INTOLERANCE COMES IN MANY FORMS.
“What do you call a Negro with a PhD? A nigger!”
- Malcolm X
The incendiary and provocative views of Reverend Jeremiah Wright regarding the treatment of African Americans at the hands of the U.S. government has sent political shockwaves through the Obama campaign that at its very least will cost the Illinois senator a few percentage points in opinion polls; polls that, like the weather in Florida, change by the hour it seems. At its worst, however, Wright’s views and Obama’s long-standing relationship to him, may well indeed undermine his presidential bid. If that happens, it would be a crying shame, especially in light of the fact that, for all its controversial tones and antagonistic overtures, a lot of what Wright said, however uncomfortable it might be for some to hear, was, at its heart, accurate.
The United States has never fully come to terms with, nor reconciled, its sorted and bloodied past. Whether it’s the wholesale slaughter of the American Indian during much of the 1800s, the formation of the Ku Klux Klan in the years after the Civil War: a period known by many blacks as the Jim Crow years, the anti-Semitism that aided and abetted the Nazi’s during World War II, or the atrocities committed by U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War, America has had its blood-stained hands full with acts of violence – both overt and covert – in its never-ending quest for, first, continental, then, global supremacy. A quest that, like the thirst of an alcoholic, knows no bounds or quenching.
Yes, we don’t openly call blacks “niggers’ anymore, and it is indeed rare when we hear of overt acts of violence like those that were committed in Mississippi and Alabama during the ‘60s. One could say that we have come a long way in the last three decades, and it would be tempting to even pronounce that the country has put its dark past behind itself. Such pronouncements, however comforting, are inherently wrong and dangerous, as Barack Obama courageously pointed out in his speech last week. The very fact that Reverend Wright’s words could illicit such an over the top reaction from most of white America proves that the nation still doesn’t get it. The analogy is that of the bully on the block who, having beaten to a pulp the puny kid several houses down, finally stopped the pummeling, magnanimously extended his hand and said, “Can’t we all just learn to live together,” only to be stunned to learn that the puny kid was still licking his wounds and wanted nothing to do with the empty gesture. No, “Gee, I’m terribly sorry; how can I make it up to you?” No, “I deeply regret the pain and suffering I inflicted on you.” Just a rather matter of fact, “Well at least we don’t string you up any more. What more do you want?” Even a dog that takes a crap on the carpet of your home shows more regret for his actions than most white Americans do when discussing their country’s atrocities against minorities. When forced to look at its ugly head even a little bit, the response usually goes something like this, “Ungrateful!” or “Today if you want to know who the real victim of racism is, it’s the white man!” or “If you don’t like the way you’ve been treated in America then get out!” Like a son or daughter that hasn’t come to terms with their parent’s drinking problem and reacts violently when confronted by it, most of white America simply doesn’t have the stomach to take a deep look into the abyss of three and a half centuries of racism and murder. Who would? To go back and examine it would be gut wrenching to say the least. So instead we suppress it and hope it goes away.
The problem though is that it doesn’t go away. It continues to fester deep within the races. Now and then someone comes along and picks the scab a bit and the centuries’ old wound bleeds a little as both sides come face to face with the staggering truth about their country. It is a truth that white America hopes will go away and one that black America knows all too well they can never escape from. Last year, Don Imus was made the poster boy for racial intolerance for his racist and insensitive remarks about the Rutgers Women’s basketball team. Finally, we were going to have a real adult conversation about race in this country and we owed it all to a 66 year old alcoholic loud mouth who made his living insulting just about every ethnic and racial group in America. Within weeks of Imus’ dismissal, however, both the issue and the opportunity vanished into the night, never to be heard from again. The bad guy got the boot, now we could all return to business as usual and be one happy family.
And then Jeremiah Wright’s comments surfaced. This time the scab was ripped right off and the blood flowed. Yet another opportunity has presented itself to have an intelligent discussion on race; instead all the media has wanted to focus on is Senator Obama’s lack of judgment and how it might hurt him in the general election. How could a prominent Presidential candidate associate himself with such a deplorable and, obviously, “divisive” individual? That became the topic of discussion in most white and even some black American homes. That Obama didn’t throw his “former” pastor under the bus is a tribute to his integrity. No matter how this plays out for him in the weeks and months ahead, my respect for him has grown tremendously.
But the greater issue, far more pressing than a mere presidential election, still awaits that ultimate reconciling. It is deeply rooted in our collective history and, whether we want to admit it or not, it defines our very existence. Denial only works for so long. Sooner or later the truth, like that proverbial 800-pound gorilla, will win out. We have passed laws that outlaw the deeds that were once a part of our every day lives as a nation, and that is good. But, like the addict in recovery who must now make an amends for past harms, in order to truly cleanse our souls, we must atone in our body politic for our nation’s sins. And we cannot do that until we first admit the heinous nature of the crimes for which we are guilty. We must stop lying to ourselves, stop blaming the victims of our actions, and stop hallucinating that somehow we are now the ones who are discriminated against merely because a black man got a promotion we thought we so richly deserved.
Reality is at hand, as is healing, if we truly desire it. We may not want to admit it publicly, but one day, hopefully, we may find, upon careful examination, that the words of Jeremiah Wright finally lead to a healthy debate that helped us along the path of true racial equality in America; an America where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words finally came to fruition: “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!”
“What do you call a Negro with a PhD? A nigger!”
- Malcolm X
The incendiary and provocative views of Reverend Jeremiah Wright regarding the treatment of African Americans at the hands of the U.S. government has sent political shockwaves through the Obama campaign that at its very least will cost the Illinois senator a few percentage points in opinion polls; polls that, like the weather in Florida, change by the hour it seems. At its worst, however, Wright’s views and Obama’s long-standing relationship to him, may well indeed undermine his presidential bid. If that happens, it would be a crying shame, especially in light of the fact that, for all its controversial tones and antagonistic overtures, a lot of what Wright said, however uncomfortable it might be for some to hear, was, at its heart, accurate.
The United States has never fully come to terms with, nor reconciled, its sorted and bloodied past. Whether it’s the wholesale slaughter of the American Indian during much of the 1800s, the formation of the Ku Klux Klan in the years after the Civil War: a period known by many blacks as the Jim Crow years, the anti-Semitism that aided and abetted the Nazi’s during World War II, or the atrocities committed by U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War, America has had its blood-stained hands full with acts of violence – both overt and covert – in its never-ending quest for, first, continental, then, global supremacy. A quest that, like the thirst of an alcoholic, knows no bounds or quenching.
Yes, we don’t openly call blacks “niggers’ anymore, and it is indeed rare when we hear of overt acts of violence like those that were committed in Mississippi and Alabama during the ‘60s. One could say that we have come a long way in the last three decades, and it would be tempting to even pronounce that the country has put its dark past behind itself. Such pronouncements, however comforting, are inherently wrong and dangerous, as Barack Obama courageously pointed out in his speech last week. The very fact that Reverend Wright’s words could illicit such an over the top reaction from most of white America proves that the nation still doesn’t get it. The analogy is that of the bully on the block who, having beaten to a pulp the puny kid several houses down, finally stopped the pummeling, magnanimously extended his hand and said, “Can’t we all just learn to live together,” only to be stunned to learn that the puny kid was still licking his wounds and wanted nothing to do with the empty gesture. No, “Gee, I’m terribly sorry; how can I make it up to you?” No, “I deeply regret the pain and suffering I inflicted on you.” Just a rather matter of fact, “Well at least we don’t string you up any more. What more do you want?” Even a dog that takes a crap on the carpet of your home shows more regret for his actions than most white Americans do when discussing their country’s atrocities against minorities. When forced to look at its ugly head even a little bit, the response usually goes something like this, “Ungrateful!” or “Today if you want to know who the real victim of racism is, it’s the white man!” or “If you don’t like the way you’ve been treated in America then get out!” Like a son or daughter that hasn’t come to terms with their parent’s drinking problem and reacts violently when confronted by it, most of white America simply doesn’t have the stomach to take a deep look into the abyss of three and a half centuries of racism and murder. Who would? To go back and examine it would be gut wrenching to say the least. So instead we suppress it and hope it goes away.
The problem though is that it doesn’t go away. It continues to fester deep within the races. Now and then someone comes along and picks the scab a bit and the centuries’ old wound bleeds a little as both sides come face to face with the staggering truth about their country. It is a truth that white America hopes will go away and one that black America knows all too well they can never escape from. Last year, Don Imus was made the poster boy for racial intolerance for his racist and insensitive remarks about the Rutgers Women’s basketball team. Finally, we were going to have a real adult conversation about race in this country and we owed it all to a 66 year old alcoholic loud mouth who made his living insulting just about every ethnic and racial group in America. Within weeks of Imus’ dismissal, however, both the issue and the opportunity vanished into the night, never to be heard from again. The bad guy got the boot, now we could all return to business as usual and be one happy family.
And then Jeremiah Wright’s comments surfaced. This time the scab was ripped right off and the blood flowed. Yet another opportunity has presented itself to have an intelligent discussion on race; instead all the media has wanted to focus on is Senator Obama’s lack of judgment and how it might hurt him in the general election. How could a prominent Presidential candidate associate himself with such a deplorable and, obviously, “divisive” individual? That became the topic of discussion in most white and even some black American homes. That Obama didn’t throw his “former” pastor under the bus is a tribute to his integrity. No matter how this plays out for him in the weeks and months ahead, my respect for him has grown tremendously.
But the greater issue, far more pressing than a mere presidential election, still awaits that ultimate reconciling. It is deeply rooted in our collective history and, whether we want to admit it or not, it defines our very existence. Denial only works for so long. Sooner or later the truth, like that proverbial 800-pound gorilla, will win out. We have passed laws that outlaw the deeds that were once a part of our every day lives as a nation, and that is good. But, like the addict in recovery who must now make an amends for past harms, in order to truly cleanse our souls, we must atone in our body politic for our nation’s sins. And we cannot do that until we first admit the heinous nature of the crimes for which we are guilty. We must stop lying to ourselves, stop blaming the victims of our actions, and stop hallucinating that somehow we are now the ones who are discriminated against merely because a black man got a promotion we thought we so richly deserved.
Reality is at hand, as is healing, if we truly desire it. We may not want to admit it publicly, but one day, hopefully, we may find, upon careful examination, that the words of Jeremiah Wright finally lead to a healthy debate that helped us along the path of true racial equality in America; an America where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words finally came to fruition: “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!”
