I think your taste buds have a screwed up glutamate receptor.
Wilma--
Their fear (and it's not unfounded) was that if they did anything but immediately drop a ton of bricks on the poor woman, they would be pilloried for going soft on her because she was Black Like Them. Certainly the hostile nodes within the blogosphere would have. Did it take Sherrod's firing to make the story pivot to one of injustice done (and dishonesty at work on Breitbart's part)? That's an excellent question I'm not sure we can answer.
It would not surprise me in the least if someone who deeply resented Sherrod from her work on behalf of black farmers helped to shape the report to Vilsack. People I know who work with USDA employees in Missouri have indicated to me in the past how, um, 1950s their attitudes about almost everything remain. I do know of some enlightened souls amidst their ranks, but they themselves speak of "uphill fights."
As I don't know anything about Sherrod (remember I am European, living in a non-English speaking country!), no comments on that part.
Just a few ideas on the "birth" of racism: the fear of the other is as old as humanity itself, I think. And the idea of a civilisation or population being superior too. The Greek calles the other people "Barbarians" because they did not speak greek - but only said "BR,BR"...
But the difference which I see in the rejection of non-christians is to deny them personhood. That is more than fear or rejection and I see in it a predecing factor of modern more "scientific" racism, maybe also because it is directed against the same population group.
axordil wrote:Their fear (and it's not unfounded) was that if they did anything but immediately drop a ton of bricks on the poor woman, they would be pilloried for going soft on her because she was Black Like Them. Certainly the hostile nodes within the blogosphere would have. Did it take Sherrod's firing to make the story pivot to one of injustice done (and dishonesty at work on Breitbart's part)? That's an excellent question I'm not sure we can answer.
I don't know the answer either, but I suspect it's a yes. If she were still employed by the government, this would be a case of government defending their own. As it is, this is a person who suffered damage not only to her reputation but to her career and livelihood.
I do think that, as you said earlier, the decision to fire her was based on the imperative to defend someone Black Like Them.
Messy world.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.
It would not surprise me in the least if someone who deeply resented Sherrod from her work on behalf of black farmers helped to shape the report to Vilsack. People I know who work with USDA employees in Missouri have indicated to me in the past how, um, 1950s their attitudes about almost everything remain. I do know of some enlightened souls amidst their ranks, but they themselves speak of "uphill fights."
I'm not convinced that that is necessarily what is going on, Ax. The impression that I get from Willie Brown's column is that Sherrod was causing more problems than she was solving.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
It would not surprise me in the least if someone who deeply resented Sherrod from her work on behalf of black farmers helped to shape the report to Vilsack. People I know who work with USDA employees in Missouri have indicated to me in the past how, um, 1950s their attitudes about almost everything remain. I do know of some enlightened souls amidst their ranks, but they themselves speak of "uphill fights."
I'm not convinced that that is necessarily what is going on, Ax. The impression that I get from Willie Brown's column is that Sherrod was causing more problems than she was solving.
What gave you that impression, V? Brown states these two things specifically about Sherrod.
She was part of a class-action lawsuit against the department on behalf of black farmers in the South. For years, she has been operating a community activist organization not unlike ACORN.
He then goes on to talk about politics of race, and Obama's reluctance to be seen as Black President, the issue Ax and I touched on above.
Being a thorn in the side of a government organization is not necessarily a bad thing.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.
No, but it is not necessarily a good thing, either. Brown also says "If you are running for election in south Georgia, you don't want to have to explain someone like Sherrod." Coming from someone like Willie Brown, that is a very telling comment, and suggests to me that he believes that she has done more harm than good, though as a prominent black liberal he can't just come out and say it.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
I don't know, V, it suggests to me that someone running for an election in Georgia wouldn't dare defend Sherrod in the most recent incident with tape, not necessarily based on her previous record, which jives with what Brown goes on to say about Obama.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.
Here is the statement, in the context of what he says before it:
For years, she has been operating a community activist organization not unlike ACORN.
I think there were those in the Agriculture Department who objected to her being hired in the first place.
Plus there was the politics. If you are running for election in south Georgia, you don't want to have to explain someone like Sherrod.
It is abundantly clear to me that he is talking about her past record, not the corrent issue.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
I agree he's talking about her past record, V-man, but one could just as easily interpret his remarks as: she made enemies at USDA among the entrenched bureaucrats with her suit, and south GA is not friendly to "troublemaking" blacks. Something else he might not want to come right out and say.
That is not something that Willie Brown would be reluctant to say.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
*shrugs* All I know about the man, apart from the general bent of his politics, is his legendary taste in clothes. Still, I find the GA comment strange if that's not the gist of it. The Sherrods have been active in the civil rights movement since early 60s, IIRC. That's enough time to make a lot of friends and enemies for a variety of reasons, but the suit over the discrimination against black farmers is the elephant in the living room.
axordil wrote:*shrugs* All I know about the man, apart from the general bent of his politics, is his legendary taste in clothes. Still, I find the GA comment strange if that's not the gist of it. The Sherrods have been active in the civil rights movement since early 60s, IIRC. That's enough time to make a lot of friends and enemies for a variety of reasons, but the suit over the discrimination against black farmers is the elephant in the living room.
Yes, where 86000 people were given government money in the settlement, when there are less than 50000 black farmers it could possibly apply to.
But apparently it's not ok to say any of them might be crooked.
For the TROUBLED may you find PEACE
For the DESPAIRING may you find HOPE
For the LONELY may you find LOVE
For the SKEPTICAL may you find FAITH
-Frances C. Arrillaga 1941-1995
The fear of the privileged is that, should a disenfranchised group gain power, members of this group will use the power to the exclusive benefit of fellow members and to detriment or outright revenge against the original privileged group. Blacks, women, atheists, whatever.
Spot on Frelga. And it is only potent when the majority group has behaved badly and know it.
The fear of the privileged is that, should a disenfranchised group gain power, members of this group will use the power to the exclusive benefit of fellow members and to detriment or outright revenge against the original privileged group. Blacks, women, atheists, whatever.
Spot on Frelga. And it is only potent when the majority group has behaved badly and know it.
Or when you define people by what group they belong to, rather than as individuals... i.e. when you're racist... and blame people for their the actions in the past they had nothing to do with because of the color of their skin... i.e. when you're racist.
For the TROUBLED may you find PEACE
For the DESPAIRING may you find HOPE
For the LONELY may you find LOVE
For the SKEPTICAL may you find FAITH
-Frances C. Arrillaga 1941-1995
The fear of the privileged is that, should a disenfranchised group gain power, members of this group will use the power to the exclusive benefit of fellow members and to detriment or outright revenge against the original privileged group. Blacks, women, atheists, whatever.
Spot on Frelga. And it is only potent when the majority group has behaved badly and know it.
Or when you define people by what group they belong to, rather than as individuals... i.e. when you're racist... and blame people for their the actions in the past they had nothing to do with because of the color of their skin... i.e. when you're racist.
Like when you blame Muslims for terrorist attacks???
'You just said "your getting shorter": you've obviously been drinking too much ent-draught and not enough Prim's.' - Jude
Let's please stay focused on the issue at hand. Blaming muslims for terrorist attacks, while an important issue itself, is separate from those raised in this thread.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
Voronwë_the_Faithful wrote:Let's please stay focused on the issue at hand. Blaming muslims for terrorist attacks, while an important issue itself, is separate from those raised in this thread.
Sure, V. Sorry about the osgiliation, but I was just trying to point out the how treating "some as all" occurs in other areas as well, not just racism.
'You just said "your getting shorter": you've obviously been drinking too much ent-draught and not enough Prim's.' - Jude
Wilma, not blaming people for stuff they didn't do in the past, has nothing to do with forgetting the past.
For the TROUBLED may you find PEACE
For the DESPAIRING may you find HOPE
For the LONELY may you find LOVE
For the SKEPTICAL may you find FAITH
-Frances C. Arrillaga 1941-1995
Still, I find the GA comment strange if that's not the gist of it. The Sherrods have been active in the civil rights movement since early 60s, IIRC. That's enough time to make a lot of friends and enemies for a variety of reasons, but the suit over the discrimination against black farmers is the elephant in the living room.
