Friday, January 29, 2010

Forgetting Race?


Above is a well-written analysis of the latest Chris Matthews gaffe in which he said that during the State of the Union Address, Matthews forgot that Obama was black. It is the latest in a two year series of bizarre remarks by Democrats about Obama. Bill Clinton claimed at one point that Obama would have been getting him coffee two years ago. Harry Reid praised Obama at one point for lacking a "Negro dialect," whatever that means. Others praised Obama for being articulate, a compliment that strikes blacks as insulting because it insinuates that most people of that race are not.
Liberals seem to have more trouble with race issues these days than Republicans. Why?
Matthews himself provides part of the answer. His experience with race issues comes from the 1960s. Ways of thinking about race and black individuals have gone by the wayside. The 21st century idea is to acknowledge race, understand that blacks have pride in where they come from, but to also judge on merit rather than appearance.
The article above, consciously or unconsciously, paraphrases Martin Luther King Jr. when describing the position of Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and black conservatives, that people are to be judged by their merit, not color. I have a sneaking suspicion this is a conservative subversive in the mainstream media.
Conservatives in recent years have much less trouble with race discussions because they normally do not have them. They never tripped over the idea of having two black secretaries of state. George W. Bush picked the most qualified individuals available to him, their skin color was incidental and never was made an issue except by liberals in the media. Condoleeza Rice is one of the most intelligent human beings in the United States. Conservatives would rather discuss her accomplishments as an academic, a diplomat, and a person who rose from abject poverty more than they want to obsess over skin color.
The fact is that it is liberals who remain stuck in the past on race issues. Conservatives have demonstrated the proper and acceptable way to deal with the issue. Judge people as individuals only. Discuss them as individuals only. If they have merit, they rise. Simple as that.

No comments:

Post a Comment