Posted by
BaldChick on Sunday, June 01, 2008 5:05:31 AM
We keep hearing the pundits and newspeople talking about how the Pfleger thing is not a big deal b/c he is not the pastor of that church. And that all of this is about "guilt by association". Obama didn't make the statements, afterall, right?
They are completely missing the point of the "scandal" of it all. COMPLETELY MISSING THE POINT! The disturbing part of the story is that Obama was an active member of this church for two decades...the church where members hoot and hollar and applaud while a minister (any minister) spews hate for white America. That is the underlying problem - not Wright or Pfleger or Moss (the new pastor). The problem is the church and its perception of America. Essentially, Obama has "learned" Christianity in THIS church. That fact is not lost on "white America". I think a lot of people have a hard time believing that he does not subscribe to those beliefs, despite his unity rhetoric.
In my opinion, a little of Obama's true heart came out when he made a statement in a radio interview about how a "typical white person" sees a black man - a statement that was completely false.
Let's talk about that view that a "typical white person" has. I feel like I am a typical white person, pretty representative of my age group/generation. Obviously, I can't speak for other generations, but you could probably give or take 5 years from my short 32 years and say that this view is representative of many 27-37 year old white Americans, if not more.
In context, Obama was talking about his grandmother saying racial comments and he said, "she is a typical white person who, if she seems somebody on the street that she doesn't know - you know, there's a reaction that's been bred into our experiences that don't go away, and that sometimes come out in the wrong way. And that's just the nature of race in our society." He implied that she would be afraid, or at least nervous, if she saw a black man walking down the sidewalk near her. She would react like a "typical white person". Maybe it was typical at one time, but not anymore. Now, that would be the exception, not the rule. I took offense to his "typical white person" statement, because I understand, and most others do, that the reaction for most people has nothing to do with race, color, or creed.
If we're being honest, it has to do with social class, sub-culture, and the norms of appearance. For instance, if I saw a black man coming down the street toward me with his pants sagging, a tight wrap around his head, a fake-limp walk, hand on his crotch...and he looks a little rough...yes, I may be a bit nervous. The slight nervousness (that I would probably ignore and just deal with) would also be present if I saw a Mexican, Asian, or Caucasian American with the same type of appearance, walk, and demeanor. I'm sorry...but that is what a thug criminal usually looks like. On the other hand, if I see a black, white (or any shade in between) person coming down the street towards me, there will not be any nervousness or fear if I perceive that he is the same "type" or class of person I am.
It's definitely stereotyping, but we all do it. I'm just being honest. It's how we survive...by labeling people in our heads. In my generation (and I suspect other generations, as well), we label by class and status - not so much by race. I've lived on the East Coast, the West Coast, and red-state America (Texas & Oklahoma). I do not know anyone...not anyone...who judges people by their color.
I am not trying to say that racism doesn't exist, nor am I saying that we don't label people by their race. I am just saying that, in general, most "typical white people" today are not measuring people's worth by their color. (If we "typically" did, we wouldn't have a black man as a leading contender for the presidency with a reasonably good chance of winning.) We just measure people in other ways (which is an entirely different, but interesting discussion).
So Obama, and his posse, are wrong. Plain and simple. His view of America, particularly white America, is absolutely false, and it was primarily formed by sitting in a racist church like Trinity. To me, it doesn't matter how much "social justice" and so-called good a church does. (Another justification being used.) If it is preaching hate toward anyone (in this case, white people), it is not preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And from the looks of the members of that church, they LOVE to HATE white people. They are having pep rallies to HATE white people. Disturbing, to say the least.
Pfleger said that just like someone who has been repeatedly raped would demand retribution, America must pay for "raping people of color". By that logic, every people group would be "paying" for their sins to other people groups without end. It's an absurd, vengence mentality that is not coming from the message of the Bible that they claim to read. I think that the racist members of Trinity should begin reading their Bibles and put down the stones that they wish to throw at their neighbors - the white people. I promise to do the same, as I know many, many, many white people do, as we embrace our neighbors of all colors and creeds.
It's about love and healing, not hate, resentment, or bitterness.
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As I'm typing, Obama is at a press conference discussing his resignation from Trinity United Church of Christ.
Again, he and the press are missing the point, and he is distancing himself so he doesn't have to explain "every comment that comes out of the pulpit". It is not about mincing every comment that comes from each minister that speaks there. It's about the overall worldview of the church, which is demonstrated by the response of the church members when these inflammatory comments are made.
So, so, so missing the point.
A reporter just asked him about the speculation that he joined the church for political reasons. He said it was very "cynical that [he] would join a church for political reasons." The problem this poses is that this "cynical" view was his only way of justifying to "white America" being in this church. If he didn't join this church for political expediency, then he must agree with the "us against the world" mentality that permeates the church.
So doesn't this entire event and the way Obama has handled it confirm that he subscribes to the worldview of the church as a whole? That is the troubling part of it to this Bald Chick.