Would Sherrod had helped the farmer if he wasn't poor

[npk]

She says in the video that she initially didn't do for the man all that she could have, because so many black farmers were losing their farms and here was a white farmer who was asking her to save her farm. She admits that she only wanted to help after she realized he was poor.

Her comments in the beginning of the tape are still disgusting. When she says "This man thought he was superior to me..." blah blah blah. I have no idea why she felt this was an appropriate anecdote to tell. Yes she may have ended up doing the right thing in the end, but it wasn't because she saw past race, it was because she realized that he was "Not like all the rest." Those were here words. I am still trying to figure out how this is any better. Whether it happened 24 years ago, or 24 days ago. This to me is still bigotry. Why she deiced to share this anecdote when she new it was being recorded is beyond me. This is still just an ugly incident. Yes Brietbart is scum, but this was a poor decision on her part to share this story the way she did. I can see why she was forced out.

[KansasVoter]

1. I tend to agree with a lot you said. There was no doubt an attitude from both her and the farmer!

But still, no reason to fire her without at least talking to her.

[nenagh]

40. Watch Rachel Maddow's take on the story..

Shirley Sherrod's father was killed by a white farmer in 1965. No one was ever prosecuted for her father's murder, although there were witnesses.

Despite her father being killed, she decided to stay in the South, primarily to help black people.

But when she encountered her first white family, who were going to lose their farm, she realized that her thinking had been wrong.

I think she did say she thought the white farmers originally treated her in an uppity way, and she realized she had power over them...to do right or not... ie to help them or not..

God showed her, she said, that her former thinking was wrong... it was not just black people that she was to help, but all people whatever their colour.

She realized that she was to help white, black or any colour person, that mainly they were all poor people she was helping.

It was a moment of enlightenment for her.. I think it was a compelling realization which she reached at a young age, after the trauma of her father's death.

[KansasVoter]

85. Thanks for that!

[handmade34]

2. watch the entire speech

http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/video_sherrod/

her job was to help people that needed help (i.e. poor)

[Celebration]

3. you don't get it do you?

It was a moment of transformation for her. She was conveying that moment of transformation. It was an important, huge event in her life, and the way she felt about race and class. We all have those. Maybe you haven't, but I remember incidents in my life that transformed me. Those stories are worth telling.

[npk]

10. Yes but she was not stylizing in the sense of moving past race

All; she did in her speech was admit that 24 years ago she looked at most people in a way that she believed that they thought they were superior to her. And that her first instinct was to send this man to a white lawyer. Yes she ended up doing the right thing, but only because she realized that the man was poor and not just typical of what she viewed as the white person 24 years ago. I am not saying that she is a horrible person. I hope she has moved beyond race. But the way she told this anecdote, especially in the beginning, was just wrong. So what, I am supposed to think highly of her because she did the right thing, for all the wrong reasons. Well gee that makes it all better.

[handmade34]

19. you seem not to be hearing what she is saying

[Celebration]

21. I was right

you don't get it. Sorry.

[handmade34]

13. well said!

[cynatnite]

27. Exactly. n/t

[Canuckistanian]

4. Why would a rich farmer need her services?

She pretty much would ONLY be dealing with poor farmers. That's what her agency did.

I hardly think she had a revelation that her clients were poor.

[malaise]

9. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Amazing thinking

[npk]

12. Anybody could use the services she provided.

But most people were working class, not always dirt poor.

[Connie_Corleone]

5. Well, there's always one person willing to look for any excuse to blame the victim.

Congratulations. You're it!

[arthritisR_US]

6. a farmer of wealth would not HAVE needed chapter 12 help...n/t

[npk]

29. Define poor please

Define the range you would be willing to help someone, excluding race. The man could have been working class and still qualified for assistance. And if her job was only to help poor people then why was there at first an issue with his race. Shouldn't she had already known he was so poor.

[Toucano]

35. It's not "help someone" like he's bleeding in the street.

Are you being intentionally obtuse?

The help she offered was financial help. Help for POOR PEOPLE.

[npk]

44. Yes she did the right thing

I believe that we have established that. You have no issues with the context in which she presented this little anecdote do you.

[wellst0nev0ter]

7. So The Moral Of The Story Is

Don't be honest about your racism, past or present.

Hokay, got it.

[npk]

25. No. But there are better way to tell anecdotes

Then starting off a speech making fun of a man and stating that she knew this man felt superior to her/. Oh I am sorry that was a joke. I guess I didn't laugh. Yes what an inspiration people like Ms. Sherrod are.

Maybe she should share some more anecdotes on how she viewed things 24 years ago.

[sandnsea]

8. Her job was to help poor farmers

Wealthy farmers can hire the best lawyers and don't need to to go to government agencies to try to get someone to take pity on them.

She didn't realize this farmers wasn't "one of them", she realized the "haves" don't care what color the "have nots" are. They'll shit on anybody. That's what she said.

[handmade34]

11. spot on!

I think that is why this has me so worked up... this is a story that needs to be told time and time.... her story is very powerful

[npk]

20. Lots of people used the Georgia office USDA

They weren't just all poor. Some of them needed assistance in other areas, but may have had financial backing from other entities. Some needed help in filing certain forms with the state AD. Her job was to help those who qualified for assistance, not those she viewed that were poor. She herself during her speech reminisced on how race was still a part of it but she felt sorry for the man because he was so poor.

She still views things based on race first, means second. At least that is how she viewed things 24 years ago. Those are her words, not mine.

[provis99]

23. so not only is she a racist, she's incompetent at her job.

You're a real bowl of Cheer, aren't you?

[patrice]

24. Those are not her words. Those ARE your words. You appear to be a liar.

[npk]

26. Those were her words, paraphrased of course because I don't have a transcript

Watch the damn video. My guess is half the people in this thread haven't even watched the video. Yet they are experts as always.

[patrice]

30. Here are her words:

"That's when it was revealed to me that is about POOR versus those who have. It's not so much about white . . . It IS about white and black, but it's not you know . . . It opened my eyes."

[npk]

32. The fact that you quoted that line and can't see what the problem is

Really is striking. Wow.

[tkmorris]

36. The fact that you interpreted that line as you have

is pretty striking as well.

[patrice]

47. So, you think it is a problem when someone recognizes that Classism and Racism are real . . . .

It's Very interesting that you think lies are preferable.

[patrice]

49. Why don't you just enlighten us as to what the problem is, oh enlightened one!

[npk]

78. From video transcript.

"poor white farmer" who she perceived to be somehow both asking for her help and simultaneously "trying to show me he was superior to me; I knew what he was doing..." She admits that she did just "enough" for the farmer so as to cover her own sense of accountability and then: "I took him to a white lawyer . . . I figured if I took him to one of them, then his own kind would take care of him."

Yes again she did the right thing in the end. And that is all that really matters, after all.

[patrice]

81. You must be a very vulnerable person if you're offended by that, especially since she realized it

was wrong of her.

[patrice]

31. I have watched the video half a dozen times. I doubt you have watched more than once.

[npk]

34. Funny how the NAACP originally condemned this speech

They only had a problem with Fox News trying to mislead the public as to when the speech was made. What does that tell you.

[U4ikLefty]

38. It tells us that you are desperately reaching

...but keep going, this is good stuff.

:popcorn:

[Toucano]

39. They condemned the EDITED speech.

After reviewing the unedited speech, they withdrew their criticism and called for her to be reinstated.

So they were almost suckered in. Like you've been suckered in.

[npk]

52. Yes and no

They stated that the speech placed on Fox News was misleading and edited out her entire speech. No one has, as of yet, seen the entire speech. You do know that right. The NAACP is waiting till they view the entire speech, in context, before they release it. I am talking about the context of what is shown. The way she tells the story is very indifferent IMO.

[patrice]

62. Wrong! The whole speech is linked on the Greatest Page of this website you're on.

But, somehow, I get the idea that you aren't that interested in exploring all of the facts, so, of course, you don't know that the whole speech is linked on the Greatest Page here.

[handmade34]

64. WATCH IT and learn!!!!

http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/video_sherrod

lots of us have seen the entire speech

[Toucano]

84. The NAACP has reviewed the full tape.

Here's their second statement, emphasis mine:

With regard to the initial media coverage of the resignation of USDA Official Shirley Sherrod, we have come to the conclusion we were snookered by Fox News and Tea Party Activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias.

Having reviewed the full tape, spoken to Ms. Sherrod, and most importantly heard the testimony of the white farmers mentioned in this story, we now believe the organization that edited the documents did so with the intention of deceiving millions of Americans.

The fact is Ms. Sherrod did help the white farmers mentioned in her speech. They personally credit her with helping to save their family farm.

Moreover, this incident and the lesson it prompted occurred more that 20 years before she went to work for USDA.

Finally, she was sharing this account as part of a story of transformation and redemption. In the full video, Ms.Sherrod says she realized that the dislocation of farmers is about “haves and have nots.” "It’s not just about black people, it’s about poor people," says Sherrod in the speech. “We have to get to the point where race exists but it doesn’t matter.”

http://www.naacp.org/press/entry/naacp-statement-on-the-resignation-of-shirley-sherrod1/

[patrice]

50. I'm more interested in what that tells you.

[npk]

61. What it tells me

Is that when they first viewed the speech, like me, they were offended. Offended by the nature of how the speech was told. I applaud Ms. Sherrod for doing the right thing. But people are making it sound like she triumphed over race in 1986. Excuse me that is rather auspicious to say the least. Her comments in the beginning of this tape, which are not in question, are despicable when you consider she is reminiscing about something that happened in the past. Do you think she would have told the story the same way to a largely mixed audience. Of course not.

The NAACP retracted their condemnation, largely on political context., Because Fox News and Brietbart are scumbags who tried to mislead people. They had no choice. They were still offended by the context as to how she told the story, just less so now that this has become another political cluster bomb.

[patrice]

66. To some people being "offended" is more important than the truth. That's their own weakness in this

situation. I didn't like how she was telling it either, but I'm not so vulnerable as to need to turn everyone else's personal flaws into insults to me.

Here is what I said about her problems stating what she was trying to say:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x486690

[handmade34]

67. watch it

http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/video_sherrod

[npk]

72. I saw that link. n/t

[patrice]

75. ? Seeing a link and watching and listening to every word in context are not the same thing.

[handmade34]

68. watch

http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/video_sherrod

[OhioBlue]

43. She wasn't even working at the USDA at the time.

The story was from 1986.

[npk]

46. Yes she worked for the GA Land field Assistance Fund

Her job was to offer assistance in a variety of different ways. I responded incorrectly. As to the wrong part of the story.

[U4ikLefty]

58. So you were wrong.

[npk]

63. Yes. To her titles.

Her job then was to offer assistance to those who first asked for it, and second qualified for it. But yes I was wrong. I am more than happy to admit that I was wrong. Doesn't change one part of what I have an issue with.

[U4ikLefty]

65. So exactly what are you "right" about & we all are "wrong" about?

Please be specific because I see a lot of floundering & personal bias.

[npk]

83. Her attitude in the context of helping the farmer

I have an issue with how she tells the story. She makes it sound as if, even today, that she views the world as poor people of all colors worth helping, and well to do people on the other side. The problem with this attitude is how do you define well to do, or the haves and the have nots. You do realize that this white farmer was by no means poor. His farm was in foreclosure, yes, but that doesn't always equate to having nothing and being dirt poor. It seems to me that Ms. Sherrod may draw the line rather tightly in the regards to those who have and those who don't.

[U4ikLefty]

86. So your problem is with (your projection of) her bias against the rich?

really?

[npk]

87. Define rich

Lots of peoples farms were in foreclosure during the mid 80's. Ever heard of a recession. Kinda like now. Why tell this story anyway, when it happened 24 years ago. I have a problem with using race or a person's perceived worth as conditions for helping somebody. Lots of hard working middle class families today, like then, need assistance when their farms, homes are in foreclosure. How nice that she finally decided to see past race and help this man. I applaud her. I did not find her anecdote amusing or even interesting, at least not in the way she told it.

[U4ikLefty]

89. So now it's about race?

Exactly what is your issue with her?

Don't give me this shit about "the way she told" her story. That is a cop out

Be specific as to the ISSUE you have with her.

[handmade34]

69. ...

http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/video_sherrod

[msanthrope]

14. You know, there's things I'd like to call you......

But, given your lack of reading comprehension, I'm guessing you make your own life suck, and don't need me to remind you of that.....

[U4ikLefty]

15. Fail.

not even worth a picture.

[blogslut]

16. Wow

I can't begin to describe how much I disagree with your interpretation of Ms. Sherrod's story.

[tularetom]

17. WTF are you smoking?

If the guy wasn't poor she never would have been talking to him.

She worked for an organization that was in the business of providing assistance to poor people.

Mr Spooner was poor.

Therefore it was her job to deal with him.

Regardless of what he or she thought at the time, they both did the right thing.

And she shared the incident to make a statement that it ain't a matter of black or white, it's a question of rich or poor that's fucking up this country.

The story would have had a happy ending if it weren't for some invertebrates in the NAACP and the administration.

The real story is that the Democrats we elect seem to be more responsive to fuxsnooze than they are to those who elect them.

[SunnySong]

28. +23

"The story would have had a happy ending if it weren't for some invertebrates in the NAACP and the administration.

The real story is that the Democrats we elect seem to be more responsive to fuxsnooze than they are to those who elect them."


Those words need to be framed... brilliant.

[Ignis]

51. +17

That's a keeper!

[HughMoran]

60. & besides, what's wrong with helping the people who need it most?

This O/P has so many right-wing overtones to it as to make me sick. :puke:

[ecstatic]

18. At least she was honest, which is more than can be said for most

employees/officials holding important positions. The statistics tell us that institutional racism is still alive in this country--and guess what? 99.9% of it adversely affects racial minorities.

[patrice]

59. That's the HORRIBLE thing about it; she was punished for her Brave Honesty!

[patrice]

22. You appear to be a jerk.

[HughMoran]

57. Agreed.

[patrice]

71. That would be "... appear to be ..." with a high degree of probable validity!

[HughMoran]

73. I'd bet the farm on it

:thumbsup:

:)

[patrice]

77. rofl: Alusion intended, right?

:rofl:

[HughMoran]

82. ;)

[Toucano]

33. You're completely off your rocker on this.

"Not like the rest..." means not like the people that hurt me, my mother, my father...NOT LIKE THE KLANSMEN WHO KILLED MY FATHER.

It's a beautiful story of transformation and redemption in the face of violence and hatred.

[npk]

41. The fact is somebody opened up her eyes that white people can be poor to

Wow. What a transformation. Have you ever heard of the concept of "reading between the lines." Twenty-four years ago Ms. Sherrod is basically saying she would not have offered to do the best she could for a white man, because she thought a white man would be better served by a white lawyer. Yes in the end intelligence triumphed over bigotry. It's the pathway that diverged onto that ending that are troubling.

[OhioBlue]

48. first of all, it isn't troubling at all

she wasn't working for a Governmental organization. She was working for an organization that she and her husband set up to help fellow black farmers. Her father was killed by the KKK. She was and is a product of the civil rights movement. She put her efforts and work into making things better. She is to be commended. She had a come to Jesus moment. It changed her life and outlook. She shared a beautiful story and you are crapping all over it. FAIL.

[HughMoran]

74. Yes, you have it exactly right

Her recounting of this coming to Jesus moment, with the old farmer to this day singing her praises on CNN brought more than a few tears to my eyes. This poster has so completely missed the point as to have me aghast.

[patrice]

54. She knew white people can be poor. What her eyes were opened to is discrimination against the poor &

she already knew about discrimination against other races, though her eyes were also opened to her own discrimination against another race.

[handmade34]

70. watch

http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/video_sherrod

[Toucano]

79. Please read your post above again and then tell me how that makes even one iota of sense.

"Twenty-four years ago Ms. Sherrod is basically saying she would not have offered to do the best she could for a white man, because she thought a white man would be better served by a white lawyer."

WRONG.

Twenty-four years ago, Ms. Sherrod is saying a man came in and was talking down to her, and she thought to herself, "Okay, cracker. You think you're better than me? Your file goes to the bottom of my pile."

But she didn't put his file on the bottom of her pile.

She didn't take the opportunity to return the hatred she and her family had experienced at the hands of men who looked like him.

She SAW THROUGH THE LIE of racism. She didn't extract her pound of flesh or seek an eye for an eye.

She helped him because she saw the commonality of the struggle that we all share.


"It's the pathway that diverged onto that ending that are troubling."

How else can you tell a story of learning or redemption if the protagonist isn't wrong in the beginning or tempted to do the wrong thing?

Google "good samaritan", read it and then withdraw your inane criticism on this.

[Ignis]

53. Sometimes, CapsLock is necessary.

:thumbsup:

[HughMoran]

56. Agreed

[Cleita]

37. If he wasn't poor, why would he need her help and the

help of her organization?

[niyad]

42. if the farmer wasn't poor, HE WOULDN"T HAVE NEEDED help.

[seabeyond]

45. bad op. it was a personal moment for her sharing experience in life, and being better than what

she had initially felt. it was a good story. and it is sad that you can not have the same kind of insight to what this woman was saying

a shameful post.

but more

shameful that obama people fired her. surely they had the whole story adn knew there was no reason to fire. and if they didnt have the story and just listened to fox, even more shameful

nothing less than shameful

and you play it well

[HughMoran]

55. The speech was about growing as a person

People often tell stories where they were initially wrong and how they learned to be a better person from the experience. In this case she learned it before it was too late to save the man's farm.

Your conclusion is so far off as to appear extremely small minded to me.

I couldn't possibly disagree with you more.

[myrna minx]

76. So you're against tales of personal growth, epiphany and redemption?

In addition, if the farmer wasn't poor, he would be of no need of assistance. Or are you wondering if she would have given poor Archer Daniels Midland their fair shake?

[patrice]

80. Or maybe the farmer should have tried to get some of that 75% of Agricultural SUBSIDIES that go to

the richest 10% of "farmers" out there; something tells me that OP would approve of that.

[handmade34]

90. sad figures... here are the numbers

http://farm.ewg.org/

[patrice]

91. Our senator Browback is right up there in those numbers; has been for 11 years = Socialism

for the rich.

:grr:

[handmade34]

92. discouraging thing is

that the largest and richest agri-businesses get most of the money... and they are the ones that are wreaking havoc on the environment

if I had hair it would be enough to make me pull it out

[patrice]

93. Yes!! AND - if jobs are a problem, how about jobs in which some folk get to grow

their own food and maybe even teach others how?

[handmade34]

94. problem is

people want to try to solve problems with traditional ways of thinking. I used to farm and hope to again soon. I dream of a teaching farm!!!!

[LAGC]

88. Unrec for classism.

The rich don't need help, the poor do. That's the whole point of her job.

Get over yourself, quit trying to justify her being forced out by this Administration.

[SoCalDem]

95. moot point.. If he had not been poor, he would not have needed her help

:)