Racial attitudes revealed by Fox News in Obama interview

[Vernon Windsor]

"Here is how racism finds expression in the United States in the
21st century. You can tell it is racism because the only thing that has
changed between that period when there was no protest and the current
one is the anxiety of a segment of the population because of race."
—Vernon Windsor blog post March 16, 20010

Fox News' Bret Baier interrupted President Obama so many times during Wednesday's interview
that Newsweek described the enounter as a "interrupt-a-thon."

Baier acknowledged his repeated interjections at the end of the interview, by
interrupting the president once more to apologize. Baier told Obama "I
apologize for interrupting you, sir. I tried to get the most for our
buck here."

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell said that he could not recall a reporter ever questioning or interrupting an American president
in such an aggressive way. Certainly, O'Donnell argued, Fox News never
took that approach with former President George W. Bush.

(Full article)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/17/obama-fox-news-interview_n...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22887392#35922807

You have to know how many people of color (black people in particular) will
view this exchange. This is another example of how people of color are
slighted in ways that diminish the respect they have should be accorded
due to their office, their titles, or their accomplishments. All you
have to do is to look at how this same interviewer treated George W.
Bush to understand what is really going on here.

We have seen this kind of thing for years in both the South and the North. White
doctors are introduced as Dr. Smith, Dr. Bannock, and Dr. Taylor, while
the black doctor is introduced as "John," stripped of both his title and
the formality of his last name. This is no different. Nor can one
compare European style interviews with those in this country. They are
two separate traditions. The overall message is "you can be interrupted
because of who you are as opposed to who I am, and furthermore, I owe
you absolutely none of the deference normally afforded this office for
exactly the same reason."

[Vernon Windsor]

Cynthia, you express a commonly held opinion, and I partially agree with you, but it is not what we teach children that matters so much. Children rarely have a problem with racial difference until they either observe adults living out their racial prejudice or have a bad experience with one or two people and extrapolate that experience to everyone who looks the same way. We are born with the ability to discern difference, but we are not born with racial prejudice or racial hatred. That said, we have lived in a country with an extensively troubled racial history. We fought a civil war based in part on slavery which, in this country, had everything to do with race.

I have a great deal of experience with "first contact" in terms of race. What I mean by that is, other than television, I was the first black person some adults in children in mostly rural areas had ever experienced. There is always curiosity, but rarely any racial prejudice among the children (although some re-education in racial terminology was sometimes needed). Many more problems were found among the adults, and even most of these were essentially gone within a week.

As long as adults remain willfully ignorant of their own issues, the circle of hate will likely persist.

[cynthia Hunter]

Jacquin I guess you didn't see the part where I said thank you! I also have stated which for some reason people keep missing TBD's house their rules.

[cynthia Hunter]

The sad thing is that part of the history is left out. Which is a further shame on. Our country the fight to end slavery was secondary. The battle was started over commerce. I didn't learn this until much later. I wish I could remembet the name of the history book I read it in, I'd like to read it again.

[John Turberville]

"(they would have to go out and get a real job if they gave up their slaves). "

Kind of like the greedy corporations and CEO's of our time. Nothing has really changed. Look at wages in the 70's and look at them now. Compared to the cost of living, there is a big decrease.

[John Turberville]

"No matter how you slice it, even at the commerce level, slavery remains the most important factor."

Yes, obscene wealth is impossible without slaves (economic or otherwise).

[Vernon Windsor]

Slaves were commodities, property, and labor. You can talk about commerce all you want, it doesn't change the fact that white folks as well as others slaughtered themselves until the ground was soaked with blood. That's some pretty heavy karma to deal with as a nation, even if all people were equal immediately afterward. And we know that didn't happen.

Is it really such a surprise then that such attitudes and resentments still find expression in our political life? This time it was between Bret Beier and President Obama. The blind can't or refuse to see it. The rest know better.

[brujo]

You know, dissected, everyone is pretty disappointing.

[Vernon Windsor]

Jacquin, I don't believe it. Remember the kind of language that was used in your neck of the woods surrounding fishing rights? Some of the same kind of stuff.

Some people evolve, some don't. We want to be surprised, but we aren't. Some people actually are surprised. It's time for those people to get their heads out of the sand and realize the true nature, both good and bad things, of the country they are living in.

Toby, you're right. It is priceless, and indicative of the kind of logic that some have been trying to feed the American people. It's hard to believe there are people stupid enough to swallow this stuff, and actually believe it.