Harry Reid in hot water over quote

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by bignasty

How about when someone ACCURATELY lists teen pregnancy rates, crime rates, and graduation rates in a particular community?

The problem is when that particular community is targeted while teen pregnancy, crime, and low graduation rates in the general population are ignored. It reminds me of that new LMN movie about the teen pregnancy pact among the white girls. That movie would look completely different if it was Black or Hispanic. People would not be shocked. There were teen pregnancy pacts at my Black high school in the late 80s and early 90s.

Whites are still the population and power majority in this country. Blacks have disproportionately high rates of particular social problems including crime and poverty. That's not to be confused with media inaccuracies like "Blacks commit most crimes" and "Blacks receive most of the social welfare."

If people want to talk about statistics and ACCURATE interpretations of statistics in their proper context, fine. If they want to offend, fuck off.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I would think most people would be offended at the truth behind the statement rather than the statement itself. I love how many people claim that racism plays no part in people's dislike of Obama, but as a former Republican from a very conservative area, I still get tons of emails, FB posts, etc from acquaintances...and yes, family and friends, that are blatantly racist about Obama and his wife. America (now for some of you, I know this is not a surprise) isn't as color blind as we all like to pretend.

GASP!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo....tosses himself out of a basement window!

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

GASP!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo....tosses himself out of a basement window!

I know....it's shocking isn't it?! Jimmy Carter tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen!

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I know....it's shocking isn't it?! Jimmy Carter tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen!

Speaking of Mormons...

[DaemonSeid]

This just can't get any worse (or dumber)....or can it?

You decide.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

This just can't get any worse (or dumber)....or can it?

You decide.

That was political satire. You almost tricked me.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

That was political satire. You almost tricked me.

If not for the title, and the article, I would have been tricked.

[Low C Sharp]

Harry Reid said "Negro dialect" and that phrasing has many things built in.

It does, but one way to read his use of that phrase is that he was highlighting the extreme reaction some bigots would have to a Snoop-Dogg-esque presidential speech. In other words, he was describing what might go on in the mind of a prejudiced voter. I agree with the president that this phrasing was clumsy, because it could be misinterpreted to mean that Harry Reid thinks it's still OK to call black people Negroes.

CALLING someone a Negro in 2010 would have a very different ring to it than referring to Negro dialect when you're discussing the prejudice of some white voters.
________
Colorado medical marijuana dispensary

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

It does, but one way to read his use of that phrase is that he was highlighting the extreme reaction some bigots would have to a Snoop-Dogg-esque presidential speech. In other words, he was describing what might go on in the mind of a prejudiced voter. I agree with the president that this phrasing was clumsy, because it could be misinterpreted to mean that Harry Reid thinks it's still OK to call black people Negroes.

CALLING someone a Negro in 2010 would have a very different ring to it than referring to Negro dialect when you're discussing the prejudice of some white voters.

Translation: Harry Reid said "Negro dialect" and that phrasing has many things built in.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by bignasty

I think you are confusing "targeted" with "accurately reported."

My post went completely over your head.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by bignasty

Is Harry Reid color blind?
It is funny how some people flip flop on the issues.

No one is saying he is. The point is that his statement was about the racial climate in America and not a racist statement about Obama. There is a not so subtle difference.

[deepimpact2]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I doubt that. Not to mention, the example being bandied around about Trent Lott is like comparing apples and oranges. Sorry, wishing that Strom Thurmond had won the race for president, a segregationist who would have made sure that the civil rights movement had never taken place, is not the same as assessing the likelihood that a light-skinned black man would be able to win an election for president.

I completely agree. I was kind of startled that they thought there was really a comparison between the two incidents.

[dreamseeker]

i loooove me some free cheese! i mean, i'm supposed to work to support my 7 kids?!

[Psi U MC Vito]

Only after you pull your pants up.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I doubt that. Not to mention, the example being bandied around about Trent Lott is like comparing apples and oranges. Sorry, wishing that Strom Thurmond had won the race for president, a segregationist who would have made sure that the civil rights movement had never taken place, is not the same as assessing the likelihood that a light-skinned black man would be able to win an election for president.

I agree with this completely, and it seems odd to me that anyone even tries to make the case that the situations are similar.

You think the assumption is that people's political memories are so short that they won't remember what Lott actually said?

I think that there is a frequently a political/media double standard is assessing people's (D vs.R) motives when they say/do something racially questionable (but not as overt as Lott's), but Reid's comment isn't the one to try to exploit for this point.

And hadn't discussion of Biden's basically saying the same thing during the campaign already exhausted all the points that can be made about the content of the comment minus the specific use of the word "Negro" in Negro Dialect.

Random Question: for a while, people talked about "Ebonics," sometimes when they legitimately meant African American Vernacular English which at one point was referred to a Black English or Black Vernacular English. Was there a time when people referred to BVE or AAVE as "Negro Dialect"? Was Reid just lapsing into the terminology in vogue when he was in college for the very specific thing he meant: Obama's use of consistent use of Standard English in contrast with AAVE? Someone using "Negro" in 2009 IS weird and might be suspect, depending on the speaker, and I wonder why Reid used it.