Written by Eric L. Wattree Sr., (Columnist), on 08-07-2008 00:00
As a Black man who is old enough to remember the courageously focused and determined lives of both Malcolm and Martin Luther King, and their gruesome and untimely deaths, and educated enough to be cognizant of the painful sacrifices that generations of Black people have endured to make this, Barack Obama’s moment-our moment—in history possible, I simply cannot find the words to adequately express my feelings of deep frustration and disgust towards the young brothers who heckled Sen. Obama during his St. Petersburg speech. But while for the very first time in my life, words completely fail me, I now have a much better understanding of why the penalty for treason is so severe.
But perhaps this example of mindless idiocy will give other Black people pause. Perhaps it will help those who tend to nitpick Sen. Obama to death to recognize that they, just like the hecklers, are mounting a meaningless assault on all of the hopes, dreams, and prayers whispered by millions of Black people, from the day we first set foot on this foreign soil.
It is for precisely that reason that the hecklers have undoubtedly earned themselves a footnote in history. Considering the Black experience in America, their thoughtless irresponsibility will certainly stand out as one of the most stupid acts of self-mutilation in the history of mankind. But unfortunately, in the process they’ve managed to also taint the more thoughtful Black people in our community, since posterity will undoubtedly point to their ignorance as a prime example of why Black people, as a whole, have found it such an arduous struggle to rise above what has unfortunately become our station, at the very bottom of this society.
But it’s easy to indulge in hyperbole. One should always substantiate one’s assertions, so let me take a moment to build a simple scenario as proof of the hecklers’ stupidity: If you’re about to be lynched, and a brother comes to your rescue, what kind of fool would stop his rescuer just as he’s taking the rope away from around your neck, to say, “Wait a minute. I want to ask you a question before you touch this rope—why haven’t you spoken out with more vigor in support of Affirmative Action?” Needless to say, such an act would represent the height of stupidity, but that’s exactly what the St. Petersburg hecklers, and to a lesser extent, many other Black, self-haters are doing during this election-and unnecessarily, since there was going to be a question and answer period after the speech anyway.
I simply can’t believe how stupid and shortsighted some of our people are proving themselves to be. It goes beyond stupid—it’s a national embarrassment to every Black person with a brain. And in many cases, these are highly educated Black people. I began to suspect that we had a problem when Dr. Cornel West acted a fool on Tavis Smiley’s “State of Black America” broadcast, on the very day that Sen. Obama declared his intent to seek the presidency.
I’ll never forget it. Just hours after this brilliant young Black man declared his candidacy for President of the United States, in the shadow of the statehouse that was once occupied by Abraham Lincoln, and being wildly cheered by Blacks, Whites, young, old, rich, poor, Jew and gentile, I turned to Tavis’ broadcast, hailed as “The State of Black America.” Then with my eyes still damp with emotion, the very first thing I see is Dr. Cornel West ranting about Obama, and pointing out that he wasn’t impressed. He suggested that Black people should be asking Obama, “How deep is your love for your people” and Where is your money coming from?” Then he went on to suggest that people associated with Sen. Obama didn’t warrant our trust. But what was most instructive about his comments was what he didn’t say. He, nor Jesse Jackson on FOX news, nor the St. Petersburg hecklers, had one critical word to say about any of the hordes of Republican politicians that’s been cutting our throats for the past seven years. I’ve never even heard it rumored that Jesse thought Bush should be castrated.
So at this point it has become abundantly clear that we have a serious problem in the Black community, and we need to confront it in a head-on, and brutally forthright manner. The problem is glaringly clear, and now, undeniable. Many of us suffer from a severe case of self-hatred that we tend to cloak in petty grievances that have nothing to do with reality.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that Black people become unquestioning zombies in support of everything that Obama does, after all, he is a politician, and ALL politicians need to be kept on a short rein. In fact, I am still, highly critical, and highly disturbed by Obama’s weak-kneed support of the recent FISA legislation. But in that case we’re talking about his support for modifying the United States Constitution and diminishing our right to privacy. Everyone should speak out in protest of such issues. In addition, I cut off my monthly financial contribution to his campaign in response to that act. So I’m a firm believer in letting ALL politicians know that the only rock stars in this game are the people. While we allow the politicians to have all the glory, we must always remember that in the final analysis, they’re nothing more, or less, than our employees.
But is the case of the St. Petersburg hecklers, and many other Black nitpickers, some are trying to hold the man hostage to their narrow, self-centered agenda, and others are flat-out trying to sabotage his effort because they seem to believe that Obama’s national influence and celebrity tends to diminish their accomplishments and standing in the community. That’s not only sick, selfish, and self-defeating, but it’s Naderian in its stupidity. What sense dose it make to say, “If you don’t give me everything that I want, I’m going to help the efforts of your opponent, who will assuredly give me nothing? The only possible way of defining such a stance is self-hatred, and gross stupidity.
Those hecklers provided McCain with the best moment he’s had during this election. McCain couldn’t have paid for better publicity if he had hired those brothers. Their behavior, and the banner they held up before the world might as well have said,
“DOWN WITH BLACK PEOPLE. WE’RE TOO STUPID TO HAVE RIGHTS.”
Some of us are acting like we are crazy simply because Mr. Obama is running for the highest office in the land.
Some of us act as if Mr. Obama should only be directing his attention to Black folk and their problems. Some forget that he will be President (and he will) to ALL of the people, and if one listens to his message perhaps we can all move forward in a more positive direction. Allow the man to get in the White House!
Dr. West and Mr. Jackson would do better to take care of their own issues like adultry, illegitimate children (and Dr. West's Illegitimate child is white) and stop trying to bring Mr. Obama down. Both of these men need to take heed to Mr. Obama's speech to Black men, and Jesse needs to grow some instead of trying to cut some off!
These men have made their contribution, and it is time for them to step back!
Mr. Obama took advantage of education, married a Black woman and fathered Black children of which he seems very much a part of their life as a father, and is now on his way to making history.
hmmm - i think it's a bit of a stretch to equate what the brothers in florida did as "heckling," just because the mainstream, i.e. white, media chose to use that word to describe it. i also think it's farfetched to equate people disagreeing with obama to "treason." come on now. prior to this presidential election, so many black leaders and voters were stating the importance of us, as black people, having an agenda to present to any politician seeking our votes and the importance of making sure any politician who wanted our votes addressed our agenda.
now all of that has changed just because obama decided to run for president? now, those who still are saying the same things they have said all along are being accused of "treason" and being castigated (tavis smiley)?
some of us are really tired of so many obama supporters acting like he's the messiah and is above scrutiny and the standard to which so many of us have been told- in past years - to hold all politicians too.
i understand that many are excited about his historicrun but the reality is that he has neither said nor done anything to show black people that he intends to do anything more to address their "agenda" than any other past candidate or president has done.
Posted by mary e porterfield, on 08-08-2008 02:30,
Sad that someone given so much space to make a case, so thoroughly exhausted the words, 'stupid' and 'ignorant', as if they somehow not strengthened, but gave logic. Face it, some were meant to talk in small groups and others meant to be published.
"Sad that someone given so much space to make a case, so thoroughly exhausted the words, 'stupid' and 'ignorant', as if they somehow not strengthened, but gave logic. Face it, some were meant to talk in small groups and others meant to be published."
In response I'd like to point out that what many of you "hecklers have the right to speak their mind" Black people fail to realize is, this is not just about Obama--we have to win this election for ALL Black people.
If McCain wins this election he's going to complete the process of making the ENTIRE Supreme Court conservative. If that happens they can, literally, not only send this country back to the Jim Crow, era but beyond. They can reverse Brown vs. Board of Education, Row v. Wade, The Voter's Rights Act, and totally control how Black people are when arrested. We can, literally, lose ALL of our rights.
So I think the words "stupid" and "ignorant" or quite appropriate to describe those Black people who are willing to sabotage Obama's candidacy simply because they don't trust another Black man.
I'd like to point out one other thing. I realize that there are a lot of Black people who resent my speaking out so forcefully about the ignorance that is so pervasive in throughout our community. But one of the reasons that we're in the situation that we currently find ourselves is that our so-called leaders have been reluctant to tell us the truth.
For the past 40 plus years our leaders have only told us what we want to hear, but we can no longer afford that luxury. We are currently involed in a fight for our very lives, and many of us don't even realize that we're at war.
As bad as the war in Iraq is, it's nothing compared to what we're about to face. The war in Iraq is just practice for what's about to take place here:
Bush has setup concentration camps all around the world, they've curtailed our right to due process in the courts, our military has been all but destroyed, while the private military, Blackwater, is being heavily funded. This is, literally, our very last chance to save ourselves.
McCain Suggests Adopting Iraq Tactics to Tackle Urban Crime
Senator John McCain has suggested adopting tactics used in Iraq to combat urban crime here at home. McCain made the comment while he spoke before the National Urban League.
Sen. John McCain: “And some of those tactics, very frankly—you mention the war in Iraq—are somewhat like that we use in the military. You go into neighborhoods, you clamp down, you provide a secure environment for the people that live there, and you make sure that the known criminals are kept under control. And you provide them with a stable environment, and then they cooperate with law enforcement.”
brother, the dramatics are really, really unbecoming and sad to behold. "This is, literally, our very last chance to save ourselves. "
if you, and others, think that barack obama becoming president is "our last chance" - i feel sorry for you because even if he is elected, he will be able to do nothing to change the system that he has chosen to be part of. he's still beholden to the corporations and powers that truly "run things" so, in that way, he'll be little different than any other president.
black people, we'd better think about "uniting to do something for self" as our "last chance" rather than looking to one individual like he is supposed to be our messiah and "last chance."
