Dear Reader,
So I’m pretty sure that we all heard about how Obama’s historic 1-year anniversary in the White House was pretty much spat on by the Civil Rights era-type comments from a member of his own party, as well as our attention-craving, failure of a governor that is Rod Blagojevich. In case you missed it, here is what the two said:
Senator Harry Reid, who is the Democratic majority leader, once stated during Obama’s campaign that President Obama could become the first black president because he was “light-skinned” and had “no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.” Unless he ‘wanted’ to have one. Rich. Read more here
Rod Blagojevich, in an interview with Esquire Magazine for their Feb. issue: “I’m blacker than Barack Obama,” he states, because he “shined shoes as a child, grew up in a five-room apartment,” and that his father had a laundromat “in a black community not far from where we lived.” Alright homeboy. Read the rest here.
Both have since recanted their statements and apologized, though it’s only been reported that President Obama has accepted Reid’s apology. Either way, I’m pretty sure this won’t be the last time we’ll hear similar sentiments come to light.
Now, having a conversation about this with family, one particular member stated that it was OK for Senator Reid to say what he said because it was the “truth” and that he shouldn’t be in trouble for speaking the truth. In the same breath, they also stated that Blagojevich was wrong to say what he said because he used race rather than his socio-economic status to describe his upbringing; thus making the sweeping (but-not-so-far-from-the-truth) statement that to be black is to grow up poor, or ‘not as fortunate,’ to say the least.
To that family member, I replied that neither statement was justified. Yes, they were correct in stating that Blago should not have used race when it was really his socio-economic status that he was describing (though unfortunately, being “blacker” has evolved into a negative stereotype of being poor, ‘ghetto,’ unintelligent, among other things). As for Reid: But everyone knows that what he said was the truth and [Senator Reid] should have the right to say what he wants, they said. Mmmm that is correct—everyone is entitled to their opinion no doubt. But to express that opinion without thinking about the consequences is pretty much suicide. Not only do you embarrass yourself, but you risk losing your job, credibility, friends, support, etc. Republicans were in an uproar because they believed that Democrats found it easier to forgive their own for catastrophic mistakes, but would have pursued a removal from office had it been someone from the Republican Party. This is probably true. Double standard? Well that’s life and nothing new.
While the idea of freedom of speech seems wonderful, do not be fooled. Though it may not be written in the Constitution, there are a ton of asterisks following that right – FCC regulations for radio and television, censorship of music, best practices for businesses that want to avoid lawsuits for hiring and sexual harassment, and much more. I can bet anyone a million bucks that poor Senator Reid was (and probably still is) not the only one who was feeling those sentiments—it’s just that Reid happened to get caught saying it.
Happy 1st Presidential Anniversary, President Obama. Three more years of enduring friends and enemies that continue to undermine you–even though you are probably smarter than all of them.
