85°F12:20 PM Zombies, race bating, white privilege and Rand Paul [The Arena]
Regardless of how many times they are shot in the brain with thoughts of equality and tolerance, elected officials like Rep. Doug Lamborn and Senator Rand Paul allow themselves to exhibit ignorant and racist behavior similar to that of a zombie. Since the election of President Barack Obama, many elected officials have said something ignorantly racist in the same breath as something associated with racial minorities. These ignorant slips have recently been referred to as race bating.
Colorodo Representative Doug Lamborn let his ignorant zombie shine through earlier this week when he mentioned the racially charged word, “tarbaby,” after stating his disagreement with President Obama's plan for the debt ceiling. He later issued an apology, saying that he intended to use tarbaby as a turn of phrase representing a quagmire. Whether Representative Lamborn's intentions were coming from a place of underhanded racism is irrelevant. If Rep. Lamborn allowed this phrase to escape his lips because of ignorance, there is something just as dangerous as blatant racism at work here. It is something called White privilege.
White privilege is not born out of financial standing or social clout due to graduating from an Ivy League university. White privilege has roots embedded deeply within every fiber of American society, and unquestionably exists here in Kentucky. Even the poorest White American possesses an unspoken privilege over any Black, Hispanic or Asian person due to the color of his or her skin. To quote Chris Rock, “There's not one White person in here who'd switch places with me, and I'm rich!” This privilege gives White Americans an excuse to allow racist terms, behavior and insensitivity squeak out of their everyday behavior.
This type of behavior however, is utterly inexcusable.
Kentucky's own Senator Rand Paul was possibly bitten by a zombie. The senator publicly stated he stood behind his father's opinion that portions of 1964 Civil Rights act should not have been enacted. How embarrassing for a state that is already the butt of many jokes that end with punchlines about rednecks, racism and ignorance to again have a national association with discrimination.
When Rachel Maddow questioned Senator Rand Paul on his personal opinion about segregated lunch counters, the senator deflected by discussing 2nd amendment rights for gun owners in privately owned businesses. Guns did not recently celebrate the election of the first gun-American President. Guns have never fought for equal rights as immigrants to this country. Guns do not have a 400 year history of being sold with chattel mortgages attached to their names. Guns cannot give birth, love or demand the right to marry. Guns are not people. Senator Rand Paul's White privilege has turned him into a zombie who cannot process the difference between the right to bear arms and the basic human right to be treated with dignity.
Photo: FreeRangeStock/Chance Agrella
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Tarbaby is not a racially charged word
Tarbaby is not a racially charged word. Tar is sticky. The story of the Tar Baby involves Br'er Rabbit fighting with the Tar Baby and getting stuck in the tar. The more he fights, the more stuck he gets. It has nothing whatever to do with race.
I have no use for Lamburn at all. I think he is about as close to utterly worthless as any human I know of, but to suggest that he's racist for using a non-racist term is not at all honest.As far as Sen. Paul goes, he didn't do well in the discussion with Maddow (yes, I could have done better) but he is right: if a racist has the right to exclude certain races from his dinner table, then he also has the right to exclude those same races from his business. One right follows from the other.
Are you kidding me
Too funny. The latest ridiculous rant from the tired idea crew. if u can't beat em - call em racists. Remember this little ditty – it’s ours now.
Come writers and criticsWho prophesize with your penAnd keep your eyes wideThe chance won't come againAnd don't speak too soonFor the wheel's still in spinAnd there's no tellin' whoThat it's namin'For the loser nowWill be later to winFor the times they are a-changin'.
Racism is real
Just because you may have never experienced racism does not mean it does not exist.
And yes, racism is tired. I'm tired of having to talk about it. I'm tired of defending myself as a human being. I'm tired of seeing quips like what I wrote about in the news.
It's truly tired because individuals like the people I wrote about refuse to understand the perspective of their fellow man.
Please stop with your tired
Please stop with your tired scheme of playing the victim in order to score political points. Nobody's buying it anymore except for the outrageously stupid.
Reading Is Fun
Perhaps you should expand your ignorance and do a little research into the libertarian philosophy. We do NOT believe that government should dictate the actions of private citizens provided those actions do not impinge upon the freedom of another. Period. Stop. It is sad and horrendously stupid to be racist but being so does not give the government the right to tell you what you may do with your private property. Both Ron Paul and Rand Paul understand that people have the right to be stupid and that society will change or punish them through societal pressure, not governmental.
Your article, for instance, could be viewed as detrimental to society because of its obvious ignorance. We should not, however, use the blugdeon of government power to shut you up. Instead we should use societal pressure, such as ridicule or education, to change your views.
Understand?
Reading is fun. You're right.
Hmm, sounds like you need to research what White privilege is before you take my article as an attack on libertarian philosophy.
Minority privledge
You discuss "White Privilege" as though that is the end of the story. What about White Disadvantage? or Minority Privilege?
Minority Privilege
1. Anytime race is discussed you are assured that whatever you say will be socially acceptable
2. Guaranteed a minimum number of positions in every organization by law regardless of ability/qualification
3. The "Race Card" can be used to win any dispute even ones that have nothing to do with racial issues
4. plenty more
Many of the "White Privileges" that were discussed in the "White" paper that you linked to were not social privileges but rather market responses... you know, supply and demand.
Like:
5. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.
9. I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods which fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser’s shop and find someone who can cut my hair.
20. I can easily buy posters, post-cards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys, and children’s magazines featuring people of my race.
26. I can choose blemish cover or bandages in “flesh” color and have them more or less match my skin.
These are all profit driven; if the company cannot turn a profit making "flesh" colored bandages then they won't make them. This has zero to do with privilege and everything to do with profit.
I can see the "Advantages" of being white... but i can also see the disadvantages... same goes for all minorities... I am all for equality... but lets be sure we are in fact fighting for equality. You seem to want to turn these politicians' words into a racial issue... see my #3 above.
It's all one
2nd, 1st, 4th, whatever. They are all equally human rights. Rand's point is that you can't just pick and choose which right you defend. Private property is just that, private. If I owned a restaurant I would not server bigots but under your beliefs I would have to do so.
I certainly don't have to research the obvious disparity in equality before the laws that exists for many non-white races in America. I've been aware of it for a very long time.
And yes, I do take your article as an attack on libertarianism because it is from a libertarian stance that Rand Paul was arguing his point (although he would rather call it constitutional conservatism). You argue that his stance on this issue has made him into a zombie, which means that anyone who holds the same views are zombies. Ergo, libertarians , vallo vestri!
Talk about Zombies!
This blog was so amazing that a video was created to encapsulate it perfectly. Enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrcM5exDxcc
It's called interview with a Zombie.
I clicked the link, but the
I clicked the link, but the video isn't loading. :-(
The link works
The link worked for me you should try again.