In the Continuing Saga of Negative Black Stereotypes

Republican presidential candidate, Rick Santorum stepped into it with  his alleged statement of wanting to help black people earn their way without taking other people’s money through entitlements while speaking to a group of white people in Iowa. Even Karl Rove on the O’Reilly Factor said Mr. Santorum needs to watch his words since Iowa’s black population is only 11% and 90% of food stamps recipients in Iowa are  white.

I got a lot of “Now tell me again those Republicans aren’t a bunch of racists!” That comment coupled along with Newt Gingrich’s comment about making children from poor ghetto families work in school libraries and the most egregious… cleaning toilets had folks in my family/friend circle going off the deep end on why they will never go Republican and firmly supporting Barack Obama.

There has been much negative reaction to Mr. Santorum and Mr. Gingrich on urban talk radio and even on a gospel music station that ask for comments on various political and cultural issues. I feel the former PA Senator and House Speaker meant well, but fed negative stereotypes of black folks. I hear people say that there is truth in stereotypes. I say there is some truth, but not complete truth. It is more like painting with a broad brush.

I grew up in a working class neighborhood that some would call a ghetto that went just about exclusively black before I got out of elementary school. My father worked for the government as an engineering technician. My mother worked as a clerical worker/secretary on and off. During the off times, she was a housewife. Some of my neighborhood friends hardly saw their fathers, because they worked 2 and 3 jobs.

Some evenings when I left late after 11 plus hours at the child care center, I took the commuter train and then a cab from the train station to my home. When I told cab drivers (all white) the home destination was on the other side of the parking lot of a well-known local Catholic church, a couple of times they took me to the subsidized apartments that were really behind the rectory. Other times when they got it right, I would get, “you live there!” I just responded in the affirmative, but saying to myself, “Black folks can’t live on a nice block!” I think they would be surprised to see blacks living in all the houses on blocks of $4/500,00 homes in and right outside of Philly.

Rick Santorum did try to explain  and  his campaign spokespeople choose not to respond to reporters about the controversy. I admit these Santorum/Gingrich racial controversies are a bit troublesome, but I still would vote for either one over Barack Obama. Nobody is perfect and we will continue to see flaws in our candidates. I continue to like Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich. And in listening to more of what Rick Santorum said, maybe he did say blah people instead of black people.

Dispelling the Myth that Republicans are Evil

When I started reading the numerous postings of  a black female conservative blogger, I grew to see the Republican Party in its true light. The GOP is not perfect, but then neither is the Democratic Party. The racial prejudice tag continues to dog the Republican Party, while with main stream media assistance, racial prejudice goes unchallenged in the Democratic Party. You can be sure that the Obama presidential re-election campaigners will be promoting the racists Republicans into the stratosphere in 2012.

Family members in the generation ahead of me also firmly believed the Republicans were  the party of the well off and against the everyday working person. The following is a primer to dispel these kinds of misconceptions about the Republican Party. Those on the liberal/leftist side in the pro socialist camp, take  heed to the mention of Fascism, and Nazis socialists connections.

 

The Morgan Freeman Controversy

There is so much controversy over Morgan Freeman’s comments on the TEA Party being racist! It should be no surprise to you when I say that many folks share his beliefs. When I hear many others beside Mr. Freeman going off against those who are not liberal, left and/or Democrat on making the Pres a one-termer, it is like, “duh!” Of course those who did not vote for him in 2008 and do not like his polices want to make the Pres a one-termer! Mr. Morgan and those who think like him most likely wanted to make the late Ronald Reagan and former Pres. George W. Bush  one-termers. It is a good guess that they were not too upset when that happened to former Pres. George Herbert Walker Bush and Bill Clinton became the next President. There is nothing wrong with the Republicans wanting to make Pres. Obama a one-term President. If John McCain had won, Democrats would now be working on making him a one-term President.

The emotional is drowning out the rational. If the  first black President does not get 2 terms, the emotional will say it will be because of racism. The rational will say it will be because of bad administration polices which keeps the economy in the toilet. Disagreeing and going against Pres. Obama translates to racists attitudes to those that agree with Mr. Freeman.

Because of a few individuals within the various TEA Party organizations are getting caught with their racially insensitive remarks, the entire TEA Party movement gets branded racist. Racial insensitivity is not exclusive to Republicans, conservatives and TEA Partiers. Some anti-TEA Party, anti-conservative and anti-Republican folk like Jeremiah Wright said in relation to not being able to speak to Pres. Obama, “Them Jews won’t let him talk to me.” The head of the New Black Panther Party, Malik Zulu Shabazz said the wife should leave the n@##er (Pres. Obama) and more. He eventually gave an apology to folks who did not like what he said. He did not apologize for what he actually said. Black New York City councilman, Charles Barron said, “I want to smack a white person for my mental health.”

Sen. Harry Reid remarked that then candidate Barack Obama did not have a negro dialect (he later apologized). Left-wing radio host Neil Rogers for his parody, “Is you their black-haired answer-mammy who be smart? Does they like how you shine their shoes, Condoleezza? Or the way you wash and park the whitey’s cars?” Former 60 Minutes host, Mike Wallace remarked that blacks and Hispanics were “too busy eating watermelons and tacos” to learn how to read and write.” Off course, there are many more examples! Racial insensitivity is not the monopoly of one ethnicity or race.

I receive increasingly foul, insulting charged up rhetoric from the Democratic liberal/leftists who I spar with on various online venues. They were somewhat respectful the first year of Pres. Obama’s administration. I am seeing a totally different side now that Pres. Obama has lost support. Unfortunately, as we get closer and go into 2012, the racism charges are going to go into the stratosphere.

I leave you with Deneen Borelli discussing Morgan Freeman’s comments with Martha MacCallum on the TEA Party and more.

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As Quiet as It is Kept: Democrat, Leftist and Black Disenchantment

I hear the following said, “If Barack Obama is a one term president, it will be due to racism. The respect and  treatment for this President differs from any other president.” What are people thinking when they say this? It is reaction based on emotion for the first black president. Their reverence for this President goes far beyond any other President. A black president could not get elected solely by people of color. Those loudly speaking out against him, did not vote him in the first place and he has not won any of those voters (and non voters) over to his side. If Pres. Obama sees only one term, it will be due in part to people who voted for him in 2008 not voting for him in 2012.

The disenchanted Republicans and conservatives in 2008 that voted for the Pres, voted for a 3rd party presidential candidate, or did not vote at all. Many from those groupings maybe coming out of the woodwork in 2012 to make sure that someone other than Pres. Obama, another Democrat or a 3rd party candidate is the next President. I think what has gone down on the domestic front under the Obama administration has scared some moderate 2008 Republican Obama voters  well over into the conservative side.

And then, the President is losing some more people. As quiet as it is kept, more and more Democrats, leftists and blacks are feeling disenchanted with Pres. Barack Obama. Will they be partly responsible for him losing in 2012? Well, most will not do a switch and vote for a Republican presidential candidate, but they may go with a 3rd party candidate or not vote at all.

There could even be a slight chance that a challenger can come from within the Democratic Party. For a long time, many believed Hillary Clinton was just biding her time and would be running for President again, but I no longer believe that. Whose else could it possibly be. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders who in caucus with the Democrats and calls himself a Democratic Socialist is one of those disenchanted with the Pres. and is calling for someone within the Democratic Party to challenge Barack Obama in 2012. Princeton Professor and leftist (member of the  of the Democratic Socialists of America), Dr. Cornel West expressed disgust with the Pres. that he supported. Now another old leftist entertainer/activist Harry Belafonte says the President failed us. Leftist/libertarian Bill Maher is also expressing disappointment with Pres. Obama.

Even though Pres. Obama got something like 94/95 percent of the black vote (but not my vote), he is losing their support too! Some are holding him accountable for this jobless economy. Blacks along with Latinos are experiencing more loss of jobs than whites. Of course there are some like Dr. West who are angry with him for not giving priority to the problems within the black community. But why should he? He was not elected just by blacks. He is not just the President to blacks.

Pres. Barack Obama could be a one term president, but it will not be because of racism. If it happens, disenchantment from those who voted for him in 2008 will play a considerable part for his loss.

Zo to Ken on Republicans and Racism

I realize that racism still exist and it does not all come from white people. I know there are racists in the two major political groups and in all the lesser political 3rd party groups too. For me, it is the platform of principles and positions on the issues that maintains my membership in a political party, not some of the undesirable party members and leaders.

A black California politico, Ken Barnes wrote an editorial which was published on his reasons for leaving the Republican Party. The editorial included what happened and did not happen over the furor of a state level Republican official emailing a picture of a chimpanzee family with Pres. Obama’s face super imposed over the baby chimp’s face.

Listen to a little of what Zo says to Ken Barnes

Now listen to all that Zo tells Ken Barnes here.

In Remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King

On Monday, we observe the Martin Luther King holiday, but today is the anniversary of his birth. Today,  I can say that I do not agree with the direction of some of his politics that went beyond fighting for equal rights for blacks and other minorities who experienced legal racial discrimination. But the fact that he non violently fought and put his life on the line for the civil rights of others will never diminish in my heart.   With the age and a couple of other update tweaks, the following is my 2007 salute to Dr. King blog post from my former blog.

My recollection of Dr. Martin Luther King who would have turn 82 today was one of taking a courageous stand against day by day racism and legal segregation. I remember the media reports of him spending time in jail for peaceful protests for rights for people of color that are so easily acquired today. I remember watching on TV former President Harry Truman calling Dr. King a trouble maker. When reporters reminded him that Dr. King had been given the Nobel Peace Prize, former President Truman’s response was, “I did not give it to him.” My mother and grandmother who were also watching TV with me were appalled at former President Truman’s remarks.

I remember various white people all over the country who were Democrats and Republicans also expressing that Dr King and other civil rights leaders both white and black were trouble makers. Some expressed as did the late Senator Barry Goldwater (as seen in the HBO documentary on him) that Blacks wanted their rights too fast and that they would have to wait. What was really being said is that yes we have denied you rights as citizens, which we enjoy, but you must wait until we are ready to do the right thing. Dr. King’s peaceful actions said NO in high volumes. I wonder if people who thought like the late Senator Goldwater, realized how wrong they were.

Martin Luther King was assassinated in the spring of my junior year in high school. On that day my father’s co-worker had a bit of a personal connection. His co-worker’s son in-law assaulted a passenger on a Philly bus. He assaulted the passenger for saying that Dr. King had died with the garbage. From a legal criminal standpoint, he came to regret assaulting that passenger. Dr. King was in Memphis Tennessee when he was assassinated to support sanitation workers’ protest of low wages and poor working conditions.

Now, I do believe Dr. King would not be happy today. I agree with Aaron McGruder‘s creation (which is documented in Juan William’s book, Enough) of an Older Dr. King on his Cartoon Network show The Boondocks. Dr. King is in a Church looking out at high school dropouts, gangsta rappers in fistfights, young teenage mothers dressing scantily. He can hear them calling each other the “N” word. This older version of Dr. King looks out and says, ‘Is this it? This is what I got all those a-whippings for?”

We have to do better by his legacy