This didn't take long...

[babylonsister]

I figured it'd be an issue after he said it, but not at the speed of lightning. :eyes:


President Obama calls African-Americans a ‘mongrel people’
By Sam Youngman - 07/29/10 11:00 AM ET


NEW YORK CITY -- President Obama waded into the national race debate in an unlikely setting and with an unusual choice of words: telling daytime talk show hosts that African-Americans are “sort of a mongrel people.”

The president appeared on ABC’s morning talk show “The View” Thursday, where he talked about the forced resignation of Agriculture Department official Shirley Sherrod, his experience with race and his roots.

When asked about his background, which includes a black father and white mother, Obama said of African-Americans: "We are sort of a mongrel people."

"I mean we're all kinds of mixed up," Obama said. "That's actually true of white people as well, but we just know more about it."

The president did not appear to be making an inflamatory remark with his statement. The definition of mongrel as an adjective is defined as "of mixed breed, nature, or origin," according to dictionary.com.

more...

http://thehill.com/component/content/article/111611-obama-calls-african-americans-a-mongrel-people-

[geek tragedy]

1. Not offensive, but dumb to put in a speech. nt

[phleshdef]

2. It wasn't a speech.

[babylonsister]

3. He said it on 'The View' while chatting. Is that okay? I

think it's a free country, he can say what he wants. It's the media who will contort this and seems to have started. Can't wait for fux to weigh in.

[ericinne]

4. It'll be all over Beck

Beck will use it tonight to proclaim how racist the President is against black people.

[DrDan]

5. well - seems to me that he should know that the RW will begin to refer to blacks as "mongrels"

don't you think that will be the outcome?

But I agree - he can certainly say it.

[vaberella]

10. Then I'll have to say it...that would be White People losing their minds.

I think this is becoming a joke that everything the man says needs to be over analyzed. This sort of topic is not new in the Black community, it is freely discussed because slavery made us as such.

[DrDan]

20. I will take your word for it then that this will not be an issue in the black community

I hate that we will probably begin to hear this label from rush, beck, hannity and the rest.

[vaberella]

24. Oh there will be some people. You have to realize not all Black people love Obama.

And most of the pundits are what?! Black conservatives. I live in Harlem and there were many Blacks here who saw Obama as a pimp and shouldn't be President. So yeah, there will be a ruckus. But the majority of Blacks that are snuffed out of the political eye and are average citizens---they won't care because we all call ourselves that. We are aware we're multi-cultural people and nothing Obama said is racist against Blacks considering he's one of us. It's weird to describe. He's fully aware of his background as a Black man who has a White mother and many of us have shared or have parents who shared something similar. I myself am the product of two biracial parents.

[geek tragedy]

6. I think there's nothing wrong with it, but it's still not a good choice of

words. Hopefully it will blow over.

[vaberella]

8. He's said this before. He's called himself a MUTT before. And I'm one to agree.

Because well..I am too. I mean I can see how it can be taken out of context but there was nothing inflammatory for us who are Black with a mixed background.

[babylonsister]

11. I'm a white mongrel/mutt/heinz 57, and

proud of it. Most of us are, I suspect, but this will become an 'issue' more than likely, because that's the way the media works.

Sad, isn't it.

[vaberella]

13. Utterly.

It makes no sense. I'm a mutt of both spectrum's and a few others unaccounted for. :D

[Inuca]

36. I remember the MUTT quote back then

I found it extremely endearing.

[MadBadger]

7. Cue all the White People taking offense

[vaberella]

12. High-Five---finally someone who understands. n/t

[jefferson_dem]

9. Meh... Twitter hasn't exploded about it ... yet.

Of course, it just takes a linky posted by sludge for all the cretins to start parroting stupidity.

By the way, I kind of chuckled at the comment, and didn't find it offensive at all.

[The_Commonist]

14. I've always considered myself a mongrel.

Mongrel dogs are always more attractive and intelligent!
When asked what my ethnicity is, I've always said I'm a typical American Mutt.
I don't have any African in me, but I'm the usual mix of Scots-Irish, German, Dutch and Cherokee.
Unfortunately, someone is going to turn his statement into an outrage.
In 5...4..3...2...1...

[asjr]

15. I appreciate a president who speaks his mind.

[rug]

16. Inept.

[babylonsister]

18. Ha! Do you work for faux? nt

[rug]

21. No, do you write for OFA?

[jefferson_dem]

23. Really?

Expand on that "deep thought" ... if you can.

[rug]

31. Calling people mongrels on national television is inept.

Grasp that thought ... if you can.

[Drunken Irishman]

30. Yes you are.

Glad we can finally agree on something, rug.

:hi:

[rug]

32. I already agreed your handle was apt.

[WI_DEM]

17. much ado about nothing as usual.

[dgibby]

19. I'm "white",

and my nephew joined our family DNA genealogy project. Looks like our line moved out of Africa, into an area around present day Turkey, then on into Europe, and finally, America. I think that pretty much qualifies me as a mongrel/mutt. Gawd knows I've been called a "bitch" enough times.

I'm of the opinion there's no such thing as a "white" person, since we all originated in Africa. Personally, I'd be happy if the entire "white" race would just disappear as an ethnic group. It'll take eons of intermarriage, but it would sure solve some serious racial problems.

[Pirate Smile]

22. He said White people are too but may be less aware of it then African Americans.

I always thought this was one of America's strengths.

[Karenina]

27. Do I misunderstand you that America's strength

is in white people being unaware of, denying or expunging their blood relatives they deem non-white? :shrug:

[Pirate Smile]

28. I just mean diversity and most people being a mix of a bunch of different groups.

Irish, African, Native American, Italian, German, Spain, China, Mexico, etc.

I've always thought that the fact that America is generally a Country of "mutts" is a strength, not a weakness. Mixing up the gene pools builds stronger people.

That's all I meant.

[Karenina]

37. I LOVE being such a MUTT and know you do too!

:pals:

[krispos42]

25. I think almost all of us are

I presume that black people in America are a mix of various African nations/tribes in the same way that white people in America are a mix of European nations/tribes. I just think that many of the European immigrants came later and had better documentation than the African slaves did.

African slaves also didn't have a "neighborhood" or a section of a city that was ethnically strong on one particular race, and were not able to marry and mingle within that community. We're all used to hearing about a neighborhood in New York being Italian, or one in Chicago being Polish, or one in Boston being Irish, but the captured African slaves didn't have the option of an equivilant. All the captured Africans were flung together into a cotton field and told to get pickin'. They were bought and sold and lived in mixed insular communities on plantations.

[Beacool]

26. He probably said it in a lighthearted tone, but it will be used against him nonetheless.

Imagine the outrage if a white person had said it (even though we are ethnically mixed too).

:eyes:

[vaberella]

38. It will only be used against him by Conservative Blacks and Whites on Fox News.

However, for majority of Blacks we would support that statement and no, for Blacks who have brains when describing Black heritage we do not go overboard when people use such terminology when describing our multicultural heritage---we just like them to add that it's due to rape, violence, and oppression that we have such a heritage (most of the time) Obama's lucky his was consensual. He's used MUTT before and that was never used against him, however since people want to bash him at every turn this use of mongrel will be blown out of proportion.

[RockaFowler]

29. I'm a mongrel

I'm an Irish, English, Ukranian, French, Morrocan, Italian, Egyptian Jew

I'm my own worst enemy

[TheKentuckian]

33. That used to be the way I self described, so I'm far from offended but it was clumsy

but who cares about that.

I imagine few will care that aren't Reich wingers, full of white guilt, or looking for victimhood.

Convincible voters offended=0, necks in a huff lead by Rush and Beck=millions

I think they have to bitch about something but have to avoid the legitimate criticisms because they'd have to indict there own bogus ideology and accept him as great in their eyes which leaves them making up nonsense and telling huge whoppers like calling him a socialist and all that laughable bullshit.

They are probably mostly hacked off this time because they are reminded that "white" blood flows through "negra" veins.

[Connie_Corleone]

34. Well, it's quite clear that Obama hates Black people.

:sarcasm:

No wonder I stopped watching the cable "news" channels.

[wyldwolf]

35. I prefer "mutt" to describe my heritage.

[tallahasseedem]

39. Lookie here...

another post bitching about the President's appearance on The View.

The 'pubs shouldn't even bother trying to bring the Dems down, the left is doing it for them.

[Samantha]

40. I am definitely a mongrel

My father looked very much like a native American Cherokee. Several generations ago, a male in his family married a native American Cherokee female. My father's family was blond haired and blue eyed, for the most part, and of average height. He was 6 feet three, with black curly hair and dark skin, dark brown eyes. Extremely popular with the women from the start.

My mother was 5 foot 2, and had the looks of her Irish ancestors, very fair skin, freckles across the nose, auburn hair, beautiful green eyes.

It is very easy to see when looking at early pictures of the two why they were attracted to each other. Both were accomplished pianists, extremely, extremely talented. That is exactly what brought them together, their love of music. They had five children, and no two of us look the same!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

41. A clumsy use of the word.

To me, and I suppose others, it brings to mind the old black and white films of the KKK leader yelling "mongrel race!!" in reference to African Americans.

But I also understand the point he was making with the technically correct use of the phrase.

Buckle up and que the right-wing Wurlitzer.