Just a typical white guy
I try not to be purely political on this blog, but who will be the next president of the US will affect my business over here. Not to mention that these comments are stupid and offensive. This single comment will live on in political infamy much longer than anyone will remember any other thing he’s said. For a “brilliant orator” this was a misstep of historic proportions.
Now, I’ll admit, I am “a typical white person” whose “reactions that have been breed” because of “experiences” in my lifetime. And according to him, I guess that who I was “breed” to be is disqualifying me from being anything but a racist–despite the fact that I’ve got a MA in Cultural Anthro, a Chinese wife and Chinese children and have lived in multiple countries for more than a decade. My experiences include own my shock and dismay at my own grandma who made overtly racist comments to me (many years ago). But I’m not throwing her under the bus to promote my own multicultural enlightenment–my imperfect “breeding” taught me at least that much.
This type of comment, ironically meant to resolve other concerns about racism, is not “hopeful” nor “unifying” (or smart or even politically helpful). It’s certainly not kind to poor old granny and will almost assuredly alienate much of the other 60% of America that are “typcial white [people]” and that vote in the US in November.
Sorry for the interruption. We now return to our regularly scheduled blogs on China.
That’s asinine — sorry had to say it. If you’re willing to jump on the guy, who is trying to start a meaningful conversation on race in America (an issue which, judging by the ignorance of some of the major news outlets, might not be possible to address in a meaningful way), and
I haven’t been reading this blog THAT long, but you’ve come across as a seemingly sophisticated, fairly thoughtful “white guy” with significant enough international experience to put you out of the “typical” frame entirely. If this BS repetition of one careless comment by Barack (and, incidentally, one snippet of a 40-minute long sermon by his former pastor in which the pastor was quoting an influential American diplomat) is reaching you, and convincing you to repeat what they say on Fox (do you really think he is throwing his Grandma under a bus, there, Hannity? Or is he talking honestly from his own experience?), then that’s a shame.
One reason I read so many blogs is that our media isn’t that different — much less more useful — than the Chinese state-owned press. I expect more out of the enlightened blogosphere than a parroting of Fox News talking points.
Perhaps you could have addressed how different or interesting or perhaps parallel the experience is of being “typical and white” in China (as someone who has lived and worked overseas, as well in a majority black area of New York City I know being a different-looking minority is a profound experience).
If you don’t have an original thought to add to the discussion, then back to your usual programming, indeed. At least you attempt to add to the debate there.
Brad, um..thanks?
Interesting that you’re agitated about a comment, that true or not, will certainly go down in history as infamous–wether you like it or not. Even more left/center outlets are blasting the comment as a mistake, not just Fox (which I don’t read/download, can’t watch in China and have never listened to).
And, why aren’t my personally experiences with my familys’ racism not as relevant as his? I think that similar situations (almost exactly) are much more logical to compare than your suggestion that I compare US politics to working in China.
Finally, you read blogs for a reason–a different perspective and I listen to and read multiple news sources for the same reason–a new perspective. To praise him as something new or special (which he is not) or excuse his misstep would indeed be parroting the mainstream media. Again, why is my differing opinion any less valid than anyone else’s?
Thanks for sharing; as you can see by the posting of your comments I’m not interested in avoiding any real debate (which your really don’t engage in). But, honestly, I find that your comments are based on false assumptions about me, factually untrue comments about him, and are divisive in their vitriol and serve to limit other valid opinions by avoiding rather than engaging in debate–gee, just like him. Surprise, surprise.
David — sorry if I went off script a bit. It’s hard here in the U.S. with the endless looping of fifteen second soundbites of Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama’s worst moments, over and over ad nauseum. To be a news consumer in the U.S. echo-chamber is a disheartening experience these days — especially when you do think that this guy might be trying to elevate the discussion. Certainly noone else is — and many are trying to do the opposite. That’s what I thought I read in your comments (which sounded like you were focusing on that one sentence, to the exclusion of everything else the guy has said) which I may well have been wrong about.
And you’re right — your family’s racial history is your own to deal with, just as mine is. Just as Barack’s is (and his is a lot more complicated than either of ours, I’m guessing). Minus me getting defensive, all I’m saying above is, I am sure that you have said something at one time or another that, well-meant, has been taken out of context. Again, I’m not denying that it was an ill-advised comment. (What exactly was factually inaccurate about my post?)
And while we’re on the subject of in/out of context, I wasn’t asking you to link U.S. politics and working in China — I was suggesting that someone with your life experience could meaningfully explore the experience of being in the minority race. It’s a topic that, as a fellow anthropologist reading this blog, I would find enlightening.
Just FYI I also read multiple news outlets. I also get a paycheck from a number of them (writing about business and culture, not politics, thankfully). I don’t feel like the U.S. media does a very good job, at all, of serving the public interest. Hence the run-up to the war in Iraq, which is the worst foreign policy disaster in my lifetime (and which is getting scant attention in these days of Pastor-gate and looping off-the-cuff comments).
As for left/center media outlets slamming Obama, I’d be interested to see who/what you label thus. IMO, in the U.S., we have the corporate-owned media and the non-corporate owned media. The former all but drowns out the latter, which is why I get most of what I consider to be meaningful information out of the blogosphere (and the foreign press such as CBC and BBC and even al-Jazeera sometimes come off more credibly than Fox, CNN, MSNBC etc.). The U.S. news community is basically useless, in this reporter’s experience.
So again, I hope I’ve expressed my (legitimate) disgust with the way this issue has been framed, and at least somewhat atoned for the vitriol by engaging in some constructive debate — to use your words, “just like him.”