism, and dismiss the notion that Wright's comments qualify as racism or hate, as if he were exempt by virtue of his color. Most of the defense to date amounts to nothing more than rationalizations and excuses. Obama's failure to denounce the reverend, and thereby distance himself from the ideology has damaged his campaign. Additionally the incident has put the issue of racism more glaringly in the public spotlight than it has been in decades.
Wikipedia defines racism as, "discrimination based on race." For example, "One with racist beliefs might hate certain groups of people according to their race". Wikipedia goes on to define "Institutions" as "structures and mechanisms of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals." Finally, Wikipedia defines "Institutional Racism" as "a form of racism which occurs specifically in institutions". I think most of us would be comfortable with these definitions. On this basis, I think most would agree a church is an institution with the power to daily affect the beliefs, actions and outcomes of a large group of people in our society. The poisonous words of Reverend Wright and others of his ilk affect the beliefs and prejudices of blacks in churches nationwide. It is a blatant and unapologetic example of Institutional Racism. Barack Obama or anyone else who not only sits quietly through this type of sermon, but also exposes his children, and then goes on to defend the language for any reason, is condoning it, and acting as an accomplice to the spread of racial hatred in America.
Since the beginning of our country, we have struggled with racism. Since the time of Abraham Lincoln, we have progressed in removing it from our institutions. This presidential campaign has shown us we have more work to do in this regard, and has arguably set race relations back decades. Obama presents himself as a candidate for change. To most, change means progress, not regression to an earlier, uglier time. We don't need a president who is a party to the spread of hate and racial divisions. If Barack Obama wants to be the president of all the people, he needs to be telling us about how this is the land of opportunity that allowed a poor black child on the welfare rolls to rise to a seat in the U.S. Senate. He needs to talk about the many good people of all races who contribute to the character and success of this country. We don't need to hear him excuse absurd rants about how blacks are held down by the conspiracies and actions of whites.
I am reminded of a song from the 1970s, in which Chaka Khan wailed, "Tell me somethin' good! - - Tell me; Tell me; Tell me!" I don't want to ignore the problems of our country, but I don't want to hear daily of how I am a member of a villainous race intent on the destruction of blacks. This is certainly not what I want from my President. Mr Obama, if you are listening, and you really want to be my President, denounce Institutional Racism, and instead, TELL ME SOMETHIN' GOOD!
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