Harry Reid in hot water over quote

[srmom]

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.

I guess the Census Bureau thought it was OK too.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6814629.html

Even though “Negro” was on previous census forms, and despite the approval of its use this year by the bureau's African American Advisory Committee, demands are flying to ditch the forms and print new ones.

With questionnaires scheduled to be sent out March 1, that is not likely to happen. But the bureau has agreed to send out about 30,000 questionnaires without the word to test the response.

“Negro” has remained on the form because the population counters kept getting forms back with the word written in — more than 55,000 in the 2000 Census — even though it was included as one of the selections. That suggested that some blacks still preferred the term and had not noticed it as a third choice.

The point was to be as inclusive as possible, to make sure the racial demographics were as accurate as could be, the bureau says.

“The Census Bureau included the term ‘Negro' because testing prior to Census 2000 indicated that numbers of respondents self-identified with this term,” the U.S. Census Bureau said in a news release.

What a strange world we live in. It would be nice if people could just agree to what is offensive and what's not, and then help us all keep up with the changes.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by srmom

I guess the Census Bureau thought it was OK too.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6814629.html

I'm sure everyone who watches the news knows about this.

That does not mean that it is "OK."

Originally Posted by srmom

What a strange world we live in. It would be nice if people could just agree to what is offensive and what's not, and then help us all keep up with the changes.

People can just get their heads out of their asses and think before they speak more often than not. I don't know about you all but I know when I'm about to say something that is potentially offensive and I know when I've just said something that I shouldn't have said/that can be interpreted a certain way. And I'm not talking about offending members of certain GLOs, sports fans, and other things so socially insignificant and inconsequential.

We should understand that things can and will be misinterpreted and taken out of context. So we need to be careful. And if people are offended by what we say but we feel no need to void everything we said for the sake of being too PC--just say something like: "I don't apologize for the point I was making--I apologize for the poor wording. Let me express my point more appropriate and more adequately."

[Ghostwriter]

Hear, Hear!! Dr. Phil

Wonderfully stated.

When all is said and done both Reid and Lott should have known better then to say what they did. I don't believe what either said should result or have resulted in their having to step down from their position. However, the fact that Lott was forced to by the Dems and Reid is given a pass by essentially the same people is what rankles me. Blatant hypocrisy!

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by Ghostwriter

Hear, Hear!! Dr. Phil

Wonderfully stated.

When all is said and done both Reid and Lott should have known better then to say what they did. I don't believe what either said should result or have resulted in their having to step down from their position. However, the fact that Lott was forced to by the Dems and Reid is given a pass by essentially the same people is what rankles me. Blatant hypocrisy!

I guess since it takes one to know one we should just listen to the Republicans then and trust that Reid is a racist....right?

[Ghostwriter]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I guess since it takes one to know one we should just listen to the Republicans then and trust that Reid is a racist....right?

Your use of sophistry is telling. Sounds to me your like minded political hacks are the ones making all these inflamatory statements. Clean up your own house before you say someone elses is dirty.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by Ghostwriter

You use of sophistry is telling. Sounds to me your like minded political hacks are the ones making all these inflamatory statements. Clean up your own house before you say someone elses is dirty.

Nah...just think it's pretty funny how revisionist your ilk tries to be.

Not to mention, these are the same kind of sweeping generalizations you are making. Lott and Reid's comments are not in the same ballpark...hell, they're not in the same universe when it comes to inappropriateness.

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Lott and Reid's comments are not in the same ballpark...hell, they're not in the same universe when it comes to inappropriateness.

Yeah, you're right - one is definitely a more pernicious and dangerous form of continuing racial prejudice, one that subjugates entire groups via labels and uses culture as a weapon to wield in retaining authority and pushing abasement.

Just not the one you think.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by bignasty

More hipocracy.

Harry Reid has been crying raci$m for months. Does your takes one to know one analogy apply to Reid when he cries raci$m? Should we all just trust Reid?

Maybe so, but is Steele going to step down too? And BTW, if you couldn't see that my post was tongue and cheek, you are as dumb as your posts sound.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Ghostwriter

Hear, Hear!! Dr. Phil

Wonderfully stated.

When all is said and done both Reid and Lott should have known better then to say what they did. I don't believe what either said should result or have resulted in their having to step down from their position. However, the fact that Lott was forced to by the Dems and Reid is given a pass by essentially the same people is what rankles me. Blatant hypocrisy!

But what they said was fundamentally different. Lott suggested that a notable figure who opposed integration was correct to do so, and Reid seems to have used the word "Negro" while explaining why he thought white voters would find Obama appealing and nonthreatening.

As frequent readers of this forum might have noticed, I frequently come unglued about the issue of media double standards for Republicans, and even I'm not on your team here.

Reid's comments are probably worth talking about in their own right and do reveal something about his thinking, but not the same thing that Lott's did.