Reply #33: you've said they're offensive comments [View All]

[CTLawGuy]

why else would you think they are "offensive" other than because you believe they are racist? Why would you say that they are "insensitive" other than becuase you believe they are racist? What other conclusion is there?

"Biden's comment was not racist. But it did reveal a mindset that is very common among many white Americans - that somehow a black person is exceptional if they possess the same attributes that white people are just assumed to have."

How do you know he assumes all white people have these qualities? I grew up around white people who are not very articulate at all, I certainly don't make that assumption.

"Referring to a black person - especially one with Obama's credentials and background - as "articulate" is insulting, not only to the person being so-described, but also to other blacks."

So if I refer to Stephen Hawking as "smart" or LeBron James as "a good basketball player" I'm being insulting? That conclusion may be obvious from looking at the careers and background of those two men, but how is it insulting to point that out?

"You may have noticed in these threads how many blacks have weighed in to explain how tired we are of being referred to as "articulate," simply because we can string sentences together well. It is common knowledge in our community that educated blacks are frequently referred to this way, as if it comes as a surprise.""

Did Biden sound surprised or are you saddling him with what other white people have said in the past? I don't dispute that white people have said that with surprise in the past, but it's not fair to assume Biden possessed the same surprise.

"And, as for your concern that white people hearing us "complain about a vague comment" leading to them to conclude that there is "nothing more important to talk about," I will just point out that white people who are so quick to dismiss the very real concerns of black Americans are probably not interested in the "more important" topics anyway."

All a flap like this does is make the equality movement look bad. It's a fact that many white people will react to this as "what, are you kidding me?" How do you expect to win these people over (and you need them)? I'm not saying it's right, I'm saying that's how it is.

White people can be made to be interested in the real issues Black Americans face. Uncle Tom's Cabin made slavery a moral issue in the 1850s by telling the slavery story to Northern Whites. People are naturally empathetic. I was moved by stories of Freedom Riders being beaten at train stations and Bull Connor assaulting demonstrators with hoses.

The white Lyndon Johnson dropped the Democratic party on a political grenade for the cause of black voting rights. Signing the voting rights crippled the Democratic party, by driving the white south out of the party - but moral righteousness REQUIRED him to do so (thank God the DLC wasn't around then). He didn't do this because some white guy called his black friend "articulate." He did this because blacks were wantonly denied the basic rights of humanity in the sickest and most disgusting ways possible.

Complaining about these comments will not move white people to be sympathetic to you. This will not foster a massive social justice movement. This is a fact. I'm not saying it's right.

I understand that you feel offended because of the connotations behind the term "articulate." I am not disputing that it is ok to express that offense, but it's not helpful to harp on it like you do as if this is some grand injustice.