Eugene Robinson has something to say about racial discussion in america,, in his Washington Post article


http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-the-challenge-of-talking-about-race-in-america/2014/05/26/cd765890-e2b5-11e3-8dcc-d6b7fede081a_story.html


four of his well made(imho)points are:

1.Believing that some of the Republican and tea party opposition to Obama has to do with his race is not, I repeat not, the same as saying that anyone who disagrees with the nation'��s first black president is racist

2. My purpose here is not to convince everyone that Rockefeller is right about the massive GOP resistance to Obama - although I certainly agree with him -�� but rather to consider the things we say when we want to avoid talking about race. "��You called me a racist"�� and "��You played the race card"�� have become all-purpose conversation stoppers.


3. Whenever I write about race, some readers react with one or the other of these end-of-discussion criticisms. Some people believe, or pretend to believe, that mentioning race in almost any context is "playing the race card."�� Nearly 400 years of history -�� since the first Africans landed at Jamestown in 1619 -�� amply demonstrate that this view is either Pollyannaish or deeply cynical. We will never get to the point where race is irrelevant if we do not talk about the ways in which it still matters.

4.Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only black Republican in Congress, said it was "��ridiculous"�� to think GOP opposition to the health-care reforms had anything to do with race.

Referring to Rockefeller, Scott added: "��I can'��t judge another man'��s heart."�� On this, at least, we agree.

Donald Sterling, Cliven Bundy, And The Right-Wing Refrain That Racism Is Dead
Blog ››› April 29, 2014 6:55 PM EDT ››› OLIVIA KITTEL


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Recent racist musings from the likes of rancher Cliven Bundy and LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling bring to light one of right-wing media's favorite misnomers -- that racism and bigotry are over. It's a dangerous fiction that's also surfaced in recent Supreme Court decisions, and one that provides cover for modern racists and policies that hurt minorities.

"Is there racism? I don't believe there's racism," asserted Fox News' Eric Bolling, echoing a refrain that's become common place inside the conservative bubble.

For example, Fox contributor Charles Krauthammer has argued that policies protecting against racial discrimination are no longer necessary because they're about giving "advantages to people who 50 years ago" were disadvantaged. Co-host of Fox's The Five Andrea Tantaros argued civil rights laws are no longer needed "because there is equality." According to Bill O'Reilly, racism is "an individual problem," "not a country problem," and America's sad history of discrimination is "all in the past."

This readiness to ignore the existence of racism provides cover for intolerance on the fringe. Over the last month, right-wing media propelled Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy to folk hero status for cheating the federal government out of millions, only to sprint away from him when was caught on tape wondering if black people were better off as slaves.

Similarly, billionaire Donald Sterling, the owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, was banned for life from the NBA after the exposure of his alleged racist comments to his mistress.

While many Fox News hosts and contributors eventually condemned Bundy and Sterling's racism, the rhetoric is largely reminiscent of right-wing media's stereotypes of minorities and denial of the existence of racism -- In the wake of their racist rants, both Bundy and Sterling denied they held any racist views.

Bundy and Sterling are extreme examples of cognitive dissonance, but the racism-denialist mindset is a pervasive and dangerous one.

Right-wing media's dismissal of racism has most recently surfaced in the wake of the recent April 22 Supreme Court decision in Schuette v. BAMN, that effectively overturned decades of civil rights precedent and gutted a core component of equal protection law by giving Michigan voters the power to change their state's constitution to ban race-based considerations for university admissions.

As Jeffrey Toobin described, the conservative majority took the position of "blame-shifting," suggesting that "the debate over affirmative action should and could take place in a genteel, controversy-free zone." He wrote:

Bundy and Sterling represent an ugly corner of contemporary American life, but it is one that is entirely invisible in recent Supreme Court rulings. In the Roberts Court, there are no Bundys and Sterlings; the real targets of the conservative majority are those who've spent their lives fighting the Bundys and Sterlings of the world.

[...]

In her dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote about a country where the Bundys and Sterlings still hold considerable sway. Indeed, she went beyond the simple bigotry of the Bundys and Sterlings and found that more subtle wounds of racism still exist in this country. "Race matters," she wrote, "because of the slights, the snickers, the silent judgments that reinforce that most crippling of thoughts: 'I do not belong here.'"

Decisions made and policies created on the premise that racism no longer exists in America have incredibly damaging impacts on civil rights and minority communities.

The Supreme Court's recent decision in Michigan is evidence of that. The ruling opened a door for state majorities to change their political systems to unfairly disadvantage minorities -- a decision that has dangerous consequences, particularly in a state like Michigan where white Americans are the overwhelming majority. Such consequences are already being felt by minority students in Michigan. In addition to racist incidents and racial tensions on campuses around the country, the enrollment of African-American students in Michigan has seen a dramatic decrease.

The Supreme Court's recent tossing aside of history and legal precedent is reminiscent of the court's June 2013 blow to voting rights -- a decision also made on the premise that racism no longer exists in America, but in reality had a negative impact on minorities. In the June 25 decision, the conservative majority invalidated the provision within the Voting Rights Act that prevents states and local jurisdictions from enacting racially discriminatory election practices. States wasted no time after the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act pushing highly restrictive voting laws that history has shown serve to make it harder for minorities to cast a vote.

Apparently inside the conservative bubble, it's easy to praise such devastating policies so long as you deny the existence of racism at all, a refrain that ultimately helps keep discrimination alive.

Short Link

Too bad that Eugene Robinson doesn't mention how common it is for a person in trouble to falsely cry "Racism!" in an attempt to get out of trouble.

pundits and reporters rarely cover all sides, just like the previous thread on eric holder didnt mention how often the race card is misapplied

but, ya know, pick a topic and write about that topic ,,,,,

and how 'easy' is it to use racism to 'get out of' something?

Im curious.

Ask Eric Holder.

what did it get him out of , exactly?

In my original post, which is what you responded to, I state, "Too bad that Eugene Robinson doesn't mention how common it is for a person in trouble to falsely cry "Racism!" in an attempt to get out of trouble."

I was gonna post a list from the SPLC of right-wing terrorist acts since McVeigh, however it was apparently too long and extensive to cut and paste and I am too lazy to do much else.

In other words, accuse without citing evidence.

lol, ok, so what was he 'attempting' to get out of?

All cases had arrests, trials and convictions.

Now answer the lady's question.

(Lady? ooh how do you work these emoticons, crimney I had a funny and just like that forgot it)

it reminds me of how endangered species are administered by the USFWS. A species in declined is listed and protected. Then with the protections in place it begins to recover. but because of an administrative loophole that is utter nonsense, once it starts to recover it can be delisted.....if that happens you can bet it will decline and have to be listed again.....because of man's interventions in the environment those species (eagles, wolves, hamsters...no no NOT hamsters )anyway, those species will always need all or part of the protections in place....

same with civil rights protections for minorities, women, the disabled, the elderly....the human psychological "environment" that created a need for that legislation will never completely go away. And it can still be seem from time to time even with the protections present. We also need it to stand against reverse racism, reverse gender bias, etc. We all benefit from having our rights documented & ptotected.

I am waiting for you to identify the "terrorist" acts that you mentioned.

http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/publications/terror-from-the-right

What I find amusing is that some people want to link that list of villains to Conservatives and Republicans.

Some of those villains listed are Nazis, and the German name "Nazi" is an acronym for "National Socialist Party.

Some of those villains listed are KKK members, with the KKK originating as the militant arm of the Democratic Party.

Plenty of the villains listed are merely ant-government thugs.

Anyway, such fringe groups aren't really what this discussion thread is about.

National-Sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei (NSDAP)

National-Socialist German Workers Party!
The Leader of which blatantly ignored Jesse Owens!

A challenge to talking about race is the HUGE amount of false racism leveled against the Republican party by the Democrats and the HUGE amount of racism existing in plain view in the Democratic party that is invisible to the Democrats. This tool is used to good effect.

That is historically inaccurate: he was upset he was not getting the attention that a Zepplin was getting;
just like how a foot stomp is reported as a "dance" at France's surrender.

If you can not see the extension in attitudes and beliefs in these "fringe" groups and its extension of the current trend in right wing ideology, you must e from another planet...er, oh yeah, sorry.
I miss Buckley and the others who knew they lost the election as soon as Goldwater said- extremism is defense of liberty is no vice; and moderation (in the face of something I forget) is no virtue.

Tortured for hours, raped, forced to drink bleach and eventually killed. She was stuffed into a trash can. He was set on fire.

Old Son,I grew up in Europe,and have a pretty good grasp on it's History!
Hitler was extremely peeved that an "Untermensch" had beaten his Rein-Arier German Athletes!

Don't know what you're bringing Goldwater into the Discussion.
Seems you posted your Rant to the wrong Poster,since I made no reference to any of those Fringe-Groups!
BTW,I advise you to watch the piece of Film with Hitler doing the Hitler-stomp once again!
That was definitely a Jig,considering Hitler's normally reserved personality in those matters!