I can't say I thought I'd be writing a post where I'd give President Obama the Dunce Cap but so be it. I put in my time, money and effort towards getting him elected AND I voted so I have earned the right to be critical.
First of all he decided to be publicly critical of the Cambridge Police while defending his friend Skip Gates. Bill Cosby of all people stated it wasn't a wise move on Obama's part to the derision of many blacks. Well...when facing a rising backlash from law enforcement and a lot of whites (I read a few "conservative" blogs and trust me they were PISSED) he danced the jig yesterday. So it looks like the Cos was right all along. What exactly does I didn't calibrate my words mean? SMH. That was a biyatch move Mr. President. Seriously.
As reader Khadijah pointed out so eloquently in the comment section of my Friday post, blacks only have but so much currency to spend during this administration. Much of it was wasted on this incident instead of something that would positively impact the collective. We are a minority population whose votes are usually taken for granted - thanks to the squandering of our clout gained during the Civil Rights era. So many people consider Obama a sacred cow they can't fathom the concept of doing any critical thinking where he's concerned. So obviously flexing their voting muscles is out of the question. I caught a lot of venom on a popular black political blog yesterday from those staunch defenders who insist Obama is doing a head fake by pretending to apologize. They're the ones who have the wool pulled over their eyes.
Oh yeah, he's invited Sgt. Crowley ("I'm-not-a-racist" but-really-he-is) to the White House for a beer - and he called him. Now that's a awfully big gesture for a "non-apology" as so many would like to claim. If you will also recall Crowley made it clear that HE WOULD NOT APOLOGIZE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. So why is Obama "calibrating his words"? Stalemate?
Like many destructive things going on in the non-existent "black community" this Idol worship regarding Obama has got to stop! Just like the lack of accountability for many of the pathologies that have gone unchecked. Obama has people to answer to and many of them don't want him in office period. They want to see him fail, publicly in a very spectacular way. I get that - but I don't care right now. There's far too much at stake. We need single-payer health care. We need jobs and career prospects. We need affordable homes and an attainable education.
I care more about the quality and trajectory of my own life - and relying on a politician to get that done is a big FAIL. Wielding power is a challenge and a responsibility. Obama is NOT beholden to black voters. He knows this - it's too bad many of "us" don't. Symbolic gestures amount to a hill of beans. He is not going to allow a build-up of any more white resentment than what's already there. I know that hurts to hear for those operating under a delusion but it's a fact. The sooner blacks accept reality and stop thinking in terms of what-ifs and what-they-wish-would-be the sooner we can take steps to get some long-lasting changes in place. That's not going to happen though.
First of all he decided to be publicly critical of the Cambridge Police while defending his friend Skip Gates. Bill Cosby of all people stated it wasn't a wise move on Obama's part to the derision of many blacks. Well...when facing a rising backlash from law enforcement and a lot of whites (I read a few "conservative" blogs and trust me they were PISSED) he danced the jig yesterday. So it looks like the Cos was right all along. What exactly does I didn't calibrate my words mean? SMH. That was a biyatch move Mr. President. Seriously.
As reader Khadijah pointed out so eloquently in the comment section of my Friday post, blacks only have but so much currency to spend during this administration. Much of it was wasted on this incident instead of something that would positively impact the collective. We are a minority population whose votes are usually taken for granted - thanks to the squandering of our clout gained during the Civil Rights era. So many people consider Obama a sacred cow they can't fathom the concept of doing any critical thinking where he's concerned. So obviously flexing their voting muscles is out of the question. I caught a lot of venom on a popular black political blog yesterday from those staunch defenders who insist Obama is doing a head fake by pretending to apologize. They're the ones who have the wool pulled over their eyes.
Check -
"President Obama said that the actions of the CPD were stupid and linked the event to a history of racial profiling in America," said Dennis O'Connor, president of the Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association.
"The facts of this case suggest the President used the right adjective, but directed it toward the wrong party."
"The supervisors and the patrol officers of the Cambridge Police Department deeply resent the implication and reject any suggestion that in this case or any other case, they have allowed a person's race to direct their activities," O'Connor said.
Check Mate -Now tell me when did Shrub EVER apologize for ANYTHING?
"Because this has been ratcheting up and I helped contribute to ratcheting it up, I want to make clear that in my choice of words I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt. Crowley specifically and I could have calibrated those words differently."
Oh yeah, he's invited Sgt. Crowley ("I'm-not-a-racist" but-really-he-is) to the White House for a beer - and he called him. Now that's a awfully big gesture for a "non-apology" as so many would like to claim. If you will also recall Crowley made it clear that HE WOULD NOT APOLOGIZE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. So why is Obama "calibrating his words"? Stalemate?
Like many destructive things going on in the non-existent "black community" this Idol worship regarding Obama has got to stop! Just like the lack of accountability for many of the pathologies that have gone unchecked. Obama has people to answer to and many of them don't want him in office period. They want to see him fail, publicly in a very spectacular way. I get that - but I don't care right now. There's far too much at stake. We need single-payer health care. We need jobs and career prospects. We need affordable homes and an attainable education.
I care more about the quality and trajectory of my own life - and relying on a politician to get that done is a big FAIL. Wielding power is a challenge and a responsibility. Obama is NOT beholden to black voters. He knows this - it's too bad many of "us" don't. Symbolic gestures amount to a hill of beans. He is not going to allow a build-up of any more white resentment than what's already there. I know that hurts to hear for those operating under a delusion but it's a fact. The sooner blacks accept reality and stop thinking in terms of what-ifs and what-they-wish-would-be the sooner we can take steps to get some long-lasting changes in place. That's not going to happen though.
21 comments:
Greetings Faith,
I was speaking about this issue with a very good friend IRL.
I was trying to talk to her about demanding reciprocity from people we vote into office OR start building our own communities like the Amish!
Her response was that Pres. Obama is a symbol for all of us and to the world. That every time she looks at him, and thinks about all the white voters who are racist she says to herlself: ha ha ha ha.
So there you have it.
Our ability to compete economically, educationally, and politically is reduced to a feeling of being avenged from many black folks.
I was excited, and hopeful about Pres. Obama. It is a historical moment that should be respected.
I'm NOT willing to go to extremes.
This whole incident made me dig in Khadija's archives for her thread about Machiavellis Prince versus President Obama.
All I can say is WE are deep trouble here, but collectively we aren't doing good, and didn't think through this situation.
When I saw that headline on Yahoo when I was checking my mail, I did a *shrug and chuckle*...invite the cop and the professor...for a beer...to the White House??? AND you called the cop to apologize??? Wow. Now if that ain't a "step and fetch" move, iunno what is.
I'm apolitical (I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing), but I was not an Obama supporter and I didn't vote for him (McKinney all the way!), but I respected what he did in order to get into office. Since I wasn't much of a staunch supporter, when I hear/see some of the things that he's doing, I just shrug.
What really makes me sad are my black friends and sorority sisters who have NO idea what any of his policies or actions are really doing, and I just shrug. Obama-ssiah in full effect.
Sister Seeking, Miriam said:Our ability to compete economically, educationally, and politically is reduced to a feeling of being avenged from many black folks.
This is scary.
PioneerValleyWoman,
On the thread immediately preceding this one, you said, ”Aren't both men, Gates and Obama, examples of this refugee status?”-
That’s exactly what’s wrong with them. They are REFUGEES, not sojourners. And in Obama's case, certainly NOT a "prince."
Months ago, I angered a LOT of Black folks by saying this during some of the discussions at my blog, but let me repeat it here:
Pres. Obama doesn't have a strong, faithful posse of his own. He didn't create any of the people around him. Instead, he was loaned the use of other people's posses and retainers. To use Renaissance/The Prince terminology, Pres. Obama has surrounded himself with mercenaries and auxiliaries. Auxiliaries are troops borrowed from another (typically more powerful) prince.
There are multiple things going on regarding Pres. Obama. There are some things going on that are particular to Pres. Obama:
*weak, people-pleaser personality
*half-White & half-foreign Black
*raised by Whites
*didn't grow up among AAs, therefore no natural AA posse from childhood/high school/parents' friends, etc.
*only really exposed to AAs as an adult
And then there are some things that apply to almost ALL crossover Black politicians:
*didn't pay any "dues" in any Black organization or movement
*no Black "posse"/troops as a result of the above
*primarily focused on being perceived as "non-threatening" by Whites
*no Black "posse"/troops as a result of the above
I think this situation is exposing some of the costs of being a disconnected, crossover Black politician. Basically, Pres. Obama doesn't have a natural posse because he was dropped in by parachute among us.
He HAS to cater to White people; even more so than the "typical" crossover Negro politician, because he has NO organic connections to AAs. Politically, he has NOTHING of his own.
Pres. Obama's situation is somewhat more extreme than "typical" AA crossover politicians because of his family background. Typical AA crossover politicians at least have Black potential posse members that they grew up with, or are friends of the family, etc.
Because he never formed a natural, Black posse, there's nobody around him that HE created and lifted up. NOBODY owes him. Meanwhile, he owes many, many WHITE people and many WHITE political "princes."
AAs are too stupid and caught up in emotionalism to see any of this. Black people did NOT make Pres. Obama. WHITE people made him, and WHITE people OWN him. Period.
This sequence of events is quite predictable to anyone who would just read and ponder Machiavelli's book The Prince.
I firmly believe that AAs are going to reap the whirlwind from these Negro crossover politicians once all the "old-heads" such as Rev. "Baby Daddy" Jackson, and Rev. "Hot Comb" Sharpton leave this mortal coil. As problematic as the "old heads" are, they are at least somewhat responsive to our people's needs. Not so with the crossover Negroes. Whites bought and paid for those crossover Negro politicians. We don't understand this, but AAs are just bystanders.
Faith, you mentioned that AA women have to avoid making these refugee-status mistakes that BM like Pres. Obama and Prof. Gates made when stepping out into the larger world. This is a critical point that all aspiring Sojourners must keep in mind as we make our moves.
Peace, blessings and solidarity.
Sister Seeking, Miriam: There you have it indeed. many blacks are operating from a victim mindset that having a "black" President sticks it to Whitey, when we are going to pay a harsh price for it. And I also see a lot of these so-called black political blogs aren't really interested in educating their readers either. Who's to say that anyone would listen if they did.
Sassy J: I did give money to McKinney's campaign and wrote a few posts about why she should've been supported.
Khadija: This is all guerilla training for a new life. I am witnessing the results of the disordered and confused thinking. I am also very grateful to be moving away from it.
We need our own secret society like what was created in Atlas Shrugged. We need it NOW because the time to escape may be happening sooner rather than later.....
Wow-this post is on fire! I'm so sad to say that you are right sister faith. But I deeply feel you are right. He should have kept his mouth shut in the first place rather than have to put his tail between his legs and apologize.
Whoever heard of a President inviting a racist cop to the white house!!! That's ludicrous! He really does seem to have some people pleaser aspects to his personality. And just like they try to get cops who are internally guided, and oriented (the kind who don't care if ppl cry and beg) I think a President MUST be internally oriented! He should have the fortitude to stand by his words most of all, and only apologize when HE FEELS he made a mistake( a big mistake) not calling a racist on being a racist! As soon as that man told the police officer that he lived there, and showed him proof that he lived there. The officer should have been on his way! Why did he stand there and continue to badger the man if not for racism? His ww neighbor even said that she could walk across the street and begin to jimmy the lock of a ramdom house, and nobody would call the police on her. Then he makes up some phoney charge and arrests the Professor... That's total racism. And for Obama (The President for God's sake) to call the racist and apologize feels like a slap in the face to me.....
Khadifa summed it up quite well and for those who have ever played chess, it is quite easy to see that black people have been "checkmated" by the political majority population.
I have read both the "Prince" and the "Art of War". The evidence speaks for itself for what has happened and what will come.
It is time to drop dead relics and move forward, there is no time left to ponder for those still on the fence about what is happening and what is coming.
Time to move on...
Recent update:
Gates wants to go the whitehouse to meet with the officer
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090725/ap_on_re_us/us_harvard_scholar_gates_reax
Faith, I hope it's okay to just say, "I'm tired". I see why our kids are giving up. When adults don't live with the realities of life, our children end up living the nightmare.
Make no mistake, we are living the nightmare.
This is a country where a media executive has no problem giving the woman with 14 kids a show and millions, but God forbid you help one black child to change their thinking from victim to doer.
Everybody knew that President Obama was not going to change the country. In fact, with him and Palin on the scene, the Republicans started wishing for Reagan to be resurrected and a "pure" party for the future. Further the self-appointed "defenders" of America's majority have purchased so many guns, they can't be processed fast enough.
Good intentions will not save this generation; only hard truth and a desire and will to turn our course, NO MATTER WHAT THE OPPOSITION, will do.
This was a most excellent blog.
Kudos
Wow, this post and the comments are so serious and thought provoking. I came over here from FN after reading your post.
It's okay to be hopeful, and I was, I voted for President Obama. But that doesn't mean I will just lean over at a 45% angle and nod my head at whatever is thrown at me without doing some critical thinking.
In addition to all that's been said here, what is especially *oh WOW!* to me is how this cop kept it completely 100 and made it clear that he was absolutely NOT going to apologize to Professor Gates.
And the next day the President does a complete turnaround.
blackgirlinmaine: Welcome and thank you for contributing. This is very disturbing indeed but it's a wonderful opportunity for (as many) blacks (who see the forest for the trees) to make lemonade out of lemons if they choose to.
Eve: Thanks for stopping by. Pull up a chair and sit at the roundtable. Like I said I'd like to be able to inject a little humor into this but alas my irony & sarcasm meter are on empty today. Feel free to spread the word that the party is over.
The media response to the Gates incident is an indication of the the blowback AA can expect to experience in the near future. But here's the thing: the media hype about this incident is bread and circus. This distraction is not our primary focus. Our focus remains removing ourselves from damaged and dangerous communities of all types.
The same goes for damaged and dangerous media. We must invest time and research to find, create, and sustain new media outlets. There must be alternative media from which critical thinkers can access and evaluate information. Our present and our future are too important to leave to mainstream media to accurately report or record.
Peace
In addition to all that's been said here, what is especially *oh WOW!* to me is how this cop kept it completely 100 and made it clear that he was absolutely NOT going to apologize to Professor Gates.-Eve
Eve, this was not a shock to me at all. Not at all.
Many black folks are complacent, and have settled for just a status symbol. Others are gleefully sacrificing our economic, educational, and political capital at the altar of the Obamassiah, and yet others have not moved beyond he’s the first black President.
I’ve been WATCHING how REAL modern racists, and the main element of the Republican Party are *ORGANIZING* for a *FIGHT*.
Those of us who are out of the matrix need to STOP focusing on Obama, and his worshipers. We need to focus on establishing ourselves, building alliances, and expanding our horizons to include international options NOW. The time to do this is NOW.
When, the Republican resurgence comes, it’s going to be different this time…
I’m not staying in any situation where I’m going to be dominated to my own injury.
Some one here mentioned something about the increase in weapon purchases by white republicans or something to that effect:
I hope you encourage other black women and children to relocate to mixed residential areas.
All of this isn't fairing for BW/BG
On one end, we are being raped, and killed up in all black settings
on the other end in all white settings ( depedening on class, and religion) we have other challenges to consider.
I won't be suprised if in ten years, the middle class BW/BG don't even live in the U.S. anymore...
Southland Diva: I think our alternate media are a handful of bloggers and others telling people to GET OUT.
Sister Seeking, Miriam: I agree we need to be prepared. The smart ones will and the rest will perish. We can only do but so much.
Faith, thank you for welcoming me, I will definitely spread the word about your (and similar) site.
Sister Seeking, Miriam, I hear you. I'm 30 now and it's taken me up until this point to process all these experiences, to take 30 years of living in America as a black woman, to feel the way the winds are blowing and to decide that I have to make some changes.
I've just been running all this time, from the shower to work to night class to the gym to avoid having to make decisions and moves that may mean leaving certain people and elements and baggage behind.
And it's so scary what these right wing factions are brewing up, I believe that those "teabag" gatherings earlier this spring were test runs or preludes to other things going on behind the scenes.
That someone can be basically snatched up from inside their home, taken to their porch, handcuffed and arrested is the police doing what they do when they have strict codes to align themselves with white patriarchy. The more I think about it, he would have probably been killed had he not been "Skip Gates"!
I'm deprogramming myself to try not to *react* to situations but rather to step way, way back in order to see the bigger picture. Asking myself "where do I and BW/BG fit in in all of this?" Gina's blog has helped me with that, too.
AAs are too stupid and caught up in emotionalism to see any of this. Black people did NOT make Pres. Obama. WHITE people made him, and WHITE people OWN him. Period.
I've said this about a 1000 times. Our "emotionalism" is why we aren't going to get a Black woman as a Supreme Court Justice during this term. We won't demand it of him.
Excellent post. Yes, he got Pwned. Bill Cosby was right. The President of the United states should not be commenting on local law enforcement procedures, if federal law was broken, he has a big ol' Department of Justice to handle all that. It doesn't matter if he was right or wrong. Its a matter of magnitude and this didn't rise to a level that needed comment from the ruler of the free world. What next? is he gong to be commenting on recommendations from the Iowa City Zoning Commission?
Yes, this was an INSANE amount of political capital wasted on someone who was probably extra special cranky after flying home from China. This could very well have been his "Katrina Flyover" moment.
They've been waiting for this moment to get him ensnared in some foolishness and low and behold it was behind a Harvard professor. I thought it would be behind some riots in some urban center, instead he got tripped up in Cambridge.
Faith,
Actually, that's what I meant to include in my first comment. Bloggers, esp. BWE bloggers, are the new media outlets. If Twitter (and I don't tweet...yet) was such an important component of Iranians getting the information out of Iran regarding their elections, then bw must use technology in the same way. We can use new media technology to inform and empower.....the same way some media currently use it to confuse and distract.
Eve: I concur about the teabaggers being a run-through. When you couple that with the stockpile of weapons and an emboldened law enforcement that spells T_R_O_U_B_L_E for the average AA person. Not for Obama because he has a Secret Service detail.
GEM2001: Yup the emotionalism is the death knoll of black people. But Obama wanted to throw Latinos a bone since he had Sotomayor on his short list before he took office. I still want Kimberlie Crenshaw to get nominated.
Southland Diva: We only have but so many alternate sources of news, we have to utilize what we have and protect them. Also Twitter is great but as I wrote in a post about Iran it was the US gov't that negotiated its use. Also you may recall the protesters spoke & wrote signs in English and had smartphones. I suspect we were witnessing some type of huge social class backlash. I've also noticed in these discussions about "freedom" being trampled on they don't discuss the Persian Jews and what role if any they played in the election problems.
Wagging a finger at some of my friends,
"I told ya'll. You should have voted for McKinney..."
This morning, Monday, I heard a brief snippet on "The Takeaway" and the host and his guest were talking about this. Basically, in a nutshell, if all the "hoopla" doesn't continue on into this week, it will expose his "political vulnerability" for future political runnings (in relation to the White males that voted for him this go round). I know that this is something that the readers of this blog mentioned early, so I thought it was interesting that the "outside world" caught on...lol.
http://www.thetakeaway.org/media/player/mplayer.html?file=/xspf/2009/jul/27/takeaway-monday-july-27-2009-early-edition/&autoPlay=true
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