The day of Barack Obama's incredible speech, something extraordinary happened. I didn't know that it was extraordinary at the time, I just thought that it was a nice conversation and the prelude to an enjoyable evening.
I posted about it here.
So, the dinner happened Friday.
My friend is a former Republican. I diaried about her conversion (before the 2006 elections) here.
After dinner, we hooked my computer up to the television and brought up Obama's speech on YouTube.
Make the jump to find out what happened after we watched the speech. But before you do, remember that if you see a comment during the day that just needs more exposure, please, please send it along to the Top Comments crew for inclusion in that evening's diary honoring the best and brightest contributions, comment wise, to that day's Daily Kos experience. Your submissions should be sent (complete with your user name) to topcomments at g mail dot com. Now, follow me for a continuation of Friday's events.
I am white. I come from Norwegian and, as we just recently found out, Estonian stock. Northern European pretty much all the way. My husband, too, is white, the son of a son of a preacher who grew up in the tropics, but whose family hails from Germany.His mother is Irish. My ex-husband is of pure Scottish descent. My daughter looks like a stereotypical Scandinavian. Growing up, I can't recall ever being judged negatively based solely on the color of my skin.
My friend is white, but she looks Hispanic. She's married to a Hispanic. They have both experienced racism, particularly living in Southern California.
Our dinner and a political speech evening opened up all sorts of interesting conversations about stereotypes. In the beginning, these were centered around race, based on the content of Obama's speech. We talked about the racism my friends have faced, and the times when their skin color has benefited them. The discussion about stereotypes was the most uncomfortable for me. It wasn't all that pleasant to come face to face with the fact that I had some views that weren't based on experience, but instead were based on stereotypes - not unlike Barack Obama's grandmother.
We all admitted that we had views of this nature, and we talked about the best way to educate our girls about this. (The girls did not participate in the speech viewing and subsequent discussion due to the last minute addition of another 10 year old. None of the adults present felt the need to try to herd tweens.) I don't think we arrived at any set in stone best practice approach, but we had some good beginnings. Our girls are ahead of the game for the most part. They both participate in Pop Warner cheerleading, and their squad is very diverse. The coach is a black woman who the girls just idolize.
Then the conversation moved on to other stereotypes. It started with unions. My friends, who own their own business, were wondering what the possible benefit of unions was. To them, unions were only potential for huge headaches. They were genuinely surprised to learn that unions brought us weekends and 40 hour work weeks and overtime pay.
We hit upon so many topics during the evening that it would take several diaries to elaborate on all of them. We discussed the role of the press in our political process. We compared the furor over Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky and the blip of John McCain and Vicki Iseman. (That conversation got heated!) The biggest question there was why we were so outraged that the latter story got no more press. In my friend's eyes, the story with Clinton was the lie, and she felt that the way that McCain addressed the issue right away, as did Ms. Iseman, there must be no "there" there. Our take was that the difference between the two wasn't just the lack of further investigation, the taking of McCain and Iseman at their word. To us, it was the influence peddling and the potentially huge ramifications there. This was not something that they'd considered, because it wasn't heavily covered in the nightly news.
The discussions that stemmed from watching Barack Obama's speech on race lasted roughly 2 hours. They were 2 very frank, sometimes uncomfortable, frequently heated, and ultimately highly educational hours. They were two of the best hours I've spent.
It was a fabulous evening and we all had a great time. We plan to do it again, this time with the girls watching and engaged, though we'll have a plan ahead of time, since extemporaneous doesn't work well in that sort of a setting. The best part of it all was that we had really great, sometimes heated, but always respectful discussions. I learned a lot about what is important to those who aren't as politically "plugged in" as I am. It was a good reality check for me, and it was a great education, I hope, for all of us. The evening didn't go exactly as I had intended - a lesson for our girls - but it was a smashing success.
And now, without further ado, here are tonight's Top Comments!
In a late entry from last night, bronte 17 brings us not just a great comment, but a link to an amazing diary. (Well, well worth a read!)
I have no words right now for this diary. Read it... slowly... then read the comments and finally watch the Billie Holliday video that someone put up.
Deoliver47 weaves the tale of his multiracial life-loom...from Kansas fields to the NY Bronx, Tuskegee Airmen, the NY stage, universities and the Klan, and the ever-racist "Strange Fruit" whose fermentations have spread across our nation.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
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His parents were embarrassed. His dad said he had been sworn to secrecy. Joe emailed me again - announcing he was coming to visit. He did, stayed a week, and has come back again. He brought me a gift of wheat stalks from the farm my grandmother was born on.
I have since that time gotten apologies from some of the older living relatives. The eldest said simply "that was the way things were then. I'm glad Joe found you. Come and stay - anytime."
So, things can change. Somewhere my grandmother is smiling, because her divorce from her family all those long years was her deepest sorrow. And now I feel more complete, having both sides to enrich my own history.
This is the hope I see in young folks. We, and you can change things, if not for all, at least for some.
Deoliver47
http://www.dailykos.com/...
From N in Seattle:
I nominate zerzan's absolutely perfect response to Caelian's cheerleading in clammyc's ode to Howard -- "In Dean We Trust".
Greenchiledem gives us this:
Nancy in LA writes a make me laugh out loud comment in response to a comment in Kos’s diary today titled The Rules. http://www.dailykos.com/...
Some of our best recipes (not all food related) come out of troll diaries, as loree920 lets us know:
Great recipe from Seneca Doane!
submitted as a response to an HR'd post.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
My picks:
I know I'm probably boring, but wmtriallawyer speaks for me here.
In this comment, NCJan does a great job of reminding me why I'm active in politics - not for me - for my daughter.
and here, highfive echoes a very strong hope I share, also for my daughter, as she is my most tangible vision of the future.
Here, SouthSideDem tells it like it is. (I've had to explain this ad nauseum over the past several weeks, and while this is more simplistic than my explanations, it's a great starting point.
Tonight's Top Mojo is courtesy of BeninSC - please show him your tiplove!
Top Mojo - excluding search-identifiable tip jars and first diary comments (top 30 of each plus ties):
1 What happened to Hillary? by existenz - 234
2 Nope. I'm just taking your stuff and leaving. n/t by Melody Townsel - 189
3 If Al Gore really wants to do something by beltane - 166
4 Hillary officially has less class by scimitar - 150
5 I'd like to think you're right re: the final line by Melody Townsel - 149
6 Uh Oh by FireCrow - 131
7 Hillary has a trump card by Mark Warner is God - 126
8 I was one of those by discocarp - 126
9 Don't make fun of Hillary by smash artist - 113
10 Don't you mean sink to the occasion? eom by dansac - 112
11 it wasn't hate speech when Rev. Wright was by duha - 107
12 Not true by smash artist - 101
13 Maybe Hillary really was running from sniper fire by Jeff Y - 101
14 Ten states left to vote by Dumbo - 96
15 It was inevitable, I suppose. by rashomon - 95
16 How about a hug too!? by Pandoras Box - 93
17 Obama campaign response: by highacidity - 91
18 I'm sad by jenontheshore - 90
19 Wow. by notksanymore - 87
20 rec'd by futurebird - 86
21 Leave Hillary alone! I mean it. by Melody Townsel - 83
22 "I'm Taking Your Stuff and Leaving"... by Mr X - 79
23 Apologize to Gilooly right now, young man. by Melody Townsel - 79
24 re by cookiesandmilk - 78
25 I hope you grabbed a small child by kath25 - 77
26 Not to mention a hangover by tecampbell - 75
27 New excuse : Hillary - 'I missat' next to Wright by RobertInWisconsin - 75
28 Ê by Stand Strong - 75
29 I won't troll rate you. Instead, here's recipe: by Seneca Doane - 74
30 Hillary on why she wants Alan Greenspan by deben - 73
Top Mojo - everything included:
1 Tipjar by Barcelona - 692
2 You can get a SERIOUS rash... by JeffLieber - 527
3 Also by BooMan23 - 462
4 Tips? by Hope08 - 450
5 Any, you know, thoughts? by jthomascronin - 369
6 Tip Jar - 25 March by Jerome a Paris - 299
7 Tips for all the volunteers by Must Have Been The Roses - 290
8 Tips for getting some answers from HRC by JedReport - 264
9 I want 100%, not 5%....tip it & rec it. by icebergslim - 235
10 What happened to Hillary? by existenz - 234
11 Please Recommend by Steven R - 190
12 Nope. I'm just taking your stuff and leaving. n/t by Melody Townsel - 189
13 sigh by jenontheshore - 186
14 Bonus Points if you Call Me. by kath25 - 185
15 we now return you by dday - 175
16 If Al Gore really wants to do something by beltane - 166
17 Holy ****! n/t by chicago DEM - 163
18 Tips JAR! Reccs,(and even FLAMES appreciated!) by IndianaDemocrat - 153
19 Hillary officially has less class by scimitar - 150
20 I'd like to think you're right re: the final line by Melody Townsel - 149
21 And Bill's her by strengthANDwisdom - 140
22 Uh Oh by FireCrow - 131
23 Tips for an Obamajority by Populista - 126
24 Hillary has a trump card by Mark Warner is God - 126
25 I was one of those by discocarp - 126
26 she wants to keep the Wright story by marley619 - 119
27 Don't make fun of Hillary by smash artist - 113
28 Don't you mean sink to the occasion? eom by dansac - 112
29 I apologize by teacherken - 111
30 May Sgt. Gregory D. Unruh rest in eternal peace. by blue jersey mom - 109