Left-leaning perspectives on a variety of social, political, and pop culture topics.
Quotable Quote of the Month
What does it take for Republicans to take off the flag pin and say, 'I am just too embarrassed to be on this team'?".- Bill Maher
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Humor: Playing The Race Card From Both Sides Of The Deck
I found this Rob Tornoe cartoon at Media Matters. Note to any of the righties who are employing this double-dealing method: Pick one false narrative and stick to it!
If you buy one, the other fits. They're not "different." It's the belief that a liberal black person is doing what he or she is supposed to do; what's in his or her best interest. It's the conservative black that needs to be constantly reminded what he or she is supposed to do; how dare they step off the plantation!
It's not really double-dealing in the context of that belief. Not having that belief makes it seem so.
But just as someone of a more liberal ilk might say that white Republicans only like Herman Cain because he's the right kind of black, that belief works from right to left, with someone of a conservative ilk believing that the par-for-the-course liberal black is the house negro and the independent-minded guy like Cain is free from the chains that bind.
To me, it's all just more ridiculousness focusing on race when the happenstance of someone being a certain skin color is just that.
Folks like Smiley and West may have different motivations for attacking Cain, but I don't buy that skin color is the reason for it through most media.
I don't know. It seems the same to me, just reversed on itself. Like, for instance, claiming Cain is only embraced by whites to show that they're somehow not racists, implying that they most certainly are; or that white people only like the "type" of black that Cain exudes.
I'm rolling my eyes too much to keep typing.
I just wish everyone would STFU about race for a little bit when it comes to how these politicians are being handled.
Malcolm: My opinion is the media is all over this Cain story because, let's face it, sex sells.
I find it quite sad, pathetic even, that ratings skyrocket when other people are being dragged through the mud. I'm not just talking about Cain here, it happens any time there is or could be something unsavory that might ruin someone's life.
Josh: Wow, I didn't expect this cartoon to generate such in-depth analysis, lol. I have to ask, did you find the cartoon funny?
Pamela: It's funny you should say that "sex sells". That's the exact same thing I told a blogger who claimed that the Herman Cain scandal was getting coverage because he's a conservative. When it comes to stories with a sexual angle, the media doesn't care whether or not there's a "D" or an "R" after a politician's name.
I agree with you about how our culture generally has such a thirst for these types of stories. The people I feel most sorry for in the Herman Cain scandal are the families of the accused and the accusers.
Yeah. I actually did find it funny. I was commenting more to the "double-dealing" point.
I wasn't trying to get deep. My head can't take too much of that. But since I don't hold either view really, due to my insistence that most things "race" from any side are usually lacking in substance and logic, I figured I'd rant about it.
At least until we win tomorrow night and I'm cheerful once again. Go Palmer!
I wish Perry's colossal blunder was race-related. That would surely get a laugh. I'm still laughing about...
...wait, umm, I- I forgot.
I don't have it.
Oops.
(I suppose it does take the heat of Herman for a while - at least until woman #41,540 comes out. But that's still nothing to do with "race." Just thought I'd drop a Herman.)
I have already seen a few left-wing blogs bashing Cain due to his skin color. Pretty much doing what way too many idiots on the Right did, and have been doing, about Obama.
Josh: It's funny how the news cycle turns so quickly. It's hard to believe the Herman Cain sexual harassment scandal came to light less than a month ago. Also, I didn't think any of the GOP candidates would be able to "top" Rick Perry's "oops" moment. Of course, Herman Cain's disastrous response to a question about Libya managed to do just that.
AFG: If you think you've seen it all now, it would blow your mind to discover what goes on at the secret meetings held by black liberals! Although I can't tell you where we have these meetings (I'd have to eliminate you if I did), I may write a blog post about our dealings one of these days. Please stop by again.
Dmarks: Can you provide links to any of the liberal blogs which bashed Herman Cain due to his race?
Josh: Just like Sarah Palin, Herman Cain is showing that he isn't ready for the big leagues. Even if one wants to argue that the Libya/Bush Doctrine questions were ridiculous, anyone running for POTUS or VP should still be able to handle them. Cain not only froze, but he came off like an ill-prepared student trying to recall answers to a test he crammed for the previous night.
The fact that people like Cain and Rick Perry have been at or near the top of the polls of the GOP presidential race is yet another example of how far the Republican party has fallen.
For Palin I agree completely. Even though other candidates wouldn't be treated so smugly and talked at, you have to be ready.
Cain has made it clear that foreign policy isn't his thing. And truthfully, it hasn't been a strong suit of many of our Presidents.
I realize this is getting way off topic here, so I'll try to keep it short.
Clinton allowed terrorism to go from manageable to SNAFU and worked with secret "what 'is' is" wars. Bush's plan was war from jump. Obama backs the wrong horse consistently and then leans on the UN.
Cain couldn't do worse. Which makes me think the strongest Republican in the field isn't a Republican at all, but a libertarian, Ron Paul, whose candor on foreign policy is refreshing: we handle ours, they handle theirs.
Our previous Presidents who have pretended to know have really screwed the pooch. So the one thing I do find endearing about Cain is that his solutions are specifically American ones and not international ones.
But I do agree that he doesn't seem ready to play ball. Not that that has ever stopped someone from getting elected though.
Josh: What I find disturbing is that Cain and other conservative politicians seem to wear their ignorance like a badge of honor. Recently, Cain commented that "We need a leader, not a reader." This seeming embrace of anti-intellectualism is another example of how the GOP has fallen over the past few years. Although I disagree with damn near everything Charles Krauthammer says, I give him credit for calling out Cain for his many shortcomings when it comes to being POTUS material.
Yeah, even if Cain and others in the conservative "know nothing" camp were actually credible, the so-called "uber liberals" and their media counterparts would find something else to criticize about them. Please!
Trestin: Along with playing the race card from both sides, the cartoon also points out the perpetual victimhood exhibited by many on the right. It's got to be difficult for you guys, considering the whole world is against you. >;]
16 comments:
If you buy one, the other fits. They're not "different." It's the belief that a liberal black person is doing what he or she is supposed to do; what's in his or her best interest. It's the conservative black that needs to be constantly reminded what he or she is supposed to do; how dare they step off the plantation!
It's not really double-dealing in the context of that belief. Not having that belief makes it seem so.
But just as someone of a more liberal ilk might say that white Republicans only like Herman Cain because he's the right kind of black, that belief works from right to left, with someone of a conservative ilk believing that the par-for-the-course liberal black is the house negro and the independent-minded guy like Cain is free from the chains that bind.
To me, it's all just more ridiculousness focusing on race when the happenstance of someone being a certain skin color is just that.
Folks like Smiley and West may have different motivations for attacking Cain, but I don't buy that skin color is the reason for it through most media.
I don't know. It seems the same to me, just reversed on itself. Like, for instance, claiming Cain is only embraced by whites to show that they're somehow not racists, implying that they most certainly are; or that white people only like the "type" of black that Cain exudes.
I'm rolling my eyes too much to keep typing.
I just wish everyone would STFU about race for a little bit when it comes to how these politicians are being handled.
Malcolm: My opinion is the media is all over this Cain story because, let's face it, sex sells.
I find it quite sad, pathetic even, that ratings skyrocket when other people are being dragged through the mud. I'm not just talking about Cain here, it happens any time there is or could be something unsavory that might ruin someone's life.
Josh: Wow, I didn't expect this cartoon to generate such in-depth analysis, lol. I have to ask, did you find the cartoon funny?
Pamela: It's funny you should say that "sex sells". That's the exact same thing I told a blogger who claimed that the Herman Cain scandal was getting coverage because he's a conservative. When it comes to stories with a sexual angle, the media doesn't care whether or not there's a "D" or an "R" after a politician's name.
I agree with you about how our culture generally has such a thirst for these types of stories. The people I feel most sorry for in the Herman Cain scandal are the families of the accused and the accusers.
Yeah. I actually did find it funny. I was commenting more to the "double-dealing" point.
I wasn't trying to get deep. My head can't take too much of that. But since I don't hold either view really, due to my insistence that most things "race" from any side are usually lacking in substance and logic, I figured I'd rant about it.
At least until we win tomorrow night and I'm cheerful once again. Go Palmer!
Josh: I'm glad to hear you found it funny. I've been trying to lighten things up around here when the situation arises and time permits.
I wish Perry's colossal blunder was race-related. That would surely get a laugh. I'm still laughing about...
...wait, umm, I- I forgot.
I don't have it.
Oops.
(I suppose it does take the heat of Herman for a while - at least until woman #41,540 comes out. But that's still nothing to do with "race." Just thought I'd drop a Herman.)
I have already seen a few left-wing blogs bashing Cain due to his skin color. Pretty much doing what way too many idiots on the Right did, and have been doing, about Obama.
Josh: It's funny how the news cycle turns so quickly. It's hard to believe the Herman Cain sexual harassment scandal came to light less than a month ago. Also, I didn't think any of the GOP candidates would be able to "top" Rick Perry's "oops" moment. Of course, Herman Cain's disastrous response to a question about Libya managed to do just that.
AFG: If you think you've seen it all now, it would blow your mind to discover what goes on at the secret meetings held by black liberals! Although I can't tell you where we have these meetings (I'd have to eliminate you if I did), I may write a blog post about our dealings one of these days. Please stop by again.
Dmarks: Can you provide links to any of the liberal blogs which bashed Herman Cain due to his race?
In Cain's semi-defense, it really seemed like he didn't want to step in it by saying the wrong thing about Libya.
It was kind of a ridiculous question. Like asking Palin about the "Bush doctrine."
I mean, wtf. Seriously. These broad questions are more akin to shrinks showing ink blots than anything of true substance.
But that still doesn't excuse the freeze! Even though the question sucks, Cain should still have just spoke what was on his mind.
The President's position was rather aloof and prone to change; the question in general was bunk. So I think Perry's outright forgetting trumps that.
But there's no excuse for the atrocity of public speaking here. Miss America contestants do a better job.
Josh: Just like Sarah Palin, Herman Cain is showing that he isn't ready for the big leagues. Even if one wants to argue that the Libya/Bush Doctrine questions were ridiculous, anyone running for POTUS or VP should still be able to handle them. Cain not only froze, but he came off like an ill-prepared student trying to recall answers to a test he crammed for the previous night.
The fact that people like Cain and Rick Perry have been at or near the top of the polls of the GOP presidential race is yet another example of how far the Republican party has fallen.
For Palin I agree completely. Even though other candidates wouldn't be treated so smugly and talked at, you have to be ready.
Cain has made it clear that foreign policy isn't his thing. And truthfully, it hasn't been a strong suit of many of our Presidents.
I realize this is getting way off topic here, so I'll try to keep it short.
Clinton allowed terrorism to go from manageable to SNAFU and worked with secret "what 'is' is" wars. Bush's plan was war from jump. Obama backs the wrong horse consistently and then leans on the UN.
Cain couldn't do worse. Which makes me think the strongest Republican in the field isn't a Republican at all, but a libertarian, Ron Paul, whose candor on foreign policy is refreshing: we handle ours, they handle theirs.
Our previous Presidents who have pretended to know have really screwed the pooch. So the one thing I do find endearing about Cain is that his solutions are specifically American ones and not international ones.
But I do agree that he doesn't seem ready to play ball. Not that that has ever stopped someone from getting elected though.
Josh: What I find disturbing is that Cain and other conservative politicians seem to wear their ignorance like a badge of honor. Recently, Cain commented that "We need a leader, not a reader." This seeming embrace of anti-intellectualism is another example of how the GOP has fallen over the past few years. Although I disagree with damn near everything Charles Krauthammer says, I give him credit for calling out Cain for his many shortcomings when it comes to being POTUS material.
They can't win for losing; it would always be something.
Yeah, even if Cain and others in the conservative "know nothing" camp were actually credible, the so-called "uber liberals" and their media counterparts would find something else to criticize about them. Please!
Or conservatives oppose Obama because he is black and only support Cain because he is black. Many on the left uses the same stupid logic.
Trestin: Along with playing the race card from both sides, the cartoon also points out the perpetual victimhood exhibited by many on the right. It's got to be difficult for you guys, considering the whole world is against you. >;]
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