Crazy White Guys

The Opinion page of Hernando Today’s Thursday edition took a one-two-three punch at Barack Obama. Then there were the political cartoons that slapped him around a little bit more.

Cal Thomas, Doug Patton and Tad Rall wrote the opinionated words. Dana Summers and Chan Lowe drew the caricatures. Hey, these are all white guys! And people are to believe that going forward, regardless who is chosen the Democratic nominee, that racism won’t play a key role in the coming days, weeks and months as November 4th creeps up on American voters?

Get real! The R word is alive and kicking and Senator Obama has been instrumental in bringing this affront to our professed beliefs in a free society, and life and liberty and justice for all. No, Obama did not bring this situation, but it is his color alone that will bring embarrassment to this political season. In the eyes of the world, the United States of America is a nation of bigotry, less democratic than what it has been in the past.

There is no doubt that Barack Obama is proud to be an American. His wife misspoke words that were hastily interpreted by the media as un-American. People were eager to pounce on what Michelle Obama said even though the statement was undoubtedly meant to illustrate the pride she felt for her husband’s victories during the primaries. Barack’s supporters understood the message; her husband’s adversaries understood how they could easily put into doubt his patriotism.

When I got to the Opinion page, I saw the headlines in large lettering, printed in black, with the words “Barack”, “Obama” and finally “Barack Obama”. I vowed to ignore the writer’s words. I went on to Letters to the Editor, after which I set the paper aside to be recycled. Later, I eventually changed my mind to satisfy my curiosity as to their separate takes on the issue of what the Reverend Wright had said. None were much more than what I had anticipated. Historical facts appealed to my interest, not much else.

The message of the five opinionates was loud and clear. The media are often like the laughing hyena: snarling, lips drawn back, fangs prominent, ugly and vicious by nature. The piercing “laugh” can’t mask the dangers inherent with the creature. The message of the quintet was loud and clear. They were not wrong in presenting their views but each of them may have served us readers better by including what they foresee as a result of the Senator’s response to the outburst of Rev. Wright.

Perhaps we should thank the Reverend for his statement. He has brought to attention that when you mix the black of night and the white light of day, it creates the gray-tainted color of American psyche.

This is not good for Obama, but it may be what is needed for America to come to terms with its tainted reality of racism.

The columns that appeared are available at:

http://www2.hernandotoday.com/content/2008/mar/19/barack-and-bigot/
and
http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/dpatton/2008/dp_03171.shtml
and
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/13545


The political cartoons that appeared are available at:

http://www.comicspage.com/comicspage/main.jsp?file=20080317edsum-a-p.jpg&refresh_content=1&component_id=3&custid=69&catid=1176&dir=%2Fsummers
and
http://cartoonbox.slate.com/chanlowe/2008/03/17/