posted by Sam Richards
The uproar over Harry Reid’s comments is standard fare for anyone who pays attention to race relations as viewed through the prism we call “political correctness.” A misguided white man uses an unwise phrase (or two…or five…) and suddenly people are calling for his head, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee:
On Saturday it was released that in 2008 Reid made racially charged comments about then Senator Barack Obama. Unfortunately, this is just the latest in a long history of embarrassing and controversial remarks by the senior Senator from Nevada. We hope Reid’s fellow Democrats in the Senate and on the campaign trail will stand up and rightly condemn these racially insensitive remarks by their elected leader. Sign the petition to condemn Reid’s remarks and encourage other Senate Democrats to do the same. ~ NRSC
Amazing. Wow. His comments must have been hard-hitting and over-the-top racist for this group to condemn them and give back-handed support to Barack Obama and other “colored” people. I mean, really, Republicans across the country are well known for taking offense at anyone–and I do mean anyone–who says mean things about black and brown people. I’m not sure if any of us fully realize that.
So here is a summary of the controversy:
The Obama controversy is centered on remarks published in the book “Game Change,” by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. The book cites Reid as saying privately in 2008 that President Obama could succeed as a black candidate partly because of his “light-skinned” appearance and speaking patterns “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.” ~ CNN
Insensitive, is what the comments are being called. While I’m not sure what exactly is insensitive about his comments, since I’m not hearing many Democrats condemn the remarks my guess is that this is a moment when politicians can line up and spit on one another from across the great divide.
But I have to ask: how old is this guy? This is like referring to Pink’s new recording as a record album. “Did you hear that Pink has a new record album coming out?” If anyone said that to me I’d immediately assume that he or she has been totally out of the loop of pop culture and technological innovation for oh, let’s say…about 15 years!!! Maybe twenty. I wonder how many times Harry has heard the word “negro” in the past 30-40 years? Frankly, I’ve heard it maybe once or twice — and usually uttered by old fossils like him. Where’s the guy been? Does he watch TV? Go to the cinema? Engage in conversations with black and brown people? Does he have grandchildren? Why hasn’t someone told him that his drawing on old school vocab?
You see, while his comments aren’t insensitive in my humble opinion, they do open a window into his social world–and that sounds as though it is a very white place indeed. But hey, lighten up. He’s an elected official. Why should THAT matter?
Dumb. That's exactly what I thought when I read over this article for the first time. After reading it a second time however, I thought the exact same thing. How can an elected official ever be so naive in this day and age? First off, you're a white male representing thousands upon thousands of other… White males. You have to be conscious and responsible for what you say 100% of the time. Second, you're also representing African Americans! I mean, show some respect when dealing with these types of situations. You can’t parade around throwing words like negro out there for public consumption. In his defense, I’m sure he grew up in a far different time period than myself or any of my fellow classmates. Where things were different and blacks were treated poorly because of the color of their skin. Still, he’s grown up in the same time period where blacks have broke through the barriers and persevered through hard times. The ancestors of what once were slaves are now doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc
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I have read a considerable amount of other comments before writing my own and I have seen the word "offended" used in a couple of the ones I have read. I bring this up because I hate the word offended everything offends everyone. If it is not someone's language it's how they dress, or the music someone listens to. Come on people lets grow up, being offended is like pouting over the sandcastle that the bully knocked over. Can anyone show some emotion, for example Robertson's comments on Haiti didn't offend anyone it legitimately pissed people off. It's time to learn when to pick fights, there is no need to start a shit storm over Harry Reid. Do you really believe Obama loses any sleep at night over this, he sits in the white house and people care what he thinks not because he has light skin. Reid on the other hand has more large growing cacti in his state than constituents (no offense Nevada….get it?). So don't get offended do you really care? A better question, does it even matter? We should not be waiting for his two weeks' notice. If the good people of Nevada want him out then he won't be reelected.
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This is my comment continued as apperantly over 467 words are to many to post in one response
Plenty of other comments have already made this point that he grew up in a different time and really it's not too shocking referring to the word 'Negro". I agree that the use of the term Negro is not shocking and really not the fundamental problem with what he said. The thing that you can hold against Reid is that he is willing to disqualify a black candidate because he has darker skin and an accent in order to win an election. It's not as much raciest as it is him putting his values on hold in order to win. So then why get offended? Can't we all just grow some thick skin. I'm sure Harry Reid is not the first politician to do this. I think instead of ordering Reid's head on a plate why don't we just say "I don't care", "it doesn't bother me" because the day that happens people won't say things like this. There will be no reason. I don't believe Reid was trying to be racist he just said something dumb in private.
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and one more time….my bad
What I am suggesting is we save our fire power and outrage for a more worthy opponent. Someone who actually poses a threat to established race relations that we have worked so hard for, and when we find this worthy opponent don't just say that you are offended because most people don't care. They may even enjoy it if they get under your skin. Finally don't pull punches, let them fly and make them count. It's not just about what you say take action make these people feel some consequences for what they say. Just like Robertson, instead of chewing him out over his remarks people should stop watching his show. Do something that makes a difference about things you actually care about and the things that aren't worth caring about (Harry Reid) just brush off and don't get offended.
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I would like to start off by saying Americans have freedom of speech, Harry Reid is an American, therefore, Harry Reid has freedom of speech. Is what he said politically correct? No, he shouldn’t have said comments about President Obama, but tons of people have said comments and most of them worse than saying Barack Obama probably won because of his lighter skin tone. Whether it is true or not, it does not need to be stated in a public manner by an American politician. That being said, there is a point to acknowledging the fact that Harry Reid is of a much older generation. The way he thinks and speaks is very common of his age group. He grew up accepting the word ‘Negro’. It is very common for his generation to be more racist than newer generations because they grew up with segregation. I think Americans love drama, and they didn’t get enough of it during the abnormally long election, so they pick at any slightly controversial thing said. Reporters are just making a mountain out of a mole hill… to be continued
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(continued) There is so much more going on with the world like the earth quake in Haiti or world hunger yet we are obsessing over what one old white guy says about the leader of our country. Harry Reid did not threaten or hurt Barack Obama nor did he mean to, so why make such a big deal over the word Negro or a few comments made? I also think Reid saying what he said made Americans wake up. We need to realize the fight against racism isn’t over. We try to ignore it for the most part but it still exists. Americans act oblivious to the fact that racism is still very prevalent in our society. If we had any common sense we would applaud Reid for speaking truthfully because it is a rare thing for politicians to be truthful at all. Like I said before, reporters are there to make news not report it oddly, so they had to make what Reid said seem much worse than it was. FYI Obama won, it is over, get over it, and get a life. Peace!
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I think that it is really interesting to know that in the future whites will no longer be a majority. In my own opinion I think this could have positive and negative effects a positive effect would be that we will eventually have a diverse population of every race and a negative effect would be that you won’t be able to consider yourself a particular race when you are asked on something such as a survey. Its interesting how history changes through the years and how people do as well. It’s a choice to have a race and I think that whites could continue to stay the majority it could be possible but you would need a lot of people to want this to happen by having them marry in to white families and have children to white parents.
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I think that this shows equality of races today though when people marry to blacks, and Hispanics, etc.. compared to long ago when blacks were just slaves. This just doesn’t show a change in history, or race, but also the attitude and views of people towards each other to show equality and respect for every race. At the point that every person is mixed to the point we don’t have individual races I think this is going to have big effects on languages so if your Asian and Hispanic do you learn Chinese or Spanish or English or do you choose to learn all 3 if your mothers Spanish and your fathers Asian what does that leave a kid to learn and what will happen to all the other languages and will English remain a language far into the future.
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I think the effect will be on more than just the race. I think having someone other than a white male for president is a good thing as well because it proves that race doesn’t matter, and long ago how blacks were just slaves this shows respect for blacks. I think that today there is a big impact on race, it is no longer just one race we are all in this together and it has taken a very long time for people to realize this. We fought for land, freedom, and were still fighting today.
I think that we should never try to change ourselves, we are all unique individuals and its good to be different if we were all the same and looked the same life would be boring. We are different for certain reasons, you don’t realize to appreciate what you are until you’re older. If you have a certain skin color or you have curly or straight hair. Think of yourself as lucky with whatever you’re given because you have those features for a reason to make yourself different form everyone else.
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At first glance Harry Reid’s words come off as being offensive, ignorant, and completely inappropriate. When I first read them that is completely what I thought. By calling Barack Obama a “Negro” he sounds like an old, White bigot…someone similar to my Grandfather. By saying that Obama doesn’t speak like the average Negro is only escalating stereotypes surrounding Black people. He is suggesting that the normal Black man is illiterate and doesn’t speak properly.
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Although Reid’s words are extreme and are stereotypical we can not ignore the fact that they are true in the eyes of many typical White Americans. As a mixed Woman (Black and White), I think it’s important that I am not naïve to how America really is. Realistically, I don’t believe that Obama would have won the election if he had darker skin or didn’t speak in the educated manner that he does. This is due to the inferiority of Black people in the United States. Many White people still like to know and think that they are the "superior" race. Because Reid is White however, makes the comments seem worse. If it were a Black man making comments about Obama the situation would be completely different.
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Although the comments made by Harry Reid are atrocious to think about, I don’t think they reflect upon him as an individual, rather, America as a whole. It would be an entirely different situation had Reid said “Well, I might actually vote for him because he’s light-skinned.” Reid was not, by any means, saying that he personally felt as though Obama would make a good presidential candidate because of his “light skin.” He was merely stating that he had a good chance at winning because of it.
And this is true. I mean he won the presidential election, didn’t he? Was it because he had lighter skin? I’d like to hope not. But we are simply in denial if we are going to pretend for a minute that no people in America are racist. In my personal opinion, too many are.
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I have read many of the responses made to this article thus far, many stating things like “I think Reid is ridiculous, the color of a man’s skin should not mean anything.” The last part of that sentence is couldn’t be truer. Now I don’t know whether these individuals are misreading the quote or are neglecting to see who’s at fault here. As I previously stated, Reid is not speaking for himself. He is merely stating that Obama may have a greater chance of winning due to his skin color. As wrong as that may be, we live in literally the most racist country in the world, and that statement made by Reid, unfortunately, is dead-on.
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When discussing this topic I think it’s important to remember what is actually being said and to keep it in context. Harry Reid did not say anything about Obama being a good or bad President based on his appearance or speaking patterns. He said that he would more easily be elected because of these reasons. It was unclear to me whether the commotion made about these insensitive comments were due to what he was trying to say or the actual way he said it. Anytime you talk about race or skin color it is almost impossible to be politically correct. The fact that we are discussing politics and that he is a politician definitely makes this an issue. Because he is acknowledging that race may have played an issue in people’s minds, emotions are going to be stirred. For me personally I don’t disagree with the opinion which he was trying to portray in the sense that artificial things do affect how people think of other people and vote. With this situation I see a lot of parallels to John F Kennedy election. Looks are obviously not a determining factor when deciding if someone will be a good leader or not but because John F Kennedy’s election debates were on television which people could visually see and not just here as was before with the radio gave him an advantage. It is probably more subconscious, but for some reason just like John F Kennedy’s looks and speech helped him win his election so did Barack Obama’s looks and speech. It is more difficult to talk about because previously it was white versus white and so seeming racist or insensitive was not really an issue. No person that I would consider rational would say that they personally vote based on looks rather than policies, but I think people would agree that looks and speech do play a role in how people vote. This is somewhat out of context, but in terms of someone who did not have “light-skinned” appearance and who may be considered to speak in what Reid was describing as a “negro dialect” is the artist Fifty Cent. I remember when Fifty Cent was supposed to be one of the performers at Live 8 charity event, but the people in control did not want him. I think the fact that they did not want him to perform was due more to his bad publicity but still someone with lighter skin and different speaking patterns may have been given the opportunity more easily since you are not reminded of his ‘hip hop” culture (which is associated with bad things in peoples eyes) by simply hearing him speak. Will Smith, on the other hand, with more acceptable speech and lighter skin did perform. In terms of people who are offended by Harry Reid’s comments I do understand if they are offended by the words he decided to use to describe like “negro”. I personally don’t know if this word is very offensive or not but if it is it shouldn’t have been used. I can also understand if people are offended by the fact that he thinks Obama changes how he talks depending on his audience. I don’t know if Obama talks with a different accent in different situations or not, but that accusation makes him seem artificial and is not acceptable unless known to be true. However, I do not think people should be offended by statements of truth that Reid is saying out loud that people don’t want to hear. No one wants to hear that a portion of America votes superficially but it is true and it’s not the messengers fault.
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If there had not been a picture to accompany the picture I may have found these statements very offensive. However, based on his age I am not surprised by his choice of words. To Harry Reid these are acceptable words and I am sure he didn’t even think twice before saying it. Being around my Grandma all the time I have heard that word used more then once by her regarding “colored” people. When she was growing up that was an acceptable word to use when you were talking about black or brown people, and it was probably the same way for Harry Reid. The only problem with this is that he is a senator and is supposed to be unbiased in his opinions especially about the president of the United States. Regardless, people are making a much bigger deal out of the situation then there needs to be especially if he did not mean to offend anyone with his choice of words.
If anything people should be saying that he was “politically incorrect” and not racist. In today’s world there are many other things that could have been said that are much worse. In regards to his comment about Obama being “light skinned” it seems to be true. He is very well spoken and highly educated and he is a lighter skinned black man. There is nothing wrong with this, it is just that facts.
In Harry Reid’s defense, along with him being older and using words from his time, he does have the freedom of speech according to the United States’ Constitution. He is allowed to speak his mind about issues that come up in his life and he was just taking advantage of that. I think that in the future, when he speaks his mind, he needs to be careful about what words he chooses and how they come across to the public since he is in a higher position in the government.
If in the future he makes another comment about something like this people may not be so understanding. As a senator he needs to be mindful and respectful to the president and what he says about him.
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I’m pretty sure there’s always been that guy who says stuff that he shouldn’t. Everyone knows that guy who makes a situation awkward by letting something stupid slip out of his mouth. Maybe, Harry Reid was just that guy.
As a very important person in our United States Senate, one would probably think he’s a pretty smart person. As a pretty smart person, he should be able to educate himself on current lingo, especially when referring to such a controversial topic. In a way, it’s kind of sad that technologies surfacing in the world around us are becoming more and more up to date than even the minds of the people who run our nation.
This is something that I don’t really understand though. Not that long ago, Obama and McCain raced head to head to be President of the United States. America chose democrat over republican. Obama and Reid are both democrats. If Obama isn’t offended, why does it matter to the republicans? Sure, Reid could have used a much more “politically correct” word, but is it really that big of a deal?
On a more personal note, before coming to Penn State, I rarely had any type of interaction between myself and people with dark skin. Realistically, there are quite a few words on the list of euphemisms for people of color. Throughout my life, I’ve met many different people of many different ethnicities. More than not, those people have their own personal beliefs on what types of racial slurs are offensive and what aren’t. People grow up in different households, in different areas of the world, with different families and family beliefs and traditions. What is offensive to one person may not be offensive to another. Reid may or may not have been stepping back on a word that he knew was a relatively safe word to use. Instead of using a more risqué word and offending people, he simply got attacked by the Republican Party as being too old-fashioned.
I think, however, no matter how people view themselves, all people should expect anything. As long as uneducated parochial-minded morons still exist in our societies, there’s going to be slang, slurs and slander. The world has become a huge melting pot of cultures, religions, races, and ethnicities. As long as the beaters still keep mixing, I think society will find itself in a happy medium somewhere along the way.
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It's kind of a shame we still live in a world thats somewhat still a little racist, but it's life. The comments said by Reid, had to affect our President, but when Obama started running to become president he knew that racist remarks were going to come his way. I'm pretty sure when Harry Reid made the remarks, he knew that the media was going to eat this up. So thats on him. But whether you like it or not Obama is our leader and is doing a pretty good job at it as well. Obama Obama Obama Obama Obama hahahahhaha
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Senator Reid's comment smay come off as offensive to some people, but they should not come off as surprising. Reid's generation grew up in a different time and sees things completely differently than people today. That being said, today's society is not as racially accepting as many people would assume. We have come a long way since the days of segregation, but are by no means living in harmony. Many people today still have harsh feelings towards different races. For example, I grew up in Philadelphia and was forced to move out when I was 14 because the neighborhood had become too violent and dangerous. I heard many racist comments from family and friends about how black people had ruined our neighborhood, and honestly I felt some animosity towards them. But I realize that not all black people are like that, and the majority of them are good, hard working people just like everyone else. Looking from the other side of the spectrum, there are also still many minorities who have strong negative feelings towards whites. So my story is just one example to show that even some people today are not completely accepting of all ages, let alone someone who was around during the times of segregation. Getting back to Reid, because of the time he is from, he could have never expected all of this controversy to come from his comments. In his mind, there was nothing wrong with the comments. He was just speaking his mind and probably expected life to go on as usual, just like any other day. Instead, it is one of the biggest stories of the past couple weeks. He is being called racist and people are calling for him to face harsh consequences. I'm not saying that what he did was right or acceptable, but people need to understand where he is coming from before they jump down his throat calling for his job. He's from an era where the word Negro was the most politically acceptable word for black people. I think it would be similar to someone today saying African-American. Senator Reid just simply has not updated his vocabulary. He may or may not be racist, only he can truly know that, but that cannot be determined by his recent comments. He has since apologized for his statements, and again, whether or not he is really sorry about his comments, only he can know. What you can know for sure though is that Reid certainly regrets the comments. No one, regardless of racial status/affiliation, wants this type of negative press. I'm sure that in the future, Senator Reid will be much more careful with his words, and think things over carefully before he says them.
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After reading this post, I am somewhat saddened to say that I was not terribly surprised or taken aback. Although I think of my generation, for the most part, as more conscious of the words we speak, and almost hyper aware of any negative connotation that our words may portray, other generations are not this conscious. This near censoring of my generation is due, in most part, to the thought that making everything politically correct will somehow mask potentially offensive statements. People often think that if they use kind words the message will not hurt as much, which is not always true. This gentleman, as was pointed out, is clearly of an older generation where speaking like this would not be as out of the norm as it is today. And it seems that he is quite detached from issues involving race, and perhaps has not ever considered that his words could have a negative impact, otherwise he wouldn’t have said them. He is a politician after all looking presumably for reelection. This brings me to a larger point; can you hold people responsible for using offensive language if they do not understand it is offensive or in poor taste? While I am of the school of thought that after a fair warning, that people no longer talk in this manner and it would be considered distasteful and disrespectful, behaviors should change and if his behaviors change we mark it up as a win for everyone. Do you think anyone ever told Harry Reid not to speak like he did? I’m assuming no and I’m sure his PR team is now having a lovely time educating him on proper ways to refer to our President if he must make it abundantly clear that he is in fact not a white man like the preceding forty three. While it in no way excuses his remarks and I am in no way condoning his behaviors, I think that before everyone points fingers and starts a huge uproar you should consider not only it this his first offense, and did he know better? If the answer is that this was an isolated incident, as for others is the same situation, I think he should get a slap on the hand, a strong lesson on race relations, maybe a little forgiveness, and a hope he has learned a lesson. After all, I’m sure that at some point in time despite our best attempt to be politically correct, we have all said something that someone, somewhere could consider as offensive as this comment. The only difference is that most people do not get their statements published for an entire nation, or even globe, to scrutinize.
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When I was 10, my teacher was discussing racism during the civil war and how much better it has gotten over the years. She mentioned that although members of the older generation still occasionally call her "colored" or "negro," they usually do not mean to offend and she is not hurt by their choice of words. They grew up in an era where those words were commonly used to refer to the African-American race and they simply have not grown out of that era.
Since Harry Reid is a member of that generation, he probably did not mean to use the word “negro” in a disparaging way. However, since he is an elected official, he should know better than to use the word so carelessly whether or not it is in private. After all, when you are a member of Congress, you cannot guarantee that anything you say will be in private. The subsequent outrage by the mostly right-winged members of the media (and in politics), however, feels way more politically motivated than anything else. I do not believe that they are taking a stance against Harry Reid’s choice of words because they generally concerned for the feelings of African-Americans. This is not to cast shame onto them as I am willing to guarantee that the roles would be reversed if it were a Republican who made such remarks.
But let’s talk about what Harry Reid said. Was he wrong in his assumptions? Would we have elected Obama as president if he were much darker? While I can't say Obama would have succeeded, I'd assume that it may have been at least a little bit harder for him to do so. Personally, the vote I casted in the election would not have changed regardless of the color of his skin. However, I assume that a few Americans probably would not even hear him out if he was more than half black. In fact, this was the first election my 84 year old grandparents voted anything other than democrat (they are racist).
Now about how Reid claims he speaks with no “Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one”: obviously this is politically incorrect, even without the use of the N-word. While I doubt anyone here agrees with how he said it, we all know what he meant by it. Obama doesn’t talk like he is Snoop Dogg, nor should he. I doubt there is much of a political future for anyone who does. Our leaders are expected to sound more educated than the general public. That’s one of the reasons Bush Jr. got a bad rap: he made up a few words on occasion and didn’t follow the rules of grammar all the time. Maybe he got away with it because he was white, or maybe not. Who’s to say?
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After reading the majority of the blogs on the homepage of the site, this one particularly struck a chord with me. I attended a small, private Catholic school since Kindergarten. At most, there were a handful of exchange students in attendance, all of whom were Vietnamese. This school was located in an extremely small town about forty minutes south of Pittsurgh, so in no way am I unfamiliar with multiculturalism; however, coming to college on a campus of 40,000 plus people was truly an eye-opening experience. I never dreamed that three of my closest friends would be Philippino, Indian, or Vietnamese. Therefore, I am by no means surprised that Senator Reid recently uttered the word "Negro." Just as Sam Richards and many of the responses above have stated, this Senator is using a language that is nearly extinct, although nonetheless insensitive and offensive to many. I must disagree strongly with those who believe that racism is a nearly vanished belief system; although it is a dying trend, racism is still a prevalent issue that must be approached with a certain amount of respect and sensitivity, which Senator Reid was clearly lacking in his supposed private conversation(s).
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However, I cannot understand why this particular issue was seemingly blown out of proportion. There are numerous people, celebrities even, that use more offensive language (especially in current rap music) on a daily basis, but I venture to say that the word "Negro," especially in relevance to our current Commander-in-Chief, brought up extremely negative connotations to days when the word was unacceptable. Now, back to my culture shock upon entering college. This past summer I was using the computer program Skype with said Indian best friend, N.Dua. My mother was running in and out of my room as I was Skyping with my friend, when he asked to meet her and say hello. All was well, my mother said hi, and Mr. Dua and I continued our conversation. Later that evening I was downstairs in my kitchen when my mom said how surprised she was that she thought my friend was attractive. EXCUSE ME?! I became extremely upset and proceeded to ask her why she was surprised.
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Can people of Indian descent not be attractive, or to our culture, "beautiful?" So a "Negro" can't run our country?! I think that the emphasis in the case of Senator Reid should have instead been placed on his doubt that Mr. Barack Obama, albeit an eloquent, "light-skinned Negro," would be successful. In conclusion, the prominent leaders of past generations that hope to continue to lead our country in the future need to learn to edit themselves, no matter if they think racism is not a current issue or not. Because while some may be appalled by the use of the word "Negro," I am personally offended how one so powerful in our government, no matter his personal party affiliation, could not support our President in the country's dire time of need.
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Everyone knows a Harry Reid in their immediate family. Whether it be an uncle you only see at once a year at family gatherings, or a grandparent who always tries to initiate an uncomfortable race conversation, or even in some cases one of your parents who is consistent with back handed racial insults. For the most part, these people aren't bad people but the bottom line is that they represent a world that still harbors inner racist feelings that are better off left unsaid.
Racism will never die out in this world due to the simple fact that it is always being passed down from one generation to the next. Grandparents always have stories of when they were subjected to racism, or when they subjected others to racism, that they pass these stories down to their children. Their children will then tell their children of the plagues that their parents faced or why one race is simply inferior to them, and on and on it continues. Arguing about if racism exists, or why it exists, or will it continue to exist, is a fruitless dinner conversation that ultimately leads no where. However, the discussion of racism in today's society is a much more important one.
In society today freedom of speech is crucified more then ever. Whether it be calling a girl overweight, or calling someone a derogatory ethnic name, the press vilifies people for the same amendment that provides them with an outlet to do their jobs. Recently, there was controversy with the MTV show "Jersey Shore", for calling the cast members "guidos and guidettes". Italian American organizations were outraged, but the cast member repeatedly said that they preferred to be called these names. A similar phenomenon occurs in almost every rap song with the use of the 'n' word. The word that brought down African-Americans for so long is now one of the most commonly used words in a huge genre of music that they excel in. However, when an old white man says the word negro and makes what can be perceived as insensitive comments, this is the spark plug to say that there is something wrong with the world and its race relations. Its ludicrous that this, or Italian Americans calling themselves Guidos, or blacks using a derogatory word to describe themselves, is even worthy news.
The press could go on with this story and blow it out of proportion as they do with almost every story like this, possibly bring up the question of should this man stay in office, and all sorts of crazy things. Or they could just talk about it once to inform the public of what's going on. The more sincere solution would be the latter option, but the former option is the one that would generate more profit. What do you think they will choose to do?
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While Harry Reid’s comments were not exactly said in a perfectly professional and politically correct fashion, I believe that the reaction to them have been blown way out of proportion. Sure, his remarks about Barack Obama were not exactly tasteful, but the man has a right to his own opinion, especially since the controversial statements were made privately and not publicly. Mr. Reid has apparently never received a proper education in making politically correct statements, but we should also not shun him for this. Some would say that he is a big, arrogant, white, power-hungry senator who cannot stand the idea of a black man in the oval office. Others would suggest that he is just speaking his mind freely, even if a bit of racism unfolds in his remarks. I would argue for the latter. The man is an old white guy in Congress. He obviously has no problem using the word “Negro” to describe blacks in this country, even those who hold high positions in public service. He almost does not know any better. There was once a day in America when “Negro” was an everyday word, and Mr. Reid has not left that era. Some would call this ignorance. I call it not understanding the changing times—even if it has been 50 years since those times.
If we look past the jargon in those comments, Mr. Reid is actually complementing Mr. Obama. He is saying that the current President is capable of holding his position because he does not act black. This indeed seems pretty insensitive to black Americans, but it is an argument not unheard of before. Mr. Obama speaks well, a necessity as the President, which actually surprised Mr. Reid due to the stereotypes about blacks that he clearly holds. The “Negro dialect” he speaks of is something that any American who encounters inner city blacks knows. No one can truly see a black thug from inner city Chicago becoming the President of the United States. Which is not to say that no black man can make his way to the Presidency. It is just that these stereotypes about black Americans enable white men, such as Mr. Reid, to think it impossible for a black man to become the President. But the fact is that being black does not equal being thug. Mr. Reid seems to mean that this “Negro dialect” is muttered by uneducated blacks across America and that it has no place in the United States Congress. And this point is very reasonable. While he may need some lessons on current social etiquette, Mr. Reid’s comments were not completely out of line and should just be addressed in a more appropriate fashion.
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My dad has a terrible habit of saying “negro.” I think it’s funny that you question why Harry Reid doesn’t have anyone to tell him that his language is archaic because I tell my dad every single time that regardless of his view on the word, it’s unacceptable in the society we live in today. It’s a shame to think that Reid’s peers do not correct him either, do they not know the times? Correct me if I am wrong, but are the Democrats not the ones that have the “bleeding hearts” that perpetuate all of this out of control political correctness? I would think they would know that “negro” is out of fashion. But at the same time, I suppose politicians contradict themselves day in and day out. Al Gore is a perfect example of this phenomenon. He spends his time telling us to consume less energy and go green however he lives in a home that is overly unfriendly to the environment. He also flies in his private jet as opposed to flying coach with the masses. I’m getting off track here however. The real issue is Reid. Should he step down? My views lean toward Republican ideals but I do not agree with the Republicans that he should step down. His stepping down would just keep the political game in motion, a motion that is not beneficial to society, but to the egos and careers of our elected officials. I believe a survey should be taken by the educated and contributing persons of our country and see what they have to say about Reid stepping down. Why is it always assumed that the politicians know best? As for this whole debate on sensitivity and Reid’s insensitivity, I think it’s a bunch of bologna. We live in a country where everyone is oh so concerned about everything and everyone else before themselves. Do we not have anything better to do but squabble over a couple of words uttered by an old white politician? I mean really, why are people so surprised? This type of thing happens daily in our personal lives. I hear racist jokes and remarks but I don’t go flying off the handle demanding that these people be reprimanded! I thought our country was built on the ideals that we are individuals who work hard; we are the home of the brave! But it seems that we have become the home of the whiners. As mentioned in class, language and words were just decided upon by some guy or girl. We put way too much stock and time into being offended by everything everyone says. I for one am tired of having to tip toe through conversations because I don’t want to hurt feelings. It is time that we start asking ourselves “Am I REALLY offended, or am I just pretending to be offended because I was told I’m supposed to be?”
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PART 1
Harry Reid's comments are not a complete surprise. Knowing that Reid has made several racial remarks it would definitely be expected that he would speak out on having a black presidential candidate even partially. I mean racism is definitely alive in today's society, however, it is more typically found to poke its head out of the mouths of the elders in Americans. When we actually think about it integration only began to really take effect in the 1960's, so we can't really put it out of our heads that a part of the Caucasian society older that the age of about 50 still have some sort of animosity towards blacks. Personally, as a black citizen, I am not disturbed as much by the fact that Reid is still stuck in the days when racism was alive and well, but by the fact that he is letting race cloud his vision of what proved to be the better candidate. Out of all the statements he could make about Barack Obama, he made a race related one. A person's race should never affect how you feel about their political views. He was definitely being insensitive in his statement.
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PART 2
We, the United States, are trying to grow as a people and we need to eliminate racial boundaries and only see men (or women); not black me, white men, Asian men, Latino men, etc. Every time we seem to take a step forward to achieving this there is always someone who decides they want to block the path. Politicians really have to take lead in the task that we are trying to accomplish. The fact that they are politicians does not put them above some imaginary line that says that they don't have to make this movement with the rest of the country. Harry Reid may not openly say he is racist and he may not be a "racist", but he apparently has some sort of opinion towards colored people and he separates himself in his mind from the minority portion of the rest of the nation. His statement is comparable to John McCain referring to Obama as "That one". Referring to the now President out of his name and indirectly segregate himself from him. I am almost sure that President Obama or any politician of color would not refer to a white politician with a name such as "Anglo Saxon".
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PART 3
Not saying that blacks and African Americans don't do indirect actions of segregation, but it is more trending with white Americans. This scenario was a big deal because white people are often having a finger pointed at them calling them racist and thoughts like Harry Reid's is causing these acts. Both parties are wrong on both sides of the finger. However, integration among the country is still fairly new and I can honestly say that we have made much progress.
COMMENT BROKE INTO THREE PARTS DUE TO TOO MANY WORDS??? READ TOGETHER
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One problem with Harry Reid is that he grew up when racism wasn’t completely looked down on. That’s what they say anyway. Thankfully some things have changed in the last few decades or else many of us would have an ugly idea in our heads about what is right and what is wrong. It is true that history can repeat itself, but I think racism really is different now. It is not as obvious as it once was, and I am grateful for that, but it is still there and can be harmful. Harry Reid is an older man and if someone in his or her 20s said what he did, I think society would react even more harshly. Older people seem to get a pass because they grew up when the rules were different. Younger generations were taught that racism is wrong (and it is!) and that we have to be careful what we say and how we say it. But does that mean people who are generations older do not have to be careful? People in public office especially should expect their views and words to be judged, so Reid is probably not surprised something he said in 2008 is in the news.
I think there is racism on both the political left and the right. If a Democrat lets something racist slip out of his or her mouth, then the Republicans will jump to make the Democrat look bad, and vice versa. It shouldn’t take someone from one political team to point out that an opponent made a racist comment. Everybody should point it out. To make things even more confusing, people looking for opportunities to attack an opponent sometimes go out of their way to magnify the opponent’s inappropriate comment just to make them look worse.
I don’t think Harry Reid meant to come across as insensitive or racist. He thought he was in a private conversation at the time, but that does not excuse his words. The fact that his generation grew up able to say certain things without censor only helps to explain norms back then. Basically, though, I don’t think any of this really deserves all the attention that it’s getting. Just tell the guy to stop and move on. Harry Reid apologized for the comment and the president accepted it, so he publicly acknowledged he was wrong. We can only hope that he won’t repeat the mistake and others will think twice before doing something similar.
All in all, just because someone grew up when racist comments were more the norm, it doesn’t mean that it’s okay to do it now. But if/when it happens, then it happens; and if the one who makes the rude statement apologizes, then learn from it and let it go. Don’t blow everything out of proportion. We need to become better people together.
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In response to Harry Reids comments while unwelcomed are within his own right to make them. While there are just words, I think he needs to watch what he says while hes in such a position of power and importance he shouldn't make those comments. While he has every right to make such comments, he shouldn't in a political outlet. I looked up some external articles about this controversy and Obama actually forgave Reid. However, it seems that Obama would have to forgive Reid mainly for public relations. In one of the external articles I read it suggests that Obama actually is a hypocrite because he said after the Imus controversy over the women's basketball program that he would not allow anyone on his staff that has made ethnic related comments publicly.
While this may seem hypocritical he needs to be wary of his public image because he will look exactly like Reid if he doesn't accept the apology from someone who has spoken out like Reid.
I have a feeling that because the media draws out these comments and portrays a battle between Reid and Obama it actually causes a battle them. The media has a tendency to create information for pure entertainment purposes. There are many examples of this on television every day, and the speculation brings about more controversy than the actual facts.
However, in another external article I read it suggested that while Reid's comments are not needed, the pure fact that Americans wouldn't have elected Obama for the tone of skin color is ludacris. And apparently Obama was quoted saying to prove an example there would be people that wouldn't vote for Hilary Clinton because shes a woman or John McCain because of where he was born. So to bring race in to the mix doesn't really make sense.
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When I first heard about this story, like a few people have already said, I wasn’t as surprised by it as I thought I would be. When behind closed doors, people will always say what’s truly in their hearts when they think they aren’t being recorded. They can be high-profile public figures like Senator Harry Reid or a regular student, teacher, or friend.
Nevertheless, what strikes me most isn’t WHO it (I couldn’t care less). It’s WHAT was said that I believe need examination, if not a little more attention than the comment-maker and whether or not he’s a Democrat or Republican. He’s American and that fact, in itself, says enough. Why though? Why should what he said matter? It’s because, in a way, I believe that there is a bit of truth behind what he said. Don’t get me wrong though, I am black so this isn’t some long diatribe about “them coloreds down the street” or even “the white man that’s always trying to keep us down.” This isn’t that at all.
Now, semiotics aside, I do believe that senator Reid has a point. How many people would have voted for Obama if he weren’t as eloquent, if his speech patterns had been touched by a bit of a stutter or a “Geechy” accent? How many people, though they say they aren’t racist, would have marked him as slightly less intelligent as they’d originally thought? More people than you’d think, I’m sure, because that’s America for you. We’d probably never know exact numbers simply because it’s not everyday people openly speak about what they TRULY think, especially if it could be marked as slightly, if not wholly, racists. Still, his speech patterns, were they less polished, would have had (and did have) a huge influence on his numbers at the polls.
As for the “light-skinned” issue, I think it’s a little harder to explain without making overgeneralizations about white people but, in my personal opinion, I feel as though Obama would have been seen as a more intimidating figure if his skin were sharply darker than it is now. He is more welcomed in America’s oval office BECAUSE he has lighter skin and this proves true through what is seen in the media. There are very, very few truly dark skinned individuals on television today. Mid to light are the complexions seen on program after program, in main stream movies, in ads, and the like. Even in cosmetics companies such as Revlon, Maybelline, and Covergirl there is a sort of unspoken exclusion of the darker skin tones. The darkest shade is more of a caramel or mocha. Never chocolate or much darker; they have to go to specialty shops. I believe that this is a testament and just a bit of proof to the senator’s statement. The inclusion of blacks in the media is great but it still holds to the idea that “the lighter (or whiter) you are, the better.”
I’m not blaming the media because of the senator’s views. I’m not blaming anyone. All I’m doing is trying to point out that Senator Reid, whether racist or not, has recognized that in today’s America it’s as if the “best/most popular black people” are considered to be the black people with lighter skin and the least distinct speech pattern.
Or at least that’s how it seems.
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I find that even though he sounded racist to most of us, to himself he did not. Harry was raised in a generation where it was socially acceptable to say the word Negro.
When it comes down to it he said these comments privately for only the parties involved to hear. Now I believe that this constitutes the statement as being his personal opinion. It is wrong of him judge Obama in such way but when it comes down to it there is no reason that he should be punished for a statement that does not directly affect his duties as a US senator to the state of Nevada. He gave his personal opinion in terms that he was raised with, Negro. I think that he did not try to verbally attack Obama. He was just giving his perspective on the possibility of him becoming president. Now I’m not trying to make excuses for him but maybe he was stating it in such a manner where the people he was having this conversation with would understand? Now even if he did intend this to be racist he still just stated his opinion and under the first amendment he has that right.
In my opinion the NSRC wants blood from this situation. They are turning this into an even bigger problem than it already is. With him gone they can try and put another republican into the senate. Now they are calling the comments from Reid insensitive because some people might be offended with his terminology. Now with that being said how will his truthfulness on the matter affect him being a good senator? When it comes down to it we all have all said things in Private that we should not have. But because we were stating our opinion it was justified and this situation would not be any different because even senators have the freedom of speech.
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Being a senator of the United States comes with certain responsibilities and expectations of ones self. You have a certain image to uphold while representing the great U.S. Personally, I do not agree with Harry Reid’s choice of words, however, I wouldn’t condemn him for them either. Harry Reid, being an older figure, probably didn’t realize how offensive and insensitive his statements were exactly. He grew up in an era, where that type of stereotypical terminology was most likely predominant wherever he was brought up. This however, is no excuse for his insensitivity on the matter. I was just providing a bit of understanding coming from his point of view.
Who knows, maybe he wasn’t trying to be racist with his statements. I admit that he may have been politically incorrect with his choice of words. It’s pretty obvious that he is not up to date with his political correctness. He has on old generation mind state with the mentality that white supremacy is still in existence.
People may claim that in his defense, he has the freedom of speech. Harry Reid was only practicing the first amendment by stating his opinion on a touchy subject. This is true; however, his statements were pretty offensive. Not to mention the fact that he’s a senator, everything he says or does is reflected on the state and its people who elected him. I have to admit, providing President Obama with a direct apology was fairly noble, it doesn’t change the fact that he meant every word he said. He still thinks in the exact same way he did about African Americans and President Obama before his apology. I think the message that Reid was trying to get across was that he thinks Barack Obama was a good candidate considering his ethnicity. He didn’t really choose the right words in stating it however. From Harry Reid’s speech, what I took from some of his quotes and statements, were that if it were an African American based on the stereotypes of the average black person, he wouldn’t stand a chance of winning an election. He considers Obama to be a black man of outstanding eloquence, which is true; Barack Obama is a very articulate man. But based on his stereotype of black people, if it were the “average black person” he couldn’t possibly win the election.
Hearing and reading about Harry Reid’s statements did not really surprise me. Racism is still present in this day and age, and I doubt that it is going anywhere, any time soon. The fact that we have a black president is one huge step to abolishing its widespread, but it will be quite sometime until it has ended completely.
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Eventhough we do not know his age Harry Reid is, more then likely, from a time where saying the word "Negro" was not a big deal. Today, the world has changed. It is going to become a big deal in the news if a politican says anything racial. I think a politican should know that whatever they say tends to get out to the public. What would have happened if Barrak Obama had made a similar comment about Negro's? Is it acceptable for him to make a comment and not have any reprecussion's because he is talking about people of his same color? I think anyone who decides to say something negative about another human being, should it be about their skin color or not need to hold responsiblity for their actions.
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Harry Reid’s words, however insensitive and politically incorrect, may ring true in our society. Had Obama’s speech patterns been more similar to what has become known as “Ebonics,” often associated with people with darker tones, may not have been elected. The exact coloration of his skin could have totally thrown his chances of winning the election. Had he only been a few shades darker, it is likely he could have been “too dark” for American voters. It all ties back in to our societies views of what looks better. For some odd reason people would rather listen to a white man over a black man solely due to the fact that there is this unsupported lack of confidence in dark skin men fueled by the insecurities and penis envy of rich white men. The reason these ideas are perpetuated is because those white men in power are constantly threatened by the fact that there are plenty of men with darker complexions who are equally competent as leaders and may even do a better job. In order to keep there positions of power and thus their control over this country they feed the prejudice and racism that goes into keeping non-whites out of politics. When Harry Reid made those comments about Obama’s skin and speech, he wasn’t being racist; he was pointing out how racist the current political system is. Of course other politicians would jump at the opportunity to bash him for what he said, for if they were to acknowledge it they would have to acknowledge how truly prejudiced and oppressive racial politics are in America. Those other white men who are now “asking for Reids head” are the ones who should be scrutinized. Instead of attacking him they should be agreeing with him and addressing the larger issue, that non-white peoples of America are terribly underrepresented in this poor excuse for a democratic government. If the politicians are truly elected to serve the people it should not matter what color their skin is or what they sound like. All I am asking for is that we keep things in a fair perspective. If we insist upon creating all these archetypes and conceptualizations that deal exclusively with white idealism and only ever refer to black issues and figures in a tokenized we cannot expect simple things like politically correct speech to make everything copasetic. We all know that Reid’s exact thoughts were not his alone. Most other politician regardless of color thought the same thing at some point or another, just because he pointed it out verbally doesn’t make him a racist it makes him honest man. But forget all that because instead of looking at themselves and where they are lacking the politicians of America will instead ostracize Reid and blame him for all their shortcomings in regards to equality and we will spiral ever further into the depths of this never ending spiral of inequality and ignorance.
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Racism has always been around for as long as I could remember. It might not be presented everyday but it still exist. Prime example, when senator Harry Reid made a misguided remark towards president Obama. As a young adult in 2010, I wouldnt expect noone of his status to make that comment. What I do expect is the ignorance towards having an "African American" president from people with no common sense. If an elected official think it was appropriate to address the president in that manner, what does that say to our younger generation? The younger generation who has respeect for the government officials. In my opinion, Harry Reid spoke for himself when he made that statement. Posing as an intelligent, respected role model of society ,he has just proven how hard you dont have to work to be ignorant and self centered. Harry should have thought about ignorant he made himself and his family look. As the senator, he is respected and well known and should have more experience with interacial relations.
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Even though Obama ethnicity was a debate for a while, his ability to speak and mindfulness about all the worlds problems was why he was elected. I strongly believe you have to be blind not to know that Barack Obama is a very smart man. Its the Harry Reids of the world that make it hard to make a change. Harrys comment should have only offended those of his color to be technical. It was not a person of color that made the statement. I agree with Sam, Harry Reid is "a misguided white man". To make that statement about the president only should make Barack Obama even more powerful to know that someone wishes he was the same "skin complexion as him.
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I have only been around for 21 years and im wise enough to know that your skin color does not determine your ability to be the president of the United States. Of course Harry Reid is still living in slavery days, with an ignorant mind and disrespectful attitude. However did he become the senator? Im happy that Im old enough to know the difference between right and wrong. I thought having to read about racist statements in this world at this time was over. Not because we living in a dream but because there are so many issues in the world today that we need to put our energy into. If the news and media, government officials would put as much time into finding solutions to the economies problems then there wouldnt be time to make ignorant statements against someone who could possibly make a difference in the world.
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I honestly dont expect everyone to have the same mentality when dealing with racism but Im sure everyone keeps up with time. And in this day and age racism will not be handled lightly nor accepted. President Barack Obama is another helping hand to this world becoming a better place.
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I think that although what Harry Reid said may not have been socially affected, I do believe that in a society like today his comments are honest. At the time of the election society was faced with the question who they felt more comfortable with leading this nation; a woman or a black man. America spoke and Obama was chosen. However, thinking about Reid’s comments, I wonder whether the end result would have been the same if Obama had been extremely dark skinned. I feel that his skin color did in fact help him out in the election since being lighter skinned has become more acceptable in society. The more he resembled a white man, the more likely he was of actually becoming president. Even in his political debates, Obama’s behavior and responses were closely looked at. If Obama had not remained as calm as he did and instead got mad at some of the attacks he was receiving, I honestly believe that he would have lost the election. The closer the association with being dark black, the more society would oppose to him actually becoming president. If you recall to the McCain Obama debate the facial reactions of McCain were often brought up time and time again and as a result ended up working out for Obama.
Our society is one of the most hypocritical societies there is. We claim that all men were created equal and also claim that we treat each other with respect, yet when it comes to skin color there are many who are still extremely uncomfortable with letting someone of color become too powerful. There are many people who claim to not be racist, yet refuse to allow their children to marry or even date someone of color. So are they really not considered racists? What about the argument saying they just wish to keep their own culture and beliefs within themselves? Does that justify excluding another racial group simply because of their skin tone?
Sure what Harry Reid said may not have been okay to say, but what difference does it make for him to say it when everyone else agrees. I think that if our society wasn’t as messed up as it is, people would be able to talk more about how they really felt instead of simply hiding what they really feel and in a sense censoring them. Today no one in their right mind would actually speak about Obama’s skin tone for fear of being scrutinized by society. Sure he’s a political figure and sure he should have known better than to just be so blunt about it, but why is it such a big deal when I am positive that he is not the only one that feels that way.
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Well senator Reid seems to be behind in many social aspects of today’s life, but its something that I would expect from someone his age. His words don’t really seem to insensitive to me, just in creditably blunt, but sounds like he was just expressing his opinion. I have no problem with his statement, he was a likely candidate. Because racism is still an issue, I believe that if Barack Obama had acted in any other manner other than he did, for an example the stereotypical black man, he would not have ever been elected. Because when it comes to racism what most “racist” people are against is the culture of the group. I do not see all of the US voting for a darker, older, Reid’s words “negro dialect,” and fully embracing the culture to be president. I would think the have the nation would be terrified, mistrusting, and he would not have made it any where near the primaries. (continued)
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But of course everyone would claim it was not because he was “black” i.e. culturally and stereotypically black, but we would all know silently and then the one person (no matter how misguided) would speak the unspeakable and then be criticized to no end. In today’s society everyone is so busy trying to pretend that the problem of racism has been solved and everyone has recovered because they push being “politically correct” even if they sincerely do not really care. A lot of people of are just afraid of being alienated and suppress their racist ways instead of learning and actually changing. What people are mistaking his words for is dislike or disagreement with Obama because he is black, but I do not that is the case. He is just showing the political world how uneducated he and most likely many others in this world are. (continued)
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To think the America would not vote for a man
considered culturally black would never even be considered competent to become president because of the music he listens to, hair style (such as waves, or braids) is just pathetic. What he saying is the only kind of candidate that is acceptable is the stereotypical “white” man version of a “black” man which is unacceptable in my opinion. I do not that that is Reid’s main concern or issue he is trying to raise but he gives light to the situation even so, even if it is unknowingly. The only way and I mean the only possible way that I would believe that any thing that Reid said was insensitive or wrong is that he in a way said that Barack Obama wasn’t “black” enough for the United States to be afraid of, or intimidated, in some type of racist way.
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Truth be told, I was not surprised by anything that was written in this post. Living in such a country that is so diverse, you would think that there would no longer be such a thing as discrimination. There once was a time, decades ago, when it was not out of the norm to use the term "negroes". It would be used in every day conversation in society and no one ever thought twice about it. But how about in this day and age? For a white guy in Senate to say "negro", I do agree that this man does not get out too often. Someone needs to teach this man what is appropriate and acceptable in this society.
Many people do actually take offense to read about this. Others, it just doesn't phase them anymore. Harry's comments definitely are not embraced by this nation. In fact, having so much diversity in America should give Reid, a representative of this country, a clue or two about what is acceptable or not.
"President Obama could succeed as a black candidate partly because of his “light-skinned” appearance and speaking patterns “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”" So what if he is light-skinned? How racist can you be? President Obama, is, of course, no rapstar. He is, and has been, a politician. These, obviously, are just stereotypes that need to be brought to an end. However, we still look at them after hundreds and hundreds of years. Perhaps, people will never get past it and through their heads. Take, for instance, people like Harry Reid.
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As an African American female I feel that there is truth in the words that Harry Reid spoke BUT he should have been smart enough to know that the statement was not politically correct or would not be received well. In our society anything you say regarding race will be scrutinized especially if you are Caucasian. Initially when I heard about what Harry Reid said I was a little upset but I wasn't really sure why it made me so made. It wasn't until I watched the MSNBC special Obama's America: 2010 and Beyond on Monday night that I finally figured out where my anger came from. One of the anchors of the special, Tom Joyner, had a great quote that made things very clear for me. Tom Joyner, an African American said, We like watermelon, but don't offer me any because I will get offended . It is very stereotypical for people to assume that all black people like watermelon and fried chicken. Although many African American do like those foods, it would cause anger for a Caucasian person to offer it to them. With this statement I think Tom Joyner was trying to emphasize the fact that even though there may be truth to words that are being said, there are some things that people prefer to be left unsaid.
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The controversy surrounding Harry Reid's comments in this book to me isn't a new controversy. In the media whether it is a book or just plain television there will always be people that think one way or another about certain people in political office. Harry Reid is entitled to his own opinion but it was poor taste to publish the comments with his status in the community. As far as the media goes with the controversy, I think that it has been going on too long and the media seems to blow up things about race. The media makes matters worst when people do things that offend people, for instance when the comments about Obama were first released people realized that he said this and were willing to accept just an apology, but as the media started to make people more aware of these comments, now the republicans are asking for him to step down, democrats don’t seem to have a problem with Reid and his comments.
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Part 2
Also I do agree that his age and probably his up bringing motivated Reid to say these comments about Obama. Yeah and there is that known stereotype or myth that blacks that are of lighter complexion and who don’t speak in the so called “Negro Dialect” go farther in there schooling and are more successful. But as I said that is just a myth because there are plenty of African Americans that aren’t light skinned who have succeeded in this America. So for Reid to make those comments, I think or hope that he just didn’t think before making those outlandish remarks.
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These racist individuals may look at Obama and not see a black person, but a white male who happens to have slightly darker skin. I mean that is awful to think about, but if a racist individual views Obama as a white man as opposed to a black man, that completely levels the playing field. The racist opinions that this man once harbored will no longer stop him from voting for Barrack Obama, regardless of how qualified he may think he is.
Another factor that may have played a role in Reid’s comment is his age. The word “Negro” is a term that I probably haven’t heard in over a decade. Nowadays it is flat out rude to use it when describing a person of color. When Reid was my age, however, this term was not only there, but it was much more acceptable to use. I read this article right before a conversation with my grandma. Intrigued, I asked her what word she would have used to describe a person of color when she was in high school and she said that she was taught to say black, rather than Negro, but Negro was very commonly used as well. For all we know, Reid only found out that he offended anyone when he began reading the comments made about his quotes.
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I do not find anything wrong with his comment. Maybe I am not trying to read into it as far as they are but that is probably because I like to think that when people say something, they mean what they say. There is not always some hidden message or meaning behind the babble. And to me, it seems like they are looking for a reason to shun him or cause problems. Although I do not find anything wrong with his comment, he does need to learn that in his profession he is always being watched and needs to think about what he says before he says it. He should have already known this but then again he is pretty old. It is very interesting, however, that you bring up his age. Seriously, not even black people say the word Negro anymore. The last time I heard “Negro” was in the movie Hairspray and that is dated back in the 60s. That is 50 years ago! This makes it seem like he is very out dated and not keeping up with the times. So then does that mean that he is also not keeping up with the new policies and things going on in the world? Sure seems like it to me. If he is not keeping up with the times, then how can he possibly know what you want? He is supposed to be representing your voice and if he is still back in the 60’s I do not think he would be making the right decisions. So then why is he still in office? Surely if he is this out dated he would not have been voted back in, unless there is just no one running against him, or because people have not paid much attention to him. Both options are pretty bad. The one thing I can give him credit for is keeping his beliefs. With him being that old he has different beliefs than we do today. He grew up in a time period where many people were very racist and it is hard to change the beliefs that you grew up with. The younger generation grew up with the mentality that black and white is one in the same, where as he grew up with the mentality that whites are better than blacks. It is hard to change things like that and you can see it in many older people, not just him! It is kind of like, when I was growing up, Pluto was a planet. Now all of a sudden it’s not?? I will always refer to it as a planet because that is what I was taught throughout ALL of my schooling. Even though now it is not, when someone asks me to recite the planets I will always say “Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, except minus Pluto because scientists changed their minds.” He will always have the mentality of whites being better than blacks because that is how he grew up just like I will always think of Pluto as a planet, but he can try to change his wording so that it is more relevant to the present time.
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