I’m very careful when I say someone is spreading hate, particularly that of black people. I think the problem is that because of a difference of values and the stark difference of interpretive lenses, which is SOLELY based on race (read: the color of one’s skin) and as a result, race determines one’s cultural and social view point, many others, usually whites, see it as hate speech.

There’s nothing that Jeremiah Wright or many other blacks say that has ever said that they “hate” whites or that they even “hate” this country. They are merely strongly, and vehemently criticizing the woes of this country and pointing out the injustices that occur as a result of white privilege.

Now, admittedly, Jeremiah Wright and the ilk don’t hit the target 100% of the time, and I think this open forum, which America has tried in many different forms and facets different regions with a cross set of people, should address moreover the poor in this country irrespective of race because many of the problems that black America suffers from are also the same problems that many non-whites suffer from.

Again, you’re correct that prejudice is not relgated to race alone, but, again, think about it some a black person from America walked in your shoes, would they necessarily have the same experience as you did (this is assuming that you are of European ancestry, not a given, but an assumption based on your comment).

And for the record, maybe you got a small taste of what it was like to be pre-judged without knowin the real you–something that millions of non-whites in this country understand all to well.

Moreover, to borrow from your comment, perhaps they were prejudiced against you because of your values, not because of you being from the US.

JLL

Go back a few more years, 1953, Reverend Albert B. Cleage. Author of The Black Messiah and Black Christian Nationalism, New Directions for the Black Church.

http://www.blessingsoffaith.org

Does anyone know if the reverend has spoken out and condemned this horrific practice? I doubt it as he values his head!

It doesn’t matter that hardly any white people have been negatively impacted by an attempt at fairness and parity in our society. It doesn’t matter.

Will any attempt at fairness only be fair when it puts the screws to and makes “white people” suffer? Would that suffice? To what extent should the sins of the fathers be vested into this generation? Or are we all “Aryan” hate mongers beyond regeneration?

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jlazard10, if there was one book you would recommend regarding Black Liberation Theology, what would it be?

Rev Billy Graham (American’s Pastor) remains well respected though his speaking included controversial statements that at specific points in time did not appear to faze the body politic–and he advised sitting presidents.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s statements spoke truth to power and he was discredited by many of those in power—especially when organizing workers and against the Viet Nam war. He was murdered and of course became accepted as America’s most prized color blind ‘speech maker’ lauded by blacks, whites, and others alike—except for those politically elected officials who refused to accept that the national hero status did not belong to a man who did not look like them.

Would any of us, with a few ‘fiery’ video snippets in heavy media rotation reflect the best of ourselves when others (good, bad, indifferent) manipulate a deliberately dumbed-down public to think and support a broken-down republican democracy whose mantra appears to be ‘business as usual?’

Wright’s solution is to denounce America and promote segregationist-esque policies, political upheaval etc. My take is that histhetoric is divisive and counter-productive. It feeds into the mentality that society ought to repair these historical divisions with broad-brush, categorical and statist solutions, which ultimately create more divisions than they solve. Hes entitled to his fringe views.

However, his fringe views, to the extent that they are reflected in Obama, will hurt Obama’s chances at the whitehouse. Most American’s don’t subscribe to Wrights OPINIONS — they probably think hes nuts. The public has a right to know and judge Obama based on whether he associates with said nutcases.

Wright can say whatever he wants. It’s a free country. What he says speaks for itself. Personally, I’m apalled by his words and see him as being no different than the KKK when they refer to blacks or the Palestinians when they speak of the Jew. For Wright to spew his hate in front of kids is especially sickening.

As far as slavery? My ancestors had nothing to do with it. I note that Obama’s ancestors were Arabs. And it was the Arabs who were the slave traders. They killed millions of people in the slave trades. So if you have a problem with the history of slavery in the US take it up with Obama. His ancestors were in charge of supply.

Which brings up another point. Obama has no more connection (other than the above) to the precendents or decendents of slaves in America than I do. A white guy. Obama is an import to the US. He is unrelated to any American slave now long dead.

If this Wright fellow was white and out in a field beneath a burning cross dressed in white robes yelling the same kind of garbage I’d be the first guy in line wanting to punch him in the nose. Ignorance is ignorance and just because Wright is a minister and happens to be black I’m not going to give his hate speech a pass.

I’ve read everything on this page and I do not see anything that justifies the kind of hatred I’ve seen over and over from Wright. Like I said, it’s a free country and he can say what he wants but that works both ways and I don’t have to agree with him.

Wright is poisonous…..