Friday, 03.21.08
Separatism and Patriotism
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Wright in Context
21 March 2008
Andrew Sullivan considers the entirety of Wright's now-famous sermon.
As the mostly glowing reaction to Barack Obama's intelligent and humane speech on race fades into the background, we're left with a number of broader questions. Does Jeremiah Wright represent a vibrant and vital tradition in American life? Does this tradition represent a danger to America's civic health, or does it merit our attention and respect?
Some, including Chris Hayes of The Nation, believe that much of the hostile reaction to Wright's sermon is rooted in racism. Perhaps there is something to this. One critic of the speech created an extraordinary YouTube video that remixes Wright's sermons with public statements made by Barack and Michelle Obama with a visual pastiche of 1960s black militancy. Note, however, that the narrative thread of the video is about the rejection of patriotism. It centers on an oppositional sensibility embraced by some black intellectuals, Wright among them. Wright not-always-eloquently interrogates the moral foundations of American patriotism, arguing that an authentic Christian commitment runs counter to the reflexive assertion of American rightness.
Wright's message becomes more potent still when considered in light of the particular circumstances of black Americans, and the women and men in his inner-city flock. Do they owe the "U.S. of K.K.K.A." any allegiance? If you accept Wright's reading of American history, dominated by a remorseless white elite dedicated to subjecting the poor of this nation and all nations, the answer is clearly no. Wright is a dissenter who damns capitalist, militarist, racist America in the same strident terms used by the radical abolitionists of the 19th century.
But just as the radical abolitionists gave rise to less-strident abolitionists like Abraham Lincoln, who championed "the better angels of our nature," perhaps something good, healthy, and constructive can grow out of Wright's brand of racialized rejectionism. By bridging the seemingly unbridgeable divide between black separatists and middle-class patriots, Obama is doing more than trying to "be all things to all people," a common complaint -- he is trying to deepen our democracy by drawing in those who are most skeptical and indeed contemptuous of its supposed promise.
So who will make the compromises necessary to close this yawning gap? As nice as it would be for all sides to make concessions, the truth is that it is the separatist minority of a minority that will have to make a leap of faith -- they need to give the institutions they damn as irredeemably corrupt a second chance. For now, at least, Obama appears to be the only figure who can make that happen. As some voters have second thoughts about the candidate, this is worth keeping in mind.
Patriotism and violencePhilosopher George Kateb attacks patriotism as morally bankrupt. |
Double standardsChris Hayes places Wright's remarks in context. |
And double standardsVictor Davis Hanson accuses Obama of hypocrisy. |
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Obama gave his race speech once he was caught lying. Furthermore, Obama’s enormous failure was that he sided with his personal history, his relationship with Pastor Wright, ignoring the broader fundamental threats our country is facing: 9/11, AIDS, War, Ignorance. Obama’s inability to see the bigger picture in Wright’s rhetoric is fatale because the people who got evaporated into dust in 9/11 weren’t Black or White, or Hispanic. They were humans. Obama’s lack of vision on this fundamental point cannot be reconciled. Race is important but not more important if you are facing a window on some tall, giant building and see a giant 747 coming on to you. No matter how Obama wishes to spin this—he can not. Furthermore, he allowed his daughters to witness Wright's demagogue thus perpetuating the cycle, diminishing the very post-racial America he is trying to achieve.
Indeed, I do believe Senator Obama asks us to take a deeper rather than superficial look into the "promise" of our democracy. In part, it requires all people to learrn & know, in depth the history of this great nation. I think that we must realize the grand participation of blacks past and present. Examples of which are the blacks who voted in five states for the ratification of the Constitution, the building of the south; but also the sadness, outside of slavery, - e.g- the Tuskeegee Experiment where black males were taken by the government, unbeknown to them, and injected with syphillis. Given that experience, it is not a leap that there are those blacks who could believe that people within their race were injected with AIDS.
Still too, immigrants, white, latino, asian and others have had to work hard and pull themselves up by the bootstraps. In the churchs and mosques and temples of these americans their is talk concerning their experience. I think that in neither experience of all these Americans do they reject the idea that America is the greatest nation on earth. Furthermore, I think that America can withstand whatever criticisms its citizenry has with conduct, or behavior. I for one believe in freedom of speech and freedom of religion. I am not ready to bring judgment on pastors, ministers, priests, imans, or rabbis so readily. Moreover, each of these places of worship speaks to the needs of the community and rightly so.
Obama is our Savior! Obama and Reverd Wright are RIGHT! God D* america. Obama will apologize to our Muslim brothers for an arrogant america. Let us choose now to rally around Barak and Michelle and make them proud. No more so called "elections" which your "typical white person" votes for clinton. They are racists!
Excuse me, but when did separatism come into play? I have listened to a fair amount of Rev. Wright sermons and where is the Separatist Agenda? Give me a break! I'm surprised to see this in the Atlantic
Last time I look at the Government Civic Building, the American Flag flew over head That structure, the Police Department Building structure, Fire Department Build- In the structure of the Post Office Building and most all government facility Now thinking if Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s is wise he should put one on The church he minister, because impression someone get is that from reading this article At, Politico.com, My question why are you making this church and this pastor A Political Assaulted Ground? For this 2008 President Campaign, He has Rights Too his view’s just as the press have Rights those they present’s to the public This news or this gossip, someone would think he running Organization of Crime Or a Subversive Organization!!! Do they have legal Rights believe or as so chooses too believe in this country? I think the flag’s of ours father cover that in what the founding father did in the
United States of America Constitution in the First Amendments states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Of course I believe in Separation, of Church and States,Powers. Why does UPI and APA press Keep on play political game with American Public it this
The Clinton's] are, indeed, now part of the 'vast right wing conspiracy.' Both the far right Republicans and the stop-at-nothing Clintons are using the "scandal" of Obama's preacher to undermine the first black American candidate with a serious shot at the presidency. Funny thing is, the racist Clinton/Far Right smear machine proves that Obama's minister had a valid point. There is plenty of hell and fire preaching these days. It just wrong time and place, so all them news media just want to show, how they play the political smear Game and they will do It, too anyone in political office, It’ Manipulation!!! At it’s Best Called by, United Press International and American Press Association who play on Public Xenophobia, down too Scientific Method use in Political Arena? And that can true or false statement, they don’t care who they hurt just so it not them so you see it way of life with Power Brokers. Now the 1996 Story of Ron Brown’s Body How Man‘s Death Saved The Clinton Presidency and Hillary Future by Jack Cashill – Just picture this the Clintons standing around someone Grave site saying too the family in bereavement We just can’t believe it Happened!!!
I am so offended at the idea that my reaction to Wright and to Obama standing by him for 20 years is based in racism!!!!!! How dare anyone suggest that. The racism spewed from Wright's mouth, not mine, and Obama sat still for 20 years and said nothing. I would never have sat in a church that made similar remarks about the black community. Never. The democratic party, my party, will have failed me if it nomimates for president such a man as Obama. Obama also needed to stand up to the anti-american words of his pastor. I can not believe he is still seriously being considered after defending a man who preached such unpatriotic views. Obama brought this on himself. Stop blaming the rest of us and calling us racists if we don't buy his excuses.
Janet--you needed to check out the church website before they scrambled to take incriminating stuff off of it. It is well documented and was on the website that the theology preached there was unapologetically black. There was even a black value system. Wright's sermons were often anti-white.
Conventional wisdom has it that Hannity "broke" the Wright story. But what was the role of Jodi Kantor, her editor, and the New York Times? Kantor recently did a puff piece on Chelsea Clinton, and then very aggressively went after Wright. Why? Check out Rev. Wright's letter of outrage to Kantor, available online. Richard Cohen, Jodi Kantor, and others at the NYT are the real head hunters here. Hannity is just a head fake. He couldn't find a real story if it was handed to him...well, maybe if it was handed to him. Jodi Kantor, Judith Miller, Richard Cohen - what a crew!
Many of you that say Obama should have left the church because the pastor said controversial things are being a little hypocritical. I know for a fact that mainstream evangelical Christianity regularly: demonizes the ENTIRE religion of Islam, alienates and brings shame upon gay people, and indirectly trivializes non-christian religions by insisting the founding fathers shared your views (they didn't). Were his statements inappropriate and stupid? Yes. Does Obama agree with those statements? No. Take the plank out of your eye first.
This is balderdash! Are people so lame as to continue to buy this stuff. Take a deep breath people, and think about what percentage of Rev Wright's sermons over the many years he was a pastor, was taken up by the nonsense that is being repeated over, and over, and over again. It will be a stretch if this all amounted to 5, 10, or 15 minutes of material. It is crazy and ridiculous to take this and ascribe to it some s**t about "separatism". And why the accompanying picture of people who (by their gabs) are clearly not Christians? This piece is clearly an attempt to get the regular nuts to come out of the wood work an spew their hatered. Relax!
I'm surprised to see this in the Atlantic, too--but only because I've been waiting for someone to ask these very justified, reasonable questions.
I've heard over and over again that Rev. Wright's comments (including the claim that the HIV virus was genetically engineered to kill black people) are not at all out of the ordinary in black churches, as if that somehow shows that there is NOT a problem. If nothing else, it shows the need to engage these issues, rather than ignore them (which is what allows nonsense like that to flourish in the first place).
As for the claim that it is hypocritical to do this because 'mainstream' evangelical Christianity opposes homosexuality, abortion, etc.: how many in-depth treatments of this do we see every single day? ("Jesus Camp" anyone?) I think everyone would agree that examining and challenging those churches' views has been healthy--why wouldn't the same apply here?
Your opening premise is deeply flawed -- a major spinning re-direction. The Reach of the Speech is Expanding and inviting more people in -- it is not fading to the background. From conservatives such as Charles Murray of the NRO to Chris Wallace to people in all walks of life, the speech is just expanding to invite people in to consider Obama's main point -- that he and the majority of people in the US are not, do not have to be bound by the kind of frustrated bitterness of people like Wright. No amount of spin such as you try to put on things will make it so. The trope of the rise of Separatism is nonsense -- and I suspect you know it though wish it were so for the very divisive purposes that Obama's speech works so well to dispel.
Wright has specifically said that his views (black liberation theology) do not reflect the idea of black separatism. He's outright rejected that. So the author of this piece is either lazy or dishonest in trying to make it about that.
One hundred years from now, when the petty mudslinging has been long forgotten, Barack Obama's speech may stand with Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural address as among the greatest political speeches in the history of the American union, and perhaps the entire world. Before the recent sniping, I had merely perceived him to be intelligent and political skillful. Now, although I would use the term "great" with extreme caution, he impresses me as a true candidate for that designation - more, perhaps, than any similar American figure in more than half a century. Whether he becomes president will depend in part on how ready we are as a nation to confront truth rather than cliches when we struggle to address this nation's problems and heal its wounds.
Ding-dong Rev Wright, quaint as he may be, has not--repeat not--reintroduced Americans to "Black Separatism" for the following two reasons.
Rev Wright is not a black separatist, nor is his church.
Black Separatism can only be described now as an esoteric and rather historical, at best, artifact. It stands alongside white separatism, and gender separatism. Americans can't be reintroduced to something they barely know about.
That you would pen the line "Reintroduced Americans to the challenge of Black Separatism" suggests that, you too, don't know what heck you are talking about.
The only thing Rev Wright "reintroduced" to Americans was anger. Anger from a black man.
Wright is at best several derivatives away, from "Black Separatism." But, I guess you needed a headline. (Which you have not made good on, by the way.)
Obama's Pastor
I believe that you owe a duty to the public and must stand for the truth.
Please do yourself a favor and spend a few minutes of your time to see and hear the FULL SERMONS of Obama's Pastor and then let your conscious speck. As a Christian this is your moral duty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvMbeVQj6Lw Re: God Damn America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOdlnzkeoyQ Re: The chickens have come to roost
I read your articles on a regular bases and thoroughly enjoy it. Yes! in Politics (people, newspapers etc.) often differ in opinions. This is natural human trait.
BUT to manipulate and give out false news and info is very distressing especially when it concerns the Religion.
By the way -- I am a non-christian but it does bother me when Christians bash other Christians with false accusations. May God bless you and open up your heart. If you have to say something -- do it but not with a prejudiced mind.
Commander- in- Chief! Hillary Clinton? I would hate to think what would happen if the wife of Bill Clinton was answering the phone at 3:00 AM.
In the 9/11 Commission Report on page 128 is: a copy of the Presidential Daily Brief received by President William J. Clinton on December 4, 1998 ---- Subject: Bin Ladin Preparing to Hijack US Aircraft and Other Attacks
What did the President do? --- Absolutely nothing! – Clinton had dealings in Middle East with the Bin Ladin family – just like Bush! And then the Clintons had to spend their time & energy on the sex scandal.
Complete details Click the 9/11 commission report below -- Remember page 128
http://www.americanprogress.org/kf/bookmarked%20911%20report%203.0.pdf
This "issue" is a preposterous waste of time, a ploy by the Hillary campaign that the sensationalist press is making into a giant, noisy bag of flatulence.
The real issues are the economy, the disastrous and illegal Iraq war, failure in Afghanistan, healthcare and the unregulated Wall Street buccaneers who have caused a major economic crash.
Wake up, reality-show numbed Americans, and think a bit about what's important.
I think Ann Coulter made some good points about this in her column on Obama's speech, "Throw Grandma Under The Bus".
"How long must we all marinate in the angry resentment of black people?", Coulter asks.
A fair question. Will the perennial anger and resentment really end if we elect Obama president? As long as blacks underachieve other groups, the majority of them will prefer to blame their failures on racism rather than themselves. Four decades after all forms of institutional racism against blacks were replaced with discrimination in favor of blacks in education and employment, it's time for the rest of us to move on, rather than patronizing adolescent grievances spouted by 60-something year old preachers.
I think the shift in rhetoric lies in the acknowledgement of black and white identity, history and perspectives that are different. This is in constrast to his speech before the Democratic party in 2004 when Obama pointed towards our common, unifying background as Americans.
Hopefully this more complex, true and dangerous stance will lead to a time when we revel in our dynamic and sometimes conflicting backgrounds instead of continuing to pretend to be blind to them.
To Juan, Don't you find it interesting that Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh are rooting for Hillary? And that Hillary seems to be campaigning for McCain? This is how the establishment sticks together.
"Throwing grandma under the bus" is absurd! Are people so narrow minded they can't see Obama was making a point? My own grandmother was racist but it didn't make me love her any less or turn me into a racist myself. If anything I became more aware of how life's injustices can be only overcome if we do it ourselves.
I'm a normal guy and when people point out that I'm white I AM OFFENDED! I am normal and normal people look like me! When I walk down the street I don't make any judgments about what they look like. But sometimes there are shady characters who walk around my town who wear baggy pants, have hair clips in their hair, and saunter in a threatening manner. And they just happen to be black. But they're not typical because they live on the other side of town and I don't go there because the people over there aren't typical like me. And I heard they hate typical people like me because I have a nice house. They're all racists!!! If they think I see color they are racists!!! I am colorblind!!!
I've watched the sermon on YouTube (thanks Obama's Pastor) for posting the links. The truth of the matter is everything that man said in his sermon was the truth. I believe that media is spinning this to put Obama on the spot, forcing him to make a decision. Obama spun this in a manner to save face on national television. Not to make an issue of that but the media has a HISTORY of doing that.
It is not possible to morally equate white racism with black nationalism or the black value system or other manifestations of what you call black "racism." The fact is, black paranoia and retrenchment is an entirely justifiable reaction to 200 years of systematic exploitation and abuse in this so-called democratic nation; suspicion of whites in general (as opposed to specific individuals) is completely reasonable (btw, I am white) and, indeed, the black church has been one of the moral linchpins of the African-American community, providing emotional and material support where other means were completely unavailable. Wright's congregation is an example of the best part of this tradition and to equate it to a hate group is the height of relativistic b.s. The fact is, most Americans are not racist, but the inheritance of slavery still exists and many don't seem to care. Many blacks are born into conditions of poverty, ignorance, and hopelessness. Anger at this condition and attaching the blame to a culture that has decided that the lack of legal obstacles to equality somehow indicates actual equality on the ground is, in my opinion, totally sensible. Wright may have extreme rhetoric, but his attack on American failures is not anti-Americanism. Rather it is simply asking this country to live up to its promises.
Did Reihan read the NJ section of Sunday's NY Times ("Glimmers of Progress: A Failing School in Newark Tests New Approaches"). The first paragraph may remind some of an old racist joke:
THIRD grade has always been a hard year for Rahmana Muhammad’s children, and therefore for her. All of a sudden, it seems to this mother of four, their textbooks have fewer pictures, their homework lasts for hours, and their test scores plummet.
The Occam's Razor conclusion one takes away from this article, where one of the "glimmers of progress" is Ms. Muhammad's daughter Dyshirah earning an average of 51% on her class math tests (up from 17% at the start of the marking period) is that these kids aren't very smart. To the extent that this is true in general of most inner-city blacks, it raises the question of how many of their obstacles in life are due to a plain lack of ability, rather than some conspiracy against them by whitey.
If Obama wants to start an honest discussion of race in America, let him talk about that.
This must have something to do with religion because it has nothing to do with Obama. Can you highlight things that Obama said that are seperatist? The answer is an emphatic no.
Posted by Wayne | March 21, 2008 7:21 PM