Rip the Article Apart for me?

[tropaka]

I don't know if this belongs in snark, but it certainly is about an ism (racism) and in my mind utter BS. A normally sane person on another board posted this and I don't have the mind this am to rip it the way it deserves. Summary - white guy claims the US is the least racist nation, then goes on to make what I consider racist statements...a sampling:

The political aspect is this: The Democrats and the left recognize that if blacks cease viewing themselves as victims of racism, the Democratic Party can no longer offer itself as black America's savior. And if only one out of three black Americans ceases to regard to himself as a victim of racism, and votes accordingly, it will be very difficult for Democrats to win any national election.

The other issue is black memory. Apparently, most blacks either cannot or refuse to believe that the vast majority of whites are no longer racist. Most Americans were hopeful that the election of a black president — thereby making America the first white society in history to choose a black leader — would finally put to rest the myth of a racist America. More than three years later it seems not to have accomplished a thing. I now suspect that if the president, the vice-president, the entire cabinet, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and all nine justices on the Supreme Court were black, it would have no impact on blacks who believe America is a racist society — or on the left-wing depiction of America as racist.

creators.com/conservative/dennis-prager.html

[Kitty]

What a fucking moron.

The United States is the least racist and least xenophobic country in the world. Foreigners of every race, ethnicity, and religion know this. Most Americans suspect this. Most black Americans and the entire left deny this.

I'd love to hear his explanation of interracial marriage not being accepted by a majority of the population until the early 1990's. You still don't see a lot of them on TV, but you're increasingly likely to find gay couples (both white, of course!)

Also, "least racist" doesn't mean it's not racist and xenophobic at all- just ask any Latino who, regardless of nationality and citizenship status, has been told to go back to Mexico. I highly doubt the US is the least racist or xenophobic, anyway. What's his source for that? What are the stats? Was there a study done on racist and xenophobic attitudes in different countries, or is this just his "observation" when I doubt he's ever been outside the US?

And members of other races and nationalities know this. Even Muslim and Arab writers have noted that nowhere in the Arab or larger Muslim world does an Arab or any other Muslim have the individual rights, liberty, and dignity that a Muslim living in America has. As for Latinos and Asians, vast numbers of them from El Salvador to Korea regard America as the land of opportunity.

The US has a constitution with a Bill of Rights, as well as many other laws on local, state, and federal levels that guarantee the rights for all people. This is not necessarily the case in other Muslim countries, where government is heavily influenced by religion. In their case, it's Muslims oppressing other Muslims, and they emigrate to find better opportunities for education and wealth.

I think it's cute how he points out that Latinos and Asians regard America as a land of opportunity... which Korea is he talking about, anyway? South Korea is a developed nation, as is Japan. North Koreans have been brainwashed into thinking of the US as this big, capitalist monster, and they have VERY limited contact with anyone outside the country so who knows how they actually feel. Again, what's his source? "Land of opportunity" propaganda he picked up in US history classes? I did notice how he failed to mention any European country, you know, the ones with more secular governments than ours, better education, and better health care.

And when any of these people come here - from anywhere, speaking any language, looking like a member of any race — they are accepted as Americans the moment they identify as such. He or she will be regarded as fully American.

I'm sure a Latino or Middle Eastern immigrant will agree with this :roll: even if they weren't immigrants but were born here.

Not even lily-white European immigrants will be regarded as "fully American," anyway, to a lot of people they'd be considered "the European."

"The other day, I was in a small company — and there were Asians, Koreans, Middle Easterners, some other people.

And they had been in America for, like, two, three, four years. And they talk American. They look American. Body language is American. I'm sure they already think American. Go to Korea and become Korean in one or two years' time. Good luck with that. That's what's so special about this country."

"Body language is American." Are you fucking serious? I thought body language was fairly universal among humans. Unless he's talking about personal space and all that.

And someone's forgetting (or didn't bother finding this out in the first place) that South Korea is ethnically quite homogenous. Of course you won't be considered South Korean as soon as you identify as a South Korean, but that's not true in the US either with all kinds of races and ethnicities.

The left-wing drumbeat about America as racist is a combination of politics and black memory.

The political aspect is this: The Democrats and the left recognize that if blacks cease viewing themselves as victims of racism, the Democratic Party can no longer offer itself as black America's savior. And if only one out of three black Americans ceases to regard to himself as a victim of racism, and votes accordingly, it will be very difficult for Democrats to win any national election.

Except there IS racism, because the reason Trayvon Martin's death was never investigated was because he was black.

And I love how he's convinced that if black people were to stop pretending racism didn't exist then the Democrats would start losing elections. As if nobody could arrive at a liberal political mindset on their own, even without the bias of being black. :roll: Of course, Republicans could stop being racist and xenophobic.

The other issue is black memory. Apparently, most blacks either cannot or refuse to believe that the vast majority of whites are no longer racist. Most Americans were hopeful that the election of a black president — thereby making America the first white society in history to choose a black leader — would finally put to rest the myth of a racist America.

America is still racist, not individual Americans, but definitely the general culture. He seems to think that not spouting the N-word on primetime TV counts as "not racist." It's a much more subtle form of racism. Try looking at the ebil godless media, and count how many black people you see. And how they're depicted- they aren't depicted the same way as white people are.

Note how he also says America is a white society. Errr... what? First he's going on about how any Tom, Dick, or Harry from Far-Flung Foreignia can be accepted as American as soon as they say they are, and implies that America is a diverse nation, then he says America is a white society without acknowledging Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, or anyone else. True, they're minorities, but Latinos will be the majority soon.

[smores]

I'm confused as to how America is a white society as well... but I am assuming this guy's head is so far up his ass, he is unable to read census data.

ETA: Also, "white" is not interchangeable with "western," he may want to check that.

[Anise]

The United States is the least racist and least xenophobic country in the world.

That statement carries the weight of saying US poo doesn't smell as bad as others' poo. It's really still all shit no matter how you cut it, so it's purposeless to say whose is best. Racism is a problem world wide: proof

Black Africans know this. That is why so many seek to live in the United States.

Did he survey immigrants to find out why they're immigrating? Also, Black people in Africa feel discriminated against in regions where their bodies are considered normal to come to the US to be a minority? In what state of mind does this make sense?

Decades ago, the number of black Africans who had immigrated to the United States had already surpassed the number of black Africans who were forcibly shipped to America as slaves.

What point does it prove that centuries of immigration from African countries has recently passed the number that was first brought as slaves?

And members of other races and nationalities know this. Even Muslim and Arab writers have noted that nowhere in the Arab or larger Muslim world does an Arab or any other Muslim have the individual rights, liberty, and dignity that a Muslim living in America has.

Sorry I got distracted when he said "Arab or any other Muslim" because not all Arabs are Muslim.

And anyways, even if this point were true, that Arabs experience greater freedoms here than in Arab countries, what point would that prove? On average, there are more freedoms in the US than in mostly totalitarian countries- that totally proves that there isn't inequality among people in the US. . . not.

As for Latinos and Asians, vast numbers of them from El Salvador to Korea regard America as the land of opportunity.

That people think there are jobs in the US, doesn't mean that there isn't racial discrimination. Or maybe he has a different definition of racism than I do.

And when any of these people come here - from anywhere, speaking any language, looking like a member of any race — they are accepted as Americans the moment they identify as such.

I call BS here.

He or she will be regarded as fully American. This is not true elsewhere. A third-generation Turkish-German, whose German is indistinguishable from the German spoken by an indigenous German, will still be regarded by most Germans as a Turk. The same holds true elsewhere in Europe.

And when people ask a Chinese American where she's from and she says Chicago, they ask again. Also, what does he mean by an indigenous German?

On the other hand, a first-generation Turkish American, who speaks English with a heavy Turkish accent, but who identifies as American, will be regarded every bit as American as anyone else.

Whatever world he's living in sounds like a nice place.

As is often the case, a foreigner pointed this out most clearly. On a visit to America in February, The president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, said:

"The other day, I was in a small company — and there were Asians, Koreans, Middle Easterners, some other people. And they had been in America for, like, two, three, four years. And they talk American. They look American. Body language is American. I'm sure they already think American. Go to Korea and become Korean in one or two years' time. Good luck with that. That's what's so special about this country."

So a Georgian person comes to the US and says that some immigrants to America seem American to his unAmerican eye, and this proves that immigrants are readily accepted by Americans?

Also, I'm wondering what small company employs so many recent immigrants.

Xenophobic? It is probably fair to say that most Americans are xenophiles. Last week, in Tampa, I met a 40 year-old man who works at a cigar lounge and bar. I commented on all the good-looking women who entered his establishment, and he told me that despite his low salary, that is precisely the reason he works there. They flock to him, he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because of my accent." He was from Russia.

Even positive discrimination is still discrimination. It is exotic othering.

The left-wing drumbeat about America as racist is a combination of politics and black memory.

I wonder what race and political party he identifies with. ;)

The political aspect is this: The Democrats and the left recognize that if blacks cease viewing themselves as victims of racism, the Democratic Party can no longer offer itself as black America's savior. And if only one out of three black Americans ceases to regard to himself as a victim of racism, and votes accordingly, it will be very difficult for Democrats to win any national election.

It's a leftist plot! I'm wondering how he snuck in the Democratic party headquarters to obtain this information.

The other issue is black memory. Apparently, most blacks either cannot or refuse to believe that the vast majority of whites are no longer racist.

So it's the Black people's fault? This sounds somehow familiar.

Most Americans were hopeful that the election of a black president — thereby making America the first white society in history to choose a black leader — would finally put to rest the myth of a racist America.

So we can chime the bells that racism is dead because we have a Black (ahem, mostly Black) leader even though Black men are disproportionately represented in prisons and Black people are disproportionately underrepresented in all the rest of government. Also even though he told all those happy stories about immigrants of various backgrounds, the US is still a white society rather than mixed, essentially making minority groups invisible. What was he saying about racism again?

More than three years later it seems not to have accomplished a thing. I now suspect that if the president, the vice-president, the entire cabinet, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and all nine justices on the Supreme Court were black, it would have no impact on blacks who believe America is a racist society — or on the left-wing depiction of America as racist.

So apparently having one Black leader in the government has the same impact as if the executive and judicial branch positions were filled by Black people? Also, it's very telling that he left out the legislative branch- all the positions that he mentioned are ones that are nominated by the president, thus he's saying that even if our current president filled all the positions that he potentially could with Black people, people wouldn't be convinced.

One can only conclude that the smearing of America's good name is one of the things at which the left has been most proficient.

Perhaps by drawing attention to the problems of racism, the "Left" has been smearing around the poo, but that poo didn't come from nowhere.