The “acting stupidly” remark.
Now why is that? Why is it that the whole press conference revolved around healthcare issues and the single most important legislation being considered since Medicare, but the only thing people are talking about today is Barack Obama’s answer to Lynn Sweeney’s question about the arrest of Professor Louis Gates, Jr. for disorderly conduct?
I’ll tell you why. It’s because of the fact that while vast strides have been made to correct the nation’s past penchant to discriminate on account of race, we are not there yet. White people are openly critical of Obama’s “acting stupidly” remarks because he was not there and couldn’t know all of the facts. Even the arresting officer is unrepentant. Black people speak in one voice supporting Obama.
And why the schism? Why is this difference in opinion breaking along racial lines?
Could it be because white people have never been subjected to racial profiling?
Could it be because black people get it every day that they are outside?
We form our opinions and attitudes from the sum of our life experiences. If someone has never experienced discrimination and prejudgment based on the color of their skin they have a skewed attitude. I lived 5 years in
He was the victim of racial profiling. Barack Obama, we all know, as a state senator in
Now can we all get back on the subject? Can we finally guarantee health care coverage for all Americans?
5 comments:
I guess the officer should have left the scene immediately when the Professor refused to identify himself.
Silly (stupid) officer.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0723092gates1.html
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99KBEAO1&show_article=1
Seems the cop in question teaching classes on how to avoid racial profiling due to his record of, surprisingly, avoiding racial profiling.
While this obviously doesn't prove anything, this helps cements my opinion that the Harvard professor was just a jackass who refused to cooperate with police and screams racism when he doesn't get his way.
Correction to the above Anon.
Professor Gates exhibited ID which reflected that he indeed was the identified occupant of the home/address. At that point, that should have been enough for the police officer to use his common sense logic to his supposedly suspicion that the Professor had entered his "own" home for the purpose of burglary; but, no, he still did not adjust his attitude to back down in pursuit of some criminal intent on the part of Professor Gates, and to that end, the policeman eventually handcuffed the Professor and preceded to arrest him.
Furthermore, common sense should have prevailed when the officer noted that the professor had to walk with the aid of a walking cane. It seems highly unlikely that a maturing, elderly gentleman on a walking cane would be attempting a criminal break-in.
This incident was classic racial profiling spurred by the impetus of racism.
One fact: Whites through the view of their own experiences see the policeman as their protector. Blacks through the view of their own experiences see the policeman
as individuals that are not their friends and are to be feared.
I could say more, but I'll simply end by saying the following:
The Policemen’s or the Sheriff’s motto: “We serve to protect” are for White folks not Black folks.
Racism???
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6544790.html
When Cops or HOA people come into MY home asking me who I am, I retain the right to act stupidly! Yes I do! and I am white! God help us all if I were Black, and a professor at Harvard. The cops or HOA members might be chained in my basement yet.
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