Attorney General Holder: We’re “A Nation Of Cowards On Race”
Good for him! He’s already being beaten up by the right for saying it, Holder marked Black History Month by giving a speech to Justice Department employees, where he was critical of Americans on the race issue.
“Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards,” said Holder, nation’s first black attorney general.
Race issues continue to be a topic of political discussion, Holder said, but “we, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race.”
He urged people of all races to use Black History Month as a chance for frank talk about racial matters.
“It is an issue we have never been at ease with and, given our nation’s history, this is in some ways understandable,” Holder said. “If we are to make progress in this area, we must feel comfortable enough with one another and tolerant enough of each other to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us.”
Predictably, the rightwingosphere is going crazy on this. Over at chez Malkin, she’s using as an opportunity to call Obama a race coward. This reminds me of when you say something to a five-year-old and the child’s only comeback is, “No, you are.”
And you’re so courageous, Mr. Holder!
February 19th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Liberal education has failed the black community in the inner cities of America. Is there a back up plan ? [I didn't think so].
The black leaders also failed the black community. After 150 years of freedom its time to stop blaming white people for their problems and apply themselves to the task at hand. But; liberal education failed to show the way.The blacks I went to school with are sucessful for the most part because we went to school and learned things, not the liberal bildge they teach today.
Show me a politician [elected] who gave the inner cities a job since NAFTA. One that can sustain a good living. Mr. Obama has his work cut out for himself And I want to SEE change [self supporting] NOT WELFARE. It won’t be there. We will wait and see. I will WORK for my stuff and roll with the Government interferience that the elected deal out. When we went to school they taught us to read and write add and subtract. An inner city education today [liberal] dooms those to fail and thats the way [they] want it.
WHERES MY BAIL OUT CHECK ?! SHOVE IT UP YOUR A** !
February 19th, 2009 at 11:56 am
““…we, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race.””
I have doubts if “talking” about race would accomplish anything more than if people would just shut up and treat everyone else as they themselves want to be treated.
February 19th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
February 19th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Well what do you expect from Ms. Malkin? She of Asian descent wrote a book in defense of the Japanese internment camps. Her parents must be so proud.
February 19th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Good point, RC…however, I don’t see that becoming a reality any time soon.
I doubt very much that in my lifetime I’ll ever see the race issue in this great country become negligent because, just as Mr. Holder said…we’re either too scared to talk to each other about it, or we don’t see talking about it as a productive and constructive means to a consensual end.
Meanwhile, the “great strides” naive white americans take to level the playing field will be met by black americans who see the world through race-colored glasses. Where’s the happy medium? When will there be symmetry between education, or in the justice system, or in housing, etc?
February 19th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Maybe we talk to much about race? We are a nation of immigrants. We are all Americans. I think when you put your country of origin ahead of the word American that causes people to look at a particular race as if they are putting their culture ahead of being an American.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
This reminds me of when you say something to a five-year-old and the child’s only comeback is, “No, you are.”
That pretty much sums up any interaction with the likes of Michelle Malkin.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
It’s true. I agree.
I once was hanging out with two latinos, a black man and myself a white man. The female latino expressed that this is how it should all be. White, black and brown all being equal and friendly. The boys and I had to step in to remind her that this works for us because we are friends and also because we have all talked and even joked about each other’s race. In a different situation the shades of color in our skin or the differenced in how we grew up would make it impossible to be together in that fashion.
Only through being bold and forward thinkers can we ever hope to unmask racism in all its forms. Only by being open and honest people can we ever hope to understand another.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Eric,
When I talk with those of nationalities at work what I see and hear is Americans talking. We don’t bring up race. What’s the point? We see fellow Americans having a good conversation. When we talk about the election we don’t talk about a “black” President. We talk about President Obama. When you start bringing up race in a conversation then you start to divide. Race don’t matter to me.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
No matter how much you talk about racism you are never going to get rid of it.
Talk is cheap.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
“Liberal education has failed the black community in the inner cities of America. Is there a back up plan ? [I didn't think so].
The black leaders also failed the black community. After 150 years of freedom its time to stop blaming white people for their problems and apply themselves to the task at hand. But; liberal education failed to show the way. The blacks I went to school with are sucessful for the most part because we went to school and learned things, not the liberal bildge they teach today.
Show me a politician [elected] who gave the inner cities a job since NAFTA. One that can sustain a good living. Mr. Obama has his work cut out for himself And I want to SEE change [self supporting] NOT WELFARE. It won’t be there. We will wait and see. I will WORK for my stuff and roll with the Government interferience that the elected deal out. When we went to school they taught us to read and write add and subtract. An inner city education today [liberal] dooms those to fail and thats the way [they] want it.”
Weird. You want to blame all liberals for all education. Like every school in America is run by MoveOn.org or by the Clintons. It’s true that you conservatives have FAILED to interject yourselves into the education reform debate. But that’s also because the morons you elect only want to talk about vouchers and literally leave a discussion if anything else is on topic. So call it liberal education but remember that conservatives have been welcomed to the table and walked away time and time again. Now you whine about it, how typical. I’ll show you a politician who fights for the common good and not one party or another and I’ll show you a fantasy land cartoon. Get real, Jerry.
You think that the DEMs want people in inner-city schools to fail? That’s a joke. We have been fighting to have better education and better pay for teachers since before I joined the movement. If anyone has a bunch of people setting them up to fail it is you and all the right wing media you consume. Do you really think Limbaugh, Savage, O’Reilly, Hannity, etc have your best interest in mind when they tell you a goat is a duck and a accord is a thorn?
You would be surprised on how much you and I have to agree on if you would stop making completely untrue statements about Democrats. I see a lot of what govt does as hampering the people. Interference you called it. However, welfare and all social programs are some of the best uses of tax dollars as long as they are well managed. You probably don’t know anyone on welfare or any govt program and yet you presume to know so much about how horrible they are based on the info you got from biased and hateful sources.
LET’S VOTE JERRY OFF THE ISLAND! WHERE’S MY SANE CONSERVATIVES TO DEBATE!?!
February 19th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
“However, welfare and all social programs are some of the best uses of tax dollars as long as they are well managed.”
That I agree on,….somewhat. The key words there are “…as long as they are well managed.” That is the problem with government doing so much “for the people of America.” THEY CAN’T MANAGE ANYTHING WITHOUT SCREWING IT UP!!!!!!
Government has bankrupt social security, medicare, and even public education (along with the NEA). What hasn’t the federal government or state for that matter, screwed up once they get their hands on something.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Should have read (along with help from the NEA) in my last post.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Most people stick to their own kind. There, that’s the answer.
February 19th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
“That is the problem with government doing so much “for the people of America.” THEY CAN’T MANAGE ANYTHING WITHOUT SCREWING IT UP!!!!!!”
I disagree.
I can only think of two occasions when the government screwed up something affecting my personal life.
Now let’s talk about corporations and other businesses and how many times they’ve screwed up something affecting me personally. How many days do you have to spare? What’s the limit on the number of words Liberaland will let me type into one post? And if we include in the list the number of products I’ve purchased that turned out to be crap, and the number of man-hours I’ve spent trying to make companies live up to their so-called warranties we could be here for a couple of years!!!
So if you ask me there’s nothing more dismaying, or terrifying, than someone saying, “Buy it from me! Your satisfaction is guaranteed!“
February 19th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Yes, yes. See we agree on this completely!
But it comes to a final end-point. Do we get rid of welfare and social progs or do we try to reform them? As I recall the DEMs are the ones who talk welfare reform and the REPUBs are the ones who talk about cutting it.
Did they mismanage WWII or building the interstate highways? Did they mismanage creating the Postal Service?
You have a point in that the number of cases where welfare moneys were wasted or even stolen are numerous but no more numerous than the raiding of the national SS fund or anything else native to a discussion on govt.
As usual, I encourage you to run for office if you think you can do a better job. I get a little sick of the ‘what idiots’ attitude without any willingness to stand up and be counted as one who does know WTF to do with the Public Trust (our money.)
February 19th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
damnit, this site pisses me off.
I just typed like three pargraphs and this stupid BS knocks it all out and doesn’t post a damn word just because me and RC hit the button at the same time.
I really don’t have time to save all my comments and keep them in a document. Grrrrrr!
February 19th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
I’ll gut what I said:
Run for office, Willy. If you know what to do with the Public Trust better than those in charge it your responsibility to take that role up. Easy to critique but no so easy to do for yourself.
February 19th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
The word before the “American” is only and adjective and it describes what kind of background you have as an American. It is never meant to demean being American or to put whatever other discriptive word before being American. I agree though, we are all Americans, but we all have ancestry. This is a nation of immigrants.
February 19th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
White Americans do have real problems talking about race. There was a cognitive study done on this very topic that I read a couple months ago… I’ll try to dig it up to find the specifics, but basically when racial components were added into some cognitive testing, white people’s performance went way down.
Probably because they (we) try to run things through some time of ‘is this racially insensitive if I think this or that’ type filter.
February 19th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Practical racism has allowed every empire to prosper.The technique used there is to dehumanise one ethnic group , not race.We are a spectrum (different shades )of the same race. Mental racism, however, is a delusion, a mental syndrome, a sense of being superior.The elavation of Obama to the presidency, a non-dehumanised black person, will cure that disease slowly , I predict.!! But it will take some time ; as evidence by some who still call him ” THE ANOINTED ONE” (La Belle, as for Michelle).These are all euphemism for chimps.So NY post (as well as some others) are still in denial that a human of a different shade (not race ) can be smart, intelligent and of course presidential.
February 19th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Willy,
You said we are a nation of immigrants. But most of the black people’s ancestors were slaves. Big difference. I think the election of Barack Obama is a great step forward, but trust me, we are a long way out. I have seen some pretty hateful things said on some right wing websites – calling Michelle Obama a monkey and calling the children niglets.
February 19th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Well said, Pierre.
Certain people still think like it is one hundred years ago and if you don’t have the skin of the snow like me you must be a criminal or a lazy idiot. They have learned to shadow themselves in pseudo-science and generalities but the end is the same. They hate non-whites because they are non-whites.
February 19th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Can’t run for office Eric. I have no illicit affairs in my past nor do I have any legal wrongdoings. lol
Eric, how much money is in the social security trust fund? Where did it go?
How much money is in medicare fund? Where did it all go?
Why is our public schools failing? Where is all that money going?
Never said it was easy to run a country. If business run their businesses like the government runs it’s business they would all fold up and the government would haul them in to Capitol Hill and degrade them and call them criminal for their actions. Who holds the government accountable? We are suppose to. Do we?
February 19th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
People say hurtful things out of ignorance. No matter what anyone does you’re going to have ignorant people. It’s no different anywhere else in the world. Where ever you find differences you will find some ignorant @sshole who has to make themslf feel good by putting someone else down. It’s all about excuses. Instead of logically reasonong an issue they notice something about the other party that is “different” and attack it. It’s not about liberal or conservative, so don’t anyone flatter themself. By doing so you just show your own ignorance.
Race is not an issue. It’s an illusion people create to justify the reasoning behind why they are “suppressed”. It’s a bunch of garbage that doesn’t hold up in modern times.
One more thing … enough about the chimps … I couldn’t even read that post. It was just stupid and ignorant.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Southerngirl,
Those are the fringe right. Do not represent the vast majority of conservatives. What are the moveon.org people and the dailykos people saying about conservatives? I am sure it isn’t very pretty or nice. They have called Bush some pretty awful things. You have them on both sides Southerngirl.
I understant the history of slavery. I never condoned slavery. But you have to take in consideration of the times people lived in when things such as slavery existed. I’m not defending it, just trying to put it in perspective. Our Founding Fathers and those who lived then didn’t even use the same dialect you hear now in America. Times change, things change. We all learn from our mistakes, make amends and move on.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
“If business run their businesses like the government runs it’s business…..”
And yet people get their social security checks and passports and medicare paid on time and how many people can’t get bogus charges taken off their phone bills?
February 19th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Willy,
Amen. If we can learn to talk to one another instead of a scream fest, the world will be a better place.
Ugliness on the left and right has gone on since the beginning of time, but it seems to me in modern times it got even uglier with the advent of am hate radio and the election of Bill Clinton.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
We are GOING to see all of the [well] managed liberal programs in the next 4 years.[?] What we won’t see is a plan to up grade the people that live in the inner cities and get them self supporting. Who is in charge? HUM….
The gangs in the city of Flint,Mi. shoot elementy school kids because they go to a differnt school ??? Do they tell them that is wrong in school or what? [its not working].Who’s in charge of change and what is the plan ???? Young adults used to be able to go to work in factorys and make a good living without a college education,[you have to mave to China and third world countries now to do that].!! What caused that ??? Bi-partisan ship and INSANITY !! The taxpayer SCREWED AGAIN and CONTINUOUSLY !!
Ya; its ALL republicans fault. Trust in that liberalizm IT IS the way to ?????? [somewhere].
February 19th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Lefty,
At what cost to our children and grandchildren is it gonna be when we start collecting social security? How high are their taxes going to go just to pay for social security? Not even to mention midicare or medicaid.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Southerngirl,
You and I can talk to each other because I think we respect each others opinions. We could have dialog in this country if people would actually respect the opinions of those who disagree with others opinions.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Dear Willy,
Exacatamundo. I gotta go. Have a great tonight and I’ll talk to ya tomorrow.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Willy,
At what cost to our children and grandchildren is it gonna be when we start collecting social security? How high are their taxes going to go just to pay for social security? Not even to mention midicare or medicaid.
So have more kids! What are you doing blogging when you should be making some babies to pay for my retirement?
February 19th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Turn over; VOTE THE CROOKED SCOUNDRELS OUT !
If we did thing [all things] would be differnt.
Nothing will CHANGE untill we do.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Have a good night Southerngirl.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Cara,
I don’t think so. Already raised my share. Time to relax a little. :)
February 19th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
OK Willy,
But the alternative is for me to start reproducing and bring more liberals into the world!
February 19th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Oh please don’t Cara. It is tough enough for us conservatives. :)
February 19th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Lefty,
At what cost to our children and grandchildren is it gonna be when we start collecting social security? How high are their taxes going to go just to pay for social security? Not even to mention midicare or medicaid.
Posted by willy
…………………………………………….
I don’t mind what I’ve paid so that the elderly can live independantly and with more dignity.
Better they pay for social security, medicare and medicaid, then to pay for corporate millionaire welfare queens.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
We already pay 13 percent of our income to social security. Our kids may have to pay double that and our grandchildren? Who knows. That is unfair.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Hey um, there’s no comment section available at the other page you referenced. I think it’s closed.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
corporate millionaire welfare queens? NAH. no sense of class warfare in that comment whatsoever.
February 19th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
[...] Is Attorney General Eric Holder right to call the U.S. “a nation of cowards” on matters of race? We’ll debate [...]
February 19th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Willy,
But you DON”T have to pay after $87,900.
Meanwhile, how much are you paying to Halliburton . Veritas Capital Fund/DynCorp,Washington Group International,
Environmental Chemical, Aegis, International American Products, Erinys, Flour, Perini,
Parsons, URS Corp, First Kuwaiti General Trading & Contracting , Armor Holdings ,
L3 Communications, AM General, HSBC Bank, Cummins, MerchantBridge, GlobalRisk Strategies, ControlRisks, CACI, Bechtel, Custer Battles, Nour,USA, General Dynamics?
February 19th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
corporate millionaire welfare queens? NAH. no sense of class warfare in that comment whatsoever.
Posted by blissfulconservative
………………………………….
I guess it’s NOT “class warfare” if you leave off the corporate millionaire and just say welfare queens.
Of course there is class warfare, and we know the middle and lower classes are loosing.
February 19th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
If you work for what you have reap the benefits. If you mooch off society because you can, all the while choosing not to work, then yeah you are a welfare queen.
February 19th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
“White Americans do have a real problem talking about race.”…..Posted by Cara yesterday.
You are right on here. White America is really hesitant to discuss this issue for fear of being labeled racially insensetive if they don’t express themselves in a politically correct way.
February 20th, 2009 at 8:25 am
Yes, America is a coward nation with respect to ethnicity(not Race).A typical response by the Rush/ Buchanan-like is that America has done more for African-Americans.This has never been said for European-Americans. So it’s like black-africans are adopted children; whereas euro-descendents are entitled to best schools,jobs,churches ect. As a result, high crime rates, single motherhood,jobless,high school drops out are the reasons blacks can’t live in suburbs together with whites. A coward is one who sees a problem and then decides to run away by saying” THEY ARE not PART of US”— exactly what happened with Katrina and subprime loans. So “YES WE CAN” treat all american children as one,socially, economically and spiritually.
February 20th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
[...] Attorney General Eric Holder on Race [Related link] [...]
February 21st, 2009 at 8:30 am
Hey, you beat me to it! Funny!
February 21st, 2009 at 9:20 am
Willy,
You are right on here. White America is really hesitant to discuss this issue for fear of being labeled racially insensetive if they don’t express themselves in a politically correct way.
Exactly. This study I read talked about exactly that. White people literally burn more brain power when race is introduced than a black person would, for example. We run the information through a dozen different filters to make sure we aren’t being ‘racially insensitive’.
I guess it is better than running around being racially insensitive, but hopefully one day we will get to a post-racial society. I’m 40, and I very much remember very strong taboos against interracial marriage, even amongst ‘polite’ society, so it is perfectly understandable that we are not there yet – acceptable racism not exactly being a thing of the distant past.
We all have some learning to do yet.
February 21st, 2009 at 9:46 am