“Is Something Less True If a White Person Says It About Black People?”
[guest post by Dana]
Bill Maher asked the question of his guests. Apparently, the answer is, yes. (video at link)
Paul Ryan: “We have got this tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular, of men not working and just generations of men not even thinking about working or learning to value the culture of work.”
Michelle Obama: ‘When it comes to getting an education, too many of our young people just can’t be bothered. They’re sitting on couches for hours playing video games, watching TV instead of dreaming of being a teacher or a lawyer or a business leader — they’re fantasizing about being a baller or a rapper.’
–Dana
Something is also less true if a black conservative says it about black people.
Word.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 3/31/2014 @ 12:50 pmThe video is remarkable.
JD (f87acf) — 3/31/2014 @ 12:52 pmJD, I wanted to embed video, but wasn’t able to get it work. Still on the learning curve.
Dana (9a8f57) — 3/31/2014 @ 12:55 pmI’m surprised that Bill Maher decided to illustrate the destruction of intelligent discourse by the Left. He’s normally a prime offender himself.
SPQR (768505) — 3/31/2014 @ 12:59 pmIf hitler says something about jews does it make it less true?
joe (39b7ee) — 3/31/2014 @ 12:59 pmWhite people only speak to other white people this way.
Colonel Haiku (ec903e) — 3/31/2014 @ 1:00 pmHeh!
nk (dbc370) — 3/31/2014 @ 1:02 pmSPQR – Maher will occasionally skewer his own side for blatant hypocrisy such as trying to score political points by turning the threat of radical Islam into bigotry instead of recognizing it for its true nature.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 3/31/2014 @ 1:03 pmIn an ironic twist, that is the funniest comedian Bell has ever been.
Colonel Haiku (ec903e) — 3/31/2014 @ 1:11 pmIn 1965, then Assistant Labor Secretary Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s report on the black family came to these very same conclusions and for his efforts he was pilloried by his liberal allies and essentially called a racist.
So in roughly a half a century’s time nothing much has substantially changed.
When Dr. Thomas Sowell has to candidly acknowledge that blogger Paul Kersey’s observations regarding black dysfunction in society at large is apt then we really have not progressed in 50yrs time.
Essentially the public discourse is the same as it ever has been.
White public official: “Blacks bear the brunt of responsibility for their own destructive behaviors that they commit upon themselves as well as society at large.”
Black community’s response: “RACIST! RACIST!”
Black community leader (either self apointed or approved of by the community at large): Essentially ditto what the white person said.
Black community’s response: “Wow, that is deep and maybe we should seriously consider these observations.”
But of course the community does not actually take constructive actions to help improve or rectify their own personal problems, only the promise of considering what was actually said.
Actions speak louder than words and we now have half a century’s worth of data since Moynihan’s report.
Kenneth Simmons (a10c17) — 3/31/2014 @ 1:20 pmAnd when black people say that white people benefit from white privilege it is likewise untrue.
Peter (371d15) — 3/31/2014 @ 1:31 pmi am a victim of white privilege.
redc1c4 (abd49e) — 3/31/2014 @ 2:21 pmI have a liberal co-worker who once stated that black people are allowed to say things that white people are not allowed to say.
“In other words,” I responded, “you believe people should be treated differently based on the color of their skin.”
End of conversation.
Whitey Nisson (7f2263) — 3/31/2014 @ 3:00 pmMy take away from the video was also “Yes, it’s not true if a white person says it.”
Personally though, I think the root of the problem has nothing to do with whether Black people call truth racist or not. The problem with the Black community is that they are encouraged to identify with their “black community”. But there is no “black community” beyond the advocacy groups. So all that happens instead is a form of groupthink, which is what we have all seen as attacks on black conservatives and discussions of authenticity.
No black individual is responsible for all other blacks. Until they make that leap, they’ll remained trapped.
But that’s just my racist opinion.
DejectedHead (a094a6) — 3/31/2014 @ 3:35 pmWhen there’s a painful truth that people wish to look away from, they will either tell you the debate is over, or they’ll attempt to smear you (“War on Women !” “Raaaacist !” “Global Warming Denier !” et al) as a means of delegitimizing not only your debating points, but your right to engage in a dialogue.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 3/31/2014 @ 4:00 pmAs interesting as this video clip may be, no matter how revealing it is, regardless of the arguments made or expressed, remember this: Bill Mahar is an unfunny, repulsive, toad of a man, and if this appears embarrassing to leftist race-hustlers, you should consider it an own-goal that Mahar deeply regrets
Pious Agnostic (ac89e5) — 3/31/2014 @ 4:09 pmyes, the auteur of ‘Pizza Man’ and second banana to Shannon Tweed, in Amazon Women, needs less attention paid to him,
narciso (3fec35) — 3/31/2014 @ 4:18 pm16.
I don’t really agree with you on your opinion. Maher. He seems to truly believe the things he says and advocates for. He reasonably weighs evidence and appears to ACTUALLY listen to people. You probably don’t like him because he’s a smart ass. His being a comedian doesn’t help because a sarcastic quip torpedoes a genuine discussion sometimes. Just because you disagree with him doesn’t mean you have to call him names. Or is that just something we tell liberals to do?
DejectedHead (06f486) — 3/31/2014 @ 4:48 pmFunny, this criticism from the ever-sanctimonious Mrs. Obama regarding kids aspiring to become pro athletes, rappers, pop singers and actors, given that those are the very same folks whom her husband seems to constantly rub shoulders with in transparent attempts at self-aggrandizement and for pathetic “celebrity” mutual ego masturbation sessions, and whom he hits up incessantly for them to propagandize his agenda.
Guy Jones (df6cf0) — 3/31/2014 @ 5:07 pm#BanBossy
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 3/31/2014 @ 5:23 pmBlack community leader (either self apointed or approved of by the community at large): Essentially ditto what the white person said.
Black community’s response: “Wow, that is deep and maybe we should seriously consider these observations.”
Yes and no. Recall Jesse Jackson saying that the wanted to cut off Obama’s balls when Obama dared to broach dysfunction in the black community back in 2008. Of course, Jesse was worried that this comment came in the context of an election year, and that it would divert attention away from the preferred “give us more money” chorus that Jackson was trying to lead. Jesse is far more tolerant of these kinds of observations when they come in odd-numbered years.
JVW (9946b6) — 3/31/2014 @ 5:33 pm“””Yes and no. Recall Jesse Jackson saying that the wanted to cut off Obama’s balls when Obama dared to broach dysfunction in the black community back in 2008. Of course, Jesse was worried that this comment came in the context of an election year, and that it would divert attention away from the preferred “give us more money” chorus that Jackson was trying to lead. Jesse is far more tolerant of these kinds of observations when they come in odd-numbered years.””””
Other way round, it’s no and yes. Jesse in particular has often made these various Seinfeldian observations regarding the black community. It is all too easy to forget now but before Jesse became Jesse the Community Hustler Inc. he was a simple reverend who made speeches within the black community in an attempt to exhort blacks to become better than they were. “Up with hope, down with dope” was an early slogan of his movement.
Then in the late 70s and early 80s he found he could become his own corporate brand, so to speak, by shaking down white businesses for the big moolah.
How do you think his kid made it to Congress?
Jesse started out somewhat sincere, but also somewhat ambitious. He wanted to be MLK’s apparent heir; in some respects he has definitely succeeded….for himself.
For the community of that he ostensibly claims to represent? Well…..not so much and they’ll just have to fend for themselves.
Kenneth Simmons (a10c17) — 3/31/2014 @ 5:51 pmIn the aggregate, it is probably accurate that something that an honest white person says about black people is less true than what an honest black person would say about black people. This is because their experience is limited and they will get more things wrong.
The same could be said for what blacks say about whites, what Protestants say about Catholicism, etc.
The problem is in the word “honest” however. Blacks who say what Michelle said about blacks can find themselves without friends. Bill Cosby said something along those lines a few years back and caught hell for it.
Kevin M (b11279) — 3/31/2014 @ 7:18 pmBlacks who say what Michelle said about blacks can find themselves without friends.
However, the imprimatur of a person’s liberalism will pretty much nullify anything racially/socially egregious that such a person may say, as judged by the left.
I bet someone like Michelle Obama could talk about the black community in the tongue of a Klu Klux Klanner and she’d still be given wide latitude — plenty of passes — by most of her fellow leftists. However, if she had an overnight epiphany and declared herself to be a newly registered conservative Republican (“common sense entered my brain! Hallelujah!”), she could act and talk like a Mother Theresa from that day forward and still would be shunned and scolded by her leftwing peer group.
Mark (38186e) — 3/31/2014 @ 9:45 pmI saw this at Althouse. It fits with this post and with the video. It’s part of a New Yorker interview with Kobe Bryant,
(emphasis added)
Dana (9a8f57) — 3/31/2014 @ 10:01 pm“””” When I brought up LeBron James posting online a photo of the Heat players dressed in hoodies, with their heads bowed, in solidarity with Trayvon Martin, as political expression, Bryant seemed nonplussed. “I won’t react to something just because I’m supposed to, because I’m African-American,” he said. “That argument doesn’t make sense to me. So we want to advance as a society and as a culture, but, say, if something happens to an African-American, we immediately come to his defense? Yet you want to talk about how far we’ve progressed as a society? Well, if we’ve progressed as a society, then you don’t jump to somebody’s defense just because they’re African-American. You sit and you listen to the facts just like you would in any other situation, right? So I won’t assert myself.” “”””
FInish it, Dana. A few days later after catching hell all over the internet, Kobe Bryant ‘clarified’ what he meant.
He basically said that he stands by what he said BUT IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE, Trayvon Martin WAS WRONGED by the system and he should be sided with.
So basically Kobe backtracked and did a 180, attempting to have it both ways. He folded like paper blowing in the wind as soon as the community was all over him for what he said.
It would’ve take more guts to not only stand by what he said but then to cap it off with “And I dont apologize, I’m not backing down, and that’s all I have to say about this.”
But he didnt. He backtracked and sided with Trayvon Martin, not George Zimmerman.
Come to think of it, there are very few blacks who sided with George Zimmerman post-trial. Very, very few at least in public.
S
Kenneth Simmons (a10c17) — 4/1/2014 @ 7:35 pm