How many people were upset by the Wright video because of the content itself and itself alone?
How many people were upset by the Wright video more because of the obvious short term disaster it can and will wreak?
How many people were delighted by the Wright video because of the obvious short term disaster it can and will wreak. Ms. Marsh, are you there?
I think if you're a member of this site, you already knew a few things about Mr. Wright and saw something like this coming eventually. Well, you at least should have - its always been there. Perhaps you took comfort knowing Obama already repudiated those comments, but of course nothing could prepare you for a cable news onslaught of hypocrisy which has left McCain's pastor unscathed, which has allowed people like John Hagee and Pat Robertson to succeed on the airwaves for decades.
I'm an atheist and I have to say I was concerned about Wright long ago, specificially because well, aside from believing strongly in the separation of church and state, a massive chunk of Americans sit in the pews of churches that preach hate, and I wanted to know if the otherwise fantastic Obama was one of them. Hatred against gays in churches is probably the most obvious bigotry that springs to mind, but I care more about the more entrenched hate of the Bible itself - that those who disbelieve are lesser beings damned to eternal torment for finite crimes. Disbelievers meaning the more blatant heretics like myself, but of course in the same breath also including every Jew, Muslim, peaceful Buddhists, and well - in many churches - this also includes any and every other denomination. On Sunday morning my grandfather will attend a church that feuds with my other grandparents' church. They are both Baptist churches, and yet they hate each other, One group disallows people to dance, and the other does not. I dont get it, will never get it, and I certainly never forgot the day my mother's world fell apart - the day she married an Anglican and half her family disowned her for it.
So why can hate like this survive, but the words of Rev. Wright - in Sean Hannity's eyes anyways - end a campaign?
Because we white people are not used to the shoe being on the other foot. We are not used to churches that would say things about us. And we don't know word one about the black Christian experience - on this Wright is absolutely right - we've never had to deal with some of the things they put up with every day, and especially dont have to deal with the things Wright dealt with when he came of age. I am not here to apologize for his other comments, because many if not most of them are patently absurd. I am here to say:
HELLO, WHITE PEOPLE? GUESS WHAT? THERE ARE CHURCHES THAT SAY THINGS THAT OFFEND YOU! HOW DO YOU LIKE IT? NOT VERY MUCH, HUH?
Next time you sit in your pew at church I want you to focus a little more on the words of your pastor or priest. The church my grandfather attends molested my uncle 30 years ago, he still attends it, and many who defended the priest are still among his congregation. Catholic after Catholic after Catholic have to consider the differences between one Pope and another, and yet it would be considered absurd and offensive for a candidate to be forced to reject and denounce the Pope.
Can you imagine JFK, or John Kerry rejecting and denouncing the Pope during their campaigns? Even the relatively liberal John Paul II held views bigoted against gays and anti-woman abortion views. Would Sean Hannity DARE to go there? NEVER! And he's shameless! If you want to know why the door gets opened for accusations of racism, even when it's Wrights words stirring things up, it is because of inquisitions like what happened on Hannity and Colmes tonight.
Bigoted outdated views like those of Ratzinger? We're used to it - these are things we as liberals don't bother asking to be rejected. We treat religion with such kid gloves and seem to require it as a political tool as much as Republicans do, just in a different way. We want to be the sane religious people. For the most part we are, but unfortunately many hateful Christians benefit by the overall unwillingness to criticize their views.
But look who came to dinner? Something we are not used to - a reverend who though controversial, is apparently considered pretty par for the course, very respected, as far as black preachers go. People wonder how someone as calm and collected as Obama could sit in what seemed to be such a rowdy place of worhip. "Obama knows scary black people? RUH ROH SCOOBY!"
The conclusion Sean Hannity, and unfortunately a lot of Hillary supporters desperate for anything that could improve her chances, seem to think that this means Obama is a radical black activist. "20 years!" they say - "He had to have heard him say things like this before!" every Sunday, apprently. Apparently a couple youtube videos means he's like this every minute of every hour every day, and so are his flock. Riiiiight.
The best criticism to make of this whole situation is that it damages Obama's claims of 'judgment' - and they have a point. I'd rebut that looking past a couple terrible remarks for the supposed 'good stuff' isn't nearly as bad as the judgment Hillary made that costs the American people hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of American lives - but I'm afraid that sort of thing falls on deaf ears. More than this though, tonight the JUDGMENT I'm concerned of is the seperate standards we have of bigotry in this world, that familiar hatred from the likes of Robertson thrive, that millionaires are made out of hacks like Hagee, Hinn, and Haggard.
The worst part of a situation like this (and for that matter, Ferraro) is among the attackers its hard to tell who is genuinely upset and disillusioned and who is simply exploiting a politically convenient meme. Genuine conversations about race, the reality of "black Christianity" and the merits of Christian charity vs. controversy can never be reached, at least online, with ridiculous people hiding behind their stupid names. like MasterSitsu. what the hell does that mean anyways?
If anyone is that concerned about what Obama's church preaches, they broadcast services over the Web - Contrary to what some people think, the views of the church are not a secret waiting to be unmasked by idiots like Mr. Sean Hannity. Call trying to paint Obama as The Scary Black Man - by association! - what it is - more fearmongering.