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I guess it was simply stupid to use the word Negro.
Anyway, I assume that many non-Black Americans would not be overly thrilled with a president who they felt is too close to the Black part of society as it is portrayed in many media, especially in music (R&B/Rap language) .
I remember that there were some remarks on the way Obama greets some people using the knuckles if I remember correctly, which from what I understand is common among African-Americans. Probably most Americans don't want a president who they feel acts as a spokesman for African-Americans.
As if "African-Americans" are a homogeneous group.
As if "African-Americans" are a homogeneous group.
No, but I guess that for instance it is important for Obama not to be too close to the NAACP and similar groups, although I assume he shares many of their views and objectives.
Who likes people such as Jesse Jackson? Had Obama been like him, he would never have become president.
Remember the excitement among conservatives, white conservatives in 1995 at the prospect of a Colin Powell presidency? What if a Republican said of Powell what Reid said of Obama? The Democrats and their media employees would be livid, and wouldn't let it go.
From what I understand, Reid's comment was said privately. I would be very surprised if similar things were not uttered about Powell by Republicans in closed company.
I echo many of the previous posters. Reid's choice of the word "negro" is a reflection of his age. While he may not have expressed it clearly, I don't think it was intended in a racist way. Campaigns are all about selling a product. You have only to read the Detroit thread on this forum to see that Reid was correct in his assessment.
When Rudy G ran for president years ago I lived in southeast Florida. While his NY accent played well along the southeast coast, there was concern among dem leadership that it would be a deal breaker for the democratic voters in north and central Florida. I now live in NEFL, where it is still not uncommon to hear the word "yankee" used as a pejorative. Things like that do affect voters decisions, like it or not.
What I find interesting in this particular case is that both blacks and whites see it differently from within our own races. It's not seen one way by whites and another by blacks. Many of the same race and similar political views disagree about the nature of his statement. I will be interested to follow the discussions on TV and online.
Ovacatto's posts are quite interesting and he/she backs it up with some pretty good examples. It would probably merit a thread of its own.
To add. A friend of the family's went to Howard University back in the 1950s. She joined a sorority which required that you allow a brown paper bag to be held up next to your face. If you were the bag's tone or lighter, you could apply. If not, you were told to hit the road.
Seems there is an intraracial caste system inside the black community.
No, any political consultant in American will tell you that political merit is all fine and good but that the American people don't vote for a candidate just on merit alone.
Frankly, Reid couldn't have been more correct in his assessment. On another thread, I post the photos of every major black first, and everyone of them was a light skinned African American, everyone of them, exceptionally articulate. Those are the characteristics necessary for an African American politician to break through, and if Obama had been a dark skinned brother who spoke with even a southern accent his candidacy would have been dead in the water before it even began.
Anyway, a 70 year old white man uses the term Negro with was the respectful and proper way to address black people for most of his life isn't something that this African American is going to get worked up about.
Did you see Rachel Maddow last night? She addressed this story at length with some very interesting takes on the subject, especially the wide range of fallout (or not) of obvious "racist" or perceived "racist" comments by a wide variety of public people (political [including Democrats], sports, media, hollywood, etc.). But most impressive was her guest, Tricia Rose, Professor and Chair of Africana Studies at Brown University.
Anyway, a 70 year old white man uses the term Negro with was the respectful and proper way to address black people for most of his life isn't something that this African American is going to get worked up about.
He had several decades to get used to the new terms If he is so inflexible that he cannot adapt this much, maybe he should not be in politics in the first place.
Then I must assume that you've never heard Bush or Palin.
Get real Part II
First black Senator since Reconstruction Edward Brooke.
Ernest Morial, first black mayor of a major southern city.
Thurgood Marshall, first black Supreme Court Justice.
Doug Wilder, first black governor
Colin Powell, first black Secretary of State and Chairman Joint Chiefs
Now what were you saying?
I don't believe that that is what the OP or Reid was saying, but like being tall, having an attractive wife, being light skinned are just attributes that make a candidate more attractive to large segments of the American public.
Negro dialect I thought that was a valid question. Blacks aren't the only race that uses slang. Am I right?
Ov ofcourse there are distincion between the color of skin of Black men in US government history, movies etc. I'm speaking of the present day era. I'm intrigued by the notion that a Black man has to be light skinned to be President. I know by Barrack being mixed and having been raised by his White family helped him win with alot of voters and also I know alot of minorities voted him in because he is a minority. I just refuse to believe that the majority of White voters, voted him in because he is a light complexted Black man.
I VOTED for Obama not because he is Black. I voted him in because I wanted to see change. 8 Years of failure was taking a toll on our country. That is the reason why I believe he won.
If you put it the other way round, it might be true. He might not have been elected had he looked very dark like say Nat King Cole. I think that is sad, but still I think it is true.
I say dumb in the sense that for many voters it's style and looks over substance. This is especially true in this era because people are more shallow than ever. His wording might have been offensive but Reid was just trying to say that Obama would be marketable and attractive to voters.
I agree. Candidates are 'marketed' just like any other 'brand.' This has always been true, but never more so than now when reality TV has made 'shallowness' a desirable trait.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay F
As far as "negro" is concerned keep in mind Reid is 70 years old. When he was growing up negro was not considered a slur it was the most widespread used name for people of the black race. He should have been politically savy enough to know the word has long been taboo. But often times words we grow up with stick very deeply in our vocabulary. A few years ago I did some political polling on the side. One of the questions we asked was race. It was quite common for older black people to say their race was negro.. Obviously these black folks didn't mean the word as a slur..it's just the word they grew up with.
Common enough that it was added back to the census form for exactly the reason you've provided.
I echo many of the previous posters. Reid's choice of the word "negro" is a reflection of his age. While he may not have expressed it clearly, I don't think it was intended in a racist way. Campaigns are all about selling a product. You have only to read the Detroit thread on this forum to see that Reid was correct in his assessment.
Okay, I agree that Reid's words were ignorant, and due to his age. In his time, Negro was the commonly used term. However, you have to admit (I hope) that there would be a far different reaction from the Democrats and its media employees if a Republican did say the same about Colin Powell, assuming it was made public. Of course this is all politics, as you said.
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If he is so inflexible that he cannot adapt this much, maybe he should not be in politics in the first place.
