The Double Standards of White Folks

What I find most interesting about the major drama that white people, particularly white men are making about Barack Obama's former and now retired Pastor Jeremiah Wright, is the fact that these people are not satisfied with Obama distancing himself from Wright, condemning Wright's statements, and making one of the most important and challenging speeches about race in America, no they want Obama to destroy and eliminate Wright from existence.

Last night, I watched right wing media pundit Pat Buchanan twist and distort the 30 year career of a man he does not know personally, a man he knows absolutely nothing about except five minutes of spliced clips, taken out of context from years old sermons. When he was told that he needed to may be attend a few black church services to learn more about the black church tradition before being so judgmental, he shrugged his shoulders and shouted that "he knew all he needed to know and he didn't need to learn anything else." Wow!

I love the double standards that white people exist under. If anyone who is not white makes statements they cannot understand or do not like, they are righteously indignant, angry, sickened, and shocked. They question people's patriotism, their religious beliefs, and their personal character. And they will not settle for anything less that complete and total destruction of the individual they feel has wronged them. Whenever these incidents occur, I am always fascinated and enraged at the same time.

I am fascinated and enraged that white people have such short memories. Was Don Imus that long ago? How about Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly who offend practically everyone who is not white and male on a daily basis? And don't get me started on Miss Ann Coulter. How about Trent Lott getting misty-eyed over the Jim Crow segregation heydays of Strom Thurmond or good old boy Jesse Helms, still dangerous even on a Lark scooter.

And what about all the white preachers that blamed everyone, but the U.S. government as responsible for the tradegy of 9/11? Remember these brilliant gems of wisdom -

"...throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools, the abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked and when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad...I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who try to secularize America...I point the thing in their face and say you helped this happen." - Jerry Falwell, remarking about the 9/11 attacks

"Well, I totally concur." –Pat Robertson, agreeing with Jerry Falwell's remarks about the 9/11 attacks

And how about McCain's endorser, Reverend John Hagee on Hurricane Katrina;

"All hurricanes are acts of God because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that." - John Hagee, blaming the victims of Hurricane Katrina

Sounds like selective memory to me. Two wrongs don't make a right, but don't throw rocks when you live in a glasshouse either!