So, yesterday, I made a post about the whole New York Post Cartoon/Chimp/Obama/Racism controversy. I basically said:
(1) That I understood why some people find the cartoon offensive.
(2) That I thought there were some other plausible interpretations.
(3) I thought that the cartoon was not done in good taste.
(4) At either rate, I thought the outrage was excessive.
(5) And finally, I thought that this sort of excessive outrage from the left gave The New York Post exactly what it wanted.
This diary isn't about the cartoon. It's about the reaction to my post. I have no interest in rehashing a debate over whether or not the cartton was racist.
In response, I was called everything from a jackass with no critical thinking skills, to an ignorant racist who was speaking from a position of "white privilege". Let start with that one. Here's my white privilege:
Here are some of the best comments about me:
You are ignorant, naive, uninformed and lack critical thinking skills.
by eXtina on Wed Feb 18, 2009 at 01:15:55 PM PST
Not racist? What planet are you from. Of course it is racist. Any cartoonist or editor worth their salt would immediately see the inference and run in the opposite direction. Any except the Post, of course, which clearly knew it was racist and decided to go for the free publicity. Shame on them and shame on you for trying so feebly to spin this one. grow a brain, jackass.
by matador
And my personal favorites, from Metal Prophet:
There are, unfortunately plenty of white men here who think, "hey, I'm a liberal, so I can't be racist or sexist. And I can say when something is racist or sexist and I'm the authority."
and
This has to be white privilege talking. I mean, some whites are so clueless, you practically have to have a cross burning before you ascribe racist intent to something. Never mind that we're talking about a part of the political spectrum that chortles at "macacas" and thinks "Barack the Magic Negro" is the height of hilarity.
The reaction to my diary touches directly upon one of the issues that I raised. Look at the comments. Look at the outrage. The sensationalism. The personal attacks. The racism. Yes, when someone says that you think a certain way or hold a particular perspective because of your race, that is racism. Metal Prophet suggested that I wasn't properly offended by the cartoon in question because I was white, and because of my white privilege. Now imagine of someone on this website had suggested that a diarist thought a certain way or held a certain belief only because he was black. Imagine the outrage that would have followed. Metal Prophet, whoever he really is, is a racist. But his racism is condoned by this community because he expressed his racist sentiments in the middle of a wave of outrage that was sanctioned by this community.
When someone at DailyKos, in a perfectly reasonable fashion, disagrees with the status quo, people get fanatical with their attacks and accusations. They get personal. Hell, they even get racist. If you read back through the comments, you'd think my initial post said, "Lynching was never really that big of a deal", or something incredibly evil like that.
Most people saw no reason to engage me in a debate on the merits. Instead, they resorted to that old favorite DailyKos standby: outrage. People acted as if what I said was so terrible that they would not justify it with a response. Instead of discussing or debating, they called me ridiculous, a jackass, an idiot, a racist, ignorant to the realities of racism in America, the product of white privilege.
Maybe next time someone disagrees with your dominant paradigm, instead of launching into outrage and personal attacks, you can just defend your position by raising legitimate points in a respectful fashion. Maybe instead of acting like a fanatic, you can just discuss why you have a different view. Rather then trying to portray my position as being merely a product of my ignorance about racism, my lack of critical thinking ability, and my "white privilege", you could pull your head out of your asses long enough to realize that (1) You're absolutely wrong (2) You're ridiculous and (3) I had some legitimate points.
The same basic thing happened when I wrote a post a while back about No Child Left Behind. My whole point was that in spite of the many problems with the law, there were also some good things about NCLB. As you can guess, I was attacked ad nauseaum. I was, once again, an idiot... clueless.. ignorant... totally uninformed about the problems in America's public schools... Which, much like my alleged "white privilege" was total bullshit: I taught high school English in inner-city Baltimore and was a reasearch fellow for the Andrew Mellon Foundation, where my work focused on education reform.
In debates when I defend the SAT as being a ticket to a good college and a good life for poor kids in the inner city who can master the test.... I take similar flack from the left. Although not on DailyKos, I penned an article arguing this point several months back. The reaction? At least one idiot mentioned my white privilege, suggested that from my cushy perch in affluent white America, I couldn't possibly fathom how the SAT could be racist or disparately impact poor minority students. It's the same bullshit. People not wanting to engage in a debate on substance, and instead, launching personal attacks.
I'm actually a big fan of this site, I write here quite often, and I routinely follow many of your blogs. I have a ton of respect for some of you (although certainly not all, particularly not after yesterday's remarks). This reminds me of James Baldwin's brilliant quotation, "I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." I feel the same way about this community.
My hometown, rural Pennsylvania newspaper has an online message board. Lots of folks stay away from it because it devolves into outrage, personal attacks, name calling, and even racism. All directed at anyone who doesn't spout Republican talking points. In a sad way, DailyKos is sometimes an awful lot like that, but from the opposite end of the political spectrum.
- JP
P.S. For anyone who wants to talk about my white privilege, and hear all about how Trapper Gsell introduced me to racism by calling me a nigger when I was six years old....how I grew up racially mixed and poor in rural Pennsylvania... You can find me anytime you want down on Pennsylvania Avenue in Southeast DC, just across from the Potomac Gardens Housing Project. I'm the big, black/Puerto Rican looking guy who is always wearing a black leather jacket and a Steelers hat.
It's times like this when I truly wish that posting on this website was not anonymous. Everyone knows my real name. I wish I knew who the racists were. Who the fanatics were.
UPDATE I: PLEASE READ THIS
A while back, I wrote a diary about Warren, who I met while canvassing for Obama in southern Fairfax County. Warren was well into his 70's and white. He began our conversation by informing me, quite bluntly, that he was voting for McCain because of "the lazy coloreds on welfare". In spite of his comment, I engaged him. We talked for an hour. He eventually said, "That Obama is smart as a whip", asked me for a pamphlet outlining Obama's positions on the issues, and told me he had some thinking to do. You know what several people here on DailyKos said? That I was wrong for talking to the guy after he used the word colored. That I should have given him a lecture on how negative and hurtful the term is. Some people were.. yes... outraged.. that I didn't tell Warren then and there that he was out of line. And this would have helped then candidate Obama... how? This would have helped me... how? This would have helped my country... how?
What if there was someone, someone who may be white, who - for whatever reason - doesn't think the cartoon in question was racist. How do you engage this person? Based on your conduct, many of you don't engage the person at all. You just scream at them that they're a dumb racist. And this moves America forward... how? This helps to bridge the racial divisions and heal America's racial wounds... how?
UPDATE II: There are now calls coming from folks on this website to arrest and prosecute any parties who were involved in the publication of the cartoon, ostensibly for some sort of negligence. I vehemently disagree. Regardless of whether or not I share your interpretation on the cartoon in question, I agree that it was published in poor taste. But jailing people for running a questionable political cartoon? Thanks, but no thanks. I actually place some stock in the First Amendment.