On yesterday's show on Air America Randi Rhodes took Oprah to task for talking "black" at a campaign event for Barack Obama. According to Rhodes it was eitrher fake or a lie. For a woman usually on the right, and by right side I mean the moral side, of the race issue Ms Rhodes exposed that latent racial disparity all of us white folks suffer from. That is we can only relate intellectually to the difference between the two communities. What we can not rfelate to as well is the heritage, a history of racism, genocide, slavery and hypocrisy. Whether these crimes are forgivable by the black community is not for whites to determine. The fact that many blacks feel and are torn between two communities, a familiar one dominated by friends, families and a shared history, and the other hich is often antagonistic and sometimes dangerous, but necessary to survive.
Randi's show amounted to an attack on Obama, Oprah and the black community that the Right wing could not have levelled without confirming their own racism. What was the purpose of her rant? Surely it must have been her ignorance, which, given her previous record on race relations, was more innocent than malicious. That she argued th point for much of her show so vehemently only proves the point and serves to highlight the difference.
The fact is as white people who wish to deal with our inherent racism take the accusation very personally. It is rather akin to an alcoholic or drug user coming to terms with their affliction. Like alcoholism, racism must be acknowledged and battled every minute of every day. I have come to terms with my addiction to my racist tendencies and work to fight their weakness each day. Some days, I should add are better than others, but I use those bad days as a gauge to depth my disease. Randi, I hope will use her day of weakness in the same manner.
2 comments on Air America Host Randi Rhodes a Republican Tool?
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Your public self-flagellation is embarrassing.
Trying thinking without the bull. What I am saying is change yourself, because you have no hope of forcing someone else to change. No issue between souls is ever resolved by pointing fingers at others, but rather at yourself. I witnessed the genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda and am fully aware of the inate hatred in everyone of every race and ethnicity. Someone very wise told me once it is better to set an example than be an example. Thanks for the reply.