Obama makes reference to the "typical white person."

[03.5MSP]

All I have to say is Philly is racist as s***.

 

[camrycev6]

Which directions? All? Black on White? White on Black? Black on Hispanics? Asian on Black? White on Hispanics... etc. etc... You are going to have to clarify that one.

 

[funkyman]

Unfortunately racism is a natural human reaction,you could say that it is instinctive and it is not going to go away any time soon,maybe a couple of million years depending on where evolution and technology takes us,but i`m voting for Obama as well.Time for a change after 300 years,you know what i`m saying

 

[camrycev6]

It is tough call between Obama and McCain for me. It really is. They both have major problems, but both shine when compared to Clinton. It really is too bad neither party can seem to produce a clear choice for president.

 

[jersey_emt]

I'd like to invite everyone to watch a speech that Barack Obama made the other day in Philadelphia, where he explains his views on racism.

It's long (37:10), but watch it through to the end, even if you hate the man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrp-v2tHaDo

 

[03.5MSP]

Which directions? All? Black on White? White on Black? Black on Hispanics? Asian on Black? White on Hispanics... etc. etc... You are going to have to clarify that one.

From what I see black on white, white on black, hispanic on black, and black on hispanic.

 

[03.5MSP]

I want Ron Paul for real change.

 

[Killer]

I want Ron Paul for real change.

Good luck with that.

 

[Killer]

I'd like to invite everyone to watch a speech that Barack Obama made the other day in Philadelphia, where he explains his views on racism.

It's long (37:10), but watch it through to the end, even if you hate the man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrp-v2tHaDo

I thought it was moving. (cool)

 

[dominoy2k1]

lol.

 

[camrycev6]

From what I see black on white, white on black, hispanic on black, and black on hispanic.

Been to Phily many times... Baltimore isn't much better.

 

[03.5MSP]

Good luck with that.

Yeah I know, but I'm not going to vote for someone who doesn't represent my point of view. And I'm not going to be a dumb ass and vote for someone just because other people are doing it.

 

[Donas64]

Yeah I know, but I'm not going to vote for someone who doesn't represent my point of view. And I'm not going to be a dumb ass and vote for someone just because other people are doing it.

Thats kinda how I feel too. The problem is, if you just sit out and don't vote, then isn't that being part of the problem. I don't think you're ever going to get a candidate thats EVERYTHING you want ( I know I have not found one yet) but maybe one that hits the major points.

Mine are:

1. Strong on National Security
2. Strong of Border Defense and Legal Immigration
3. Pro-Life
4. Adoption of Fair Tax (or pretty much anything but the current system)
5. Low Taxes
6. Health Care Savings Accounts
7. Social Security Savings Accounts
8. School vouchers (public only) and school choice
9. A willingness to work across party lines

I could go on and on but no candidate is ever going to meet at those criteria. So I tend to favor the one that meets most of them. Some things can be deal breakers though.

That being said, black people still terrify me. I'm so scared of them, I never ever played as Balrog, or dhalsim in street fighter.

 

[sanblaster]

Lmao, dhalsim is indian.

 

[jersey_emt]

That being said, black people still terrify me.

LOL aren't you black yourself?

 

[Donas64]

Lmao, dhalsim is indian.

And I'm Nigerian. But I'm still black.

.....OH CRAP!

 

[Doodsmack]

That version is running around on the right wing web sites, for instance here:
http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/q=MDg1MTk0YjQ2YjI1ZDBhNDYzMTA4Y2NhMDA4ZWRlOWU=

However, it appears to be an intentional misquote, dropping two key words and applying the most inflammatory possible punctuation. What he actually said (at least, this is how it sounds to me, and there is an audio link here too)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-marsh/obama-grandmother-typic_b_92601.html
was:



Ignore the punctuation, he was clearly putting the sentence together as he spoke it (hence the "uh" pause). I believe the construct was intended to be:

she is a typical (white person who if she ...).

Here is a shorter equivalent construct without the racial tension thrown in to muddy sentiments: He is a typical dog who is afraid of the rain. Most dogs are not afraid of the rain. The sentence says that those dogs who are afraid of the rain share a set of behaviors or other characteristics, and the particular dog that is referred to belongs in that restricted group.

Had he to do it over again Obama would most likely have avoided the word "typical", that always rubs people the wrong way. That pales in comparison to the quotes which drop the "who" and "uh" so that a period could be placed after "white person", converting what was supposed to be a nuanced classification of people like his grandmother into a broad categorization of white people in general. He clearly included "who" in the preceding phrase, but the misquote could hardly have ended the sentence with ".... typical white people who." So they had to drop the who in order to mangle the meaning. To borrow a phrase: typical.

Sometimes English sucks for communication, especially in cases where punctuation would change the sense of a sentence, and when it is spoken, one cannot always infer the intended punctuation. See Lynne Truss's book "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" for innumerable examples of what happens when punctuation is misapplied.

I disagree with your interpretation here...it appears to me that he was in fact referring to the broad category of white people in general, and the "who" implies that his grandmother is simply a member of that category.

Regardless of these nit-picky discussions of the sentence structure, the use of the word "typical" is the bottom line. This statement was a stereotype, no ifs, ands, or buts.

 

[Killer]

Regardless of these nit-picky discussions of the sentence structure, the use of the word "typical" is the bottom line. This statement was a stereotype, no ifs, ands, or buts.

and this means what? How would it affect his ability to govern?

 

[Donas64]

okay I do have a question. I was just listengin to this speech at again at work and Barack makes a statement: "Rev. Wrights mistake is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It's that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country—a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old—is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know—what we have seen—is that America can change."

Which I completely agree with him. America has come a long way from its past. But not too long ago on the campaign trail, his wife said this:

we're a country that is "just downright mean," we are "guided by fear," we're a nation of cynics, sloths, and complacents. "We have become a nation of struggling folks who are barely making it every day," she said, as heads bobbed in the pews. "Folks are just jammed up, and it's gotten worse over my lifetime. And, doggone it, I'm young. Forty-four!"

Never mind the fact that she is an Ivy league grad and a successful wealthy lawyer, America has gotten worse. I mean is she for real?

Why is it that Barack sees the positive, sees the change, sees the hope. But those who seem to be closest to him (wife, pastor etc) see only the worst in America. It seems that everyone around him believes the opposite of what he does and it confuses the HECK out of me.

 

[camrycev6]

His wife is very radical compared to Obama himself. Don't think that a first lady doesn't carry a certain level of power in the Whitehouse. (Hello... Hillary!)