President Carter made recent remarks regarding some of the virulent opposition against President Obama, in short saying that he believes some of it is rooted in racism. On the Morning Joe show today hosts Joe Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski flat-out refuted this to be even a possibility. I watched the Morning Joe show this morning in utter disbelief. I was so disturbed I wrote them a letter, here is what I sent:

I am disappointed in a severe way about your show this morning. One of the reasons I like Morning Joe is that Joe & Mika seemed reasonable and able to look at political issues fairly, unlike many conservatives. However, this morning’s response to President Carter’s comment regarding the obvious racism on the part of many of President Obama’s opponents was disturbing to say the least. The two of you, and that other woman on the show whose name I’m too angry to recall at the moment (she had on the blue suit) are not so oblivious nor ignorant to the history and current realities of racism. You are not! So what I witnessed this morning was DELIBERATE obtuseness on your part, for reasons I just cannot fathom. WHY won’t you acknowledge what is happening?? If you yourselves are not racists, and if you sincerely believe America is beyond racism, why the fear and denial about even talking about it?

Mika, had Hillary Clinton become president, and similar things happened to her that are happening to Obama, would you sit up there and say Oh that’s not because of sexism, sexism doesn’t exist anymore, we are in post-sexist America and the election of a female president proves it. Would you then refuse to even consider that there are still plenty of men opposing her who are sexist against women?? I highly doubt either you or that other white woman would say or believe that. Yet when it comes to racism, you’re willfully not seeing it.

What President Carter did was right, it was just, it was NECESSARY. It is not a matter of him, in Joe’s words, ‘not doing Obama any favors’. This is about doing America a favor! Racism is not on President Obama or any black American to fix, it is on the white people who have done it and continue to do it and all the people in their ethnic/racial group who stand silent and witness them doing it. This is on white Americans. It was high time for somebody white in a position of power to throw the gauntlet down and call these people out!

Let’s review just a few racially motivated things that have happened. White men coming to a presidential rally strapped with guns? racism. White men laughing at and calling a president a liar during a joint session of congress and the house of representatives? racism. That has NEVER before happened in the history of this country!! and the racists know, as long as they don’t do something obvious like say ‘the N-word’ or something extreme like burn a cross on the white house lawn, nobody white will dare call them out. Well somebody white did. Finally, somebody white in a position of power dared. It’s on the rest of white America to stand up and say it too. To stand up and back up their cries of ‘We’re not racists!’ and ‘We are in post-racial America!’ Now is the time to prove it by shutting down racism when you see it. You’re not racists? Well then don’t hide from them, don’t deny what they say, don’t ignore what they do. You all seem more leery and afraid of them than people of color, who have very valid reasons to be afraid of racists, are. Why? What are you so scared of? What happens when white people confront other whites about racism?

I’m still upset. I mean, what in the underworld? I must admit I am also more than disappointed by President Obama’s soft response to these people. He can call Kanye West a ‘jackass’ over some trifling mess, but he lets these racists punk him out? He lets a bunch of throwbacks disrespect the office of the presidency? We don’t give a hoot about Kanye West Mr. President. While we all know defending the symbolic honor of white womanhood is a staple of American politics, your rushing to defend this young white woman (because let’s keep it real, that was what calling Kanye out was all about) against the silliness of Kanye’s words and actions was really unnecessary and grossly inappropriate. It did not and will not endear you to the racists who are against you. This was simply an entertainer acting the fool at an awards show! Really, Mr. President, you had to comment on it? Surely you have more important things to take notice of. We want to see you handling your business, the business of running this country. Stand up. Stand tall. Speak Out. You are the president and you need to make it clear this nonsense will no longer be tolerated. If anybody needed to be called a jackass, it was that fool Joe Wilson who disrespected you and this country.

I mean really. So much racist stuff has occurred this year, it is unreal. Can you imagine the response on the part of the Bush administration if a bunch of black men had dared to come stand outside a presidential rally openly strapped???? They would have been arrested on the spot and probably in Guantanamo (or some secret prison somewhere) to this day. White men do this mess, and the white house allowed it? the secret service allowed it? Seriously?

Back to Mika and the blue suit woman. (I’ll go look her name up in a minute or if you know it put it in the comments). I’ve long been puzzled by white women who support racists…it’s like they have no clue that these people hate them too. Seriously, your value in the white racist paradigm as a person is purely symbolic and utterly reproductive. To make more white babies. White women are so close to having been property, it is really stunning to me how so many seem to forget and forgive their past chattel status. When I was a little girl, women couldn’t even get credit cards in their own names and in many states couldn’t even get birth control without their husbands’ permission! So I am not talking ancient history here.

Another thing on Mika, and this is kinda a side note, why does she dress like that? Today she had on a sleeveless hot pink short dress. My word. She dresses like she’s going to the club, not like a professional journalist going to work. Joe’s sitting there in a suit and tie, Mika’s in the hot pink shortie LOL. Some days she even shows cleavage. I’ve been wondering about that, why she dresses in such an unprofessional manner. Hmmmmm. I suppose it’s sexist of me to comment on her clothes. but wait, I’m a woman too so it can’t be sexist, right? and since we’re living in post-racial American, well sexism is over too, right?

Pic of President Carter:

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I voted, and rocked my sticker all day. We did it!!!

President -elect Barack Obama

This blog entry written by Trula. Thanks for visiting Seed & Flame!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Barack Obama for President 2008

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

One thing I find helpful to remember is that most people are truly not evil. I really believe this. There are people with different political beliefs from mine whose voting actions have resulted in the deaths of many people via wars and stuff. When I talk to people like this, I have found that wasn’t their intent at all, and they truly believe they were doing the right thing. I try to keep this in mind when attempting to discuss opposing political views with people. It helps me keep my composure.

This blog entry written by Trula. Thanks for visiting Seed & Flame!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.