You know, if I came on your show, Anderson, and I said, all Jewish people are brainwashed, I probably wouldn't be invited back to CNN and I assure you the condemnation would be swift and it'd be powerful and be strong.
I can't say I disagree with that. Belcher was an idiot for making it all about him and CNN; in fact, I'll make an even stronger claim for him: If Herman Cain made a comment to the effect that Jews were brainwashed for voting Democrat, the condemnation would be swift and powerful and strong.
Of course if a conservative Jew made that same comment, I don't think it would be that controversial, except, understandably, among Jews.
And so I don't see what the big deal is with Cain making the statement; Belcher is, what, accusing Cain of being a "self hating" black man? Or some such? Well, Belcher is black, he gets to have his view. Doesn't have much to do with me. Useless, if predictable, that CNN gives him airtime.
IMHO Cain's comment was pretty stupid: brainwashed people hate hearing the truth - so there's no odds in delivering it.
If he was talking to black people there, I can't help but conclude he was pretty tone deaf.
If he was playing to the (truthfully, mostly white) Tea Party base, then, well, I have to opine: trashing your own tribe doesn't generate much respect from me. (Even if what you're saying is true).
There are ways to deliver a measured criticism of one's own family/race/nation in front of strangers if such a thing is absolutely necessary; "brainwashed" doesn't strike me as a clever means to that end.
It's OK for those people to hear how Cain is an Oreo? An Uncle Tom? A sellout? Are we so afraid for people to hear the truth that we will let them wallow in the s**t for fear of offending them? They were already offended by him, what's a little more going to do -- besides maybe making them realize what kind of suckers they have been?
Cain presents himself as a Republican candidate for President. He's going to catch all manner of flak for that alone. Add to that the fact that he's black; the slurs against him will be ugly. None of that is OK. None of that is anything anyone can do much about.
Cain clearly isn't afraid of telling the truth or of offending blacks, nor should he be. But that's not the bar. He's a candiate, and a Republican, and the bar is this: convince people to vote for him, or, failing that, convince people to not to vote for Obama!
In particular, the latter is a task which Cain might be suited for. He should be reminding black people at every turn what a disappointment Obama has been.
There is also huge opportunity to discredit the (largely white) media which anointed Barry to begin with.
I don't see how the "brainwashed" language accomplishes any of this. It comes across as ad hominem and might just create resolve in the mind of black voters in swing states like Florida to get up and pull the lever for O on election day.
Personally I've never succeeded in making anyone realize anything by calling them "brainwashed", except to make them realize what a bigmouth wiseass I am, and that I'm safely ignored. Which is why I gave it up decades ago, emotionally satisfying as the practice was. It brought no results.
I live in a liberal town and I'm surrounded by the legion of the brainwashed.
I bite my tongue.
And while I might be drooling blood by the end I do believe I will cause sufficient doubt among the liberals and their pleasant consensus that by the time the election rolls around more than one of them will stay home. Or vote for Nader. Or whatnot. Which will be infinitely more satisfying to me.
Look. [Warning! Incoming grumpy two cents coming your way!] Mollycoddling blacks has gotten us (as a country and as a people, absolutely nowhere. It has to stop.
Cain simply stated an obvious truth in a non-PC way. He could've made the same observation about union members; they also vote overwhelmingly democrat, regardless of individual skin color. He could've said the same thing about academics/self-proclaimed intellectuals; guess who they overwhelmingly vote for?
I like Herman Cain. He tells it like it is, and he tells it straight, with no sugar coating. I may not always agree with him, but I applaud his honesty, his courage, and his common sense. Blacks aren't going to vote for him anyway; he has nothing to lose by laying it all out on the table. If he ultimately inspires more Americans of African descent to reexamine their values and political parameters, then GOOD. As long as our citizens vote intelligently and not like sheep, we have a chance to pull our nation out of this ugly quagmire.
I live in Britain; I no longer attach the "Greater" because we do not deserve that adjective. We are now totally subservient to the EUSSR and the diktats of the Maoist Barrosso, the president of the evil EU. How I wish that we had a candidate for our supreme office of the calibre as you in the USA have in Cain.
"Yeah, that Uncle Tom Oreo is a racist bogot!?"
ReplyDeleteUh huh.
Belcher's got a point here:
ReplyDeleteYou know, if I came on your show, Anderson, and I said, all Jewish people are brainwashed, I probably wouldn't be invited back to CNN and I assure you the condemnation would be swift and it'd be powerful and be strong.
I can't say I disagree with that. Belcher was an idiot for making it all about him and CNN; in fact, I'll make an even stronger claim for him: If Herman Cain made a comment to the effect that Jews were brainwashed for voting Democrat, the condemnation would be swift and powerful and strong.
Of course if a conservative Jew made that same comment, I don't think it would be that controversial, except, understandably, among Jews.
And so I don't see what the big deal is with Cain making the statement; Belcher is, what, accusing Cain of being a "self hating" black man? Or some such? Well, Belcher is black, he gets to have his view. Doesn't have much to do with me. Useless, if predictable, that CNN gives him airtime.
IMHO Cain's comment was pretty stupid: brainwashed people hate hearing the truth - so there's no odds in delivering it.
If he was talking to black people there, I can't help but conclude he was pretty tone deaf.
If he was playing to the (truthfully, mostly white) Tea Party base, then, well, I have to opine: trashing your own tribe doesn't generate much respect from me. (Even if what you're saying is true).
There are ways to deliver a measured criticism of one's own family/race/nation in front of strangers if such a thing is absolutely necessary; "brainwashed" doesn't strike me as a clever means to that end.
It's OK for those people to hear how Cain is an Oreo? An Uncle Tom? A sellout? Are we so afraid for people to hear the truth that we will let them wallow in the s**t for fear of offending them? They were already offended by him, what's a little more going to do -- besides maybe making them realize what kind of suckers they have been?
ReplyDeleteCain presents himself as a Republican candidate for President. He's going to catch all manner of flak for that alone. Add to that the fact that he's black; the slurs against him will be ugly. None of that is OK. None of that is anything anyone can do much about.
ReplyDeleteCain clearly isn't afraid of telling the truth or of offending blacks, nor should he be. But that's not the bar. He's a candiate, and a Republican, and the bar is this: convince people to vote for him, or, failing that, convince people to not to vote for Obama!
In particular, the latter is a task which Cain might be suited for. He should be reminding black people at every turn what a disappointment Obama has been.
There is also huge opportunity to discredit the (largely white) media which anointed Barry to begin with.
I don't see how the "brainwashed" language accomplishes any of this. It comes across as ad hominem and might just create resolve in the mind of black voters in swing states like Florida to get up and pull the lever for O on election day.
Personally I've never succeeded in making anyone realize anything by calling them "brainwashed", except to make them realize what a bigmouth wiseass I am, and that I'm safely ignored. Which is why I gave it up decades ago, emotionally satisfying as the practice was. It brought no results.
I live in a liberal town and I'm surrounded by the legion of the brainwashed.
I bite my tongue.
And while I might be drooling blood by the end I do believe I will cause sufficient doubt among the liberals and their pleasant consensus that by the time the election rolls around more than one of them will stay home. Or vote for Nader. Or whatnot. Which will be infinitely more satisfying to me.
Look. [Warning! Incoming grumpy two cents coming your way!] Mollycoddling blacks has gotten us (as a country and as a people, absolutely nowhere. It has to stop.
ReplyDeleteCain simply stated an obvious truth in a non-PC way. He could've made the same observation about union members; they also vote overwhelmingly democrat, regardless of individual skin color. He could've said the same thing about academics/self-proclaimed intellectuals; guess who they overwhelmingly vote for?
I like Herman Cain. He tells it like it is, and he tells it straight, with no sugar coating. I may not always agree with him, but I applaud his honesty, his courage, and his common sense. Blacks aren't going to vote for him anyway; he has nothing to lose by laying it all out on the table. If he ultimately inspires more Americans of African descent to reexamine their values and political parameters, then GOOD. As long as our citizens vote intelligently and not like sheep, we have a chance to pull our nation out of this ugly quagmire.
I don't expect this to happen, BTW.
lady red, that was precisely how I took Herman Cain's comments. I like it that he doesn't have the polish of life-long politicians.
ReplyDeleteAmen to your first point as well. We aren't racists, we're realists.
I live in Britain; I no longer attach the "Greater" because we do not deserve that adjective. We are now totally subservient to the EUSSR and the diktats of the Maoist Barrosso, the president of the evil EU.
ReplyDeleteHow I wish that we had a candidate for our supreme office of the calibre as you in the USA have in Cain.