Oprah Winfrey Says President Obama Is Victim of Racism

[big_dog]

Last edited Sat Nov 16, 2013, 02:22 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/oprah-winfrey

Oprah Winfrey says that President Barack Obama has been the victim of racism and that the ongoing issue of prejudice is a generational one. There is a level of disrespect for the office that occurs,” Winfrey said Friday in an interview with the BBC. "And that occurs in some cases and maybe even in many cases because he’s African American. There’s no question about that, and it’s the kind of thing that nobody ever says but everybody is thinking it.”

Winfrey pointed to Republican Congressman Joe Wilson yelling "liar" during a 2009 speech Obama was giving to Congress. The interview was part of a promotional tour for the film “The Butler,” which tells the story of Cecil Gaines, an African American man who served as a White House butler for eight different presidents.

Winfrey took her comments one step further, saying that the issue of racism is largely generational. Specifically, she said that cultural prejudice in the U.S. will largely recede after the last generation of individuals have died off. “I said this, you know, for apartheid South Africa, I said this for my own, you know, community in the South — there are still generations of people, older people, who were born and bred and marinated in it, in that prejudice and racism, and they just have to die," Winfrey said.

However, Winfrey also made a point to note that there has been progress in race relations.
"It would be foolish to not recognize that we have evolved in that we’re not still facing the same kind of terrorism against black people en masse as was displayed with the Scottsboro boys. It’s gotten better," she said. "… There are laws that have allowed us to progress beyond what we saw in the Scottsboro boys and beyond even the prejudice we see in 'The Butler.' "
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/oprah-winfrey-says-obama-victim-of-racism-205750495.html


Read more: Yahoo News/The BBC

[Jack Rabbit]

1. I know she's stating the obvious, but the far right is going to howl anyway.

3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

[bigdarryl]

64. I think our main problem is we worry to much what the right is thinking and going to say

That's why the President is in the mess he's in now his Administration responds to what the republicans say and think.

[Jack Rabbit]

66. You're absolutely right

One of the frustrating things about DU (at least for me) has been the posts about the latest nonsense from Rush Windbag, the Coultergeist or the Beckerhead. None of these people have changed anybody's mind in years. Even worse than that, they make no rational arguments while trying to make a point. Apart from the fact their arguments are premised on facts that aren't or on multiple informal fallacies. Ann Coulter always seems to put forth a premise that such-and-such leading Democrat is a "fag." Perhaps that Democrat called for withdrawal from Iraq or asserted that more stimulus is needed to get the country out of the recession or she just said it out of the blue. In most cases, it isn't true. Even if it is true, it doesn't matter. Even if homosexuality is the cosmic evil she believes it to be, it has nothing to do with whether the US mission in Iraq was ever achievable or whether part of the solution to the problem of the Great Recession is to put more money in consumers' pockets so they will spend it, preferably on American-made products.

Now, having summarized my case, I'll draw my conclusion: The best thing to do with right wing media personalities is ignore them.

[hopemountain]

70. in total agreement nt

[MrsBrady]

65. well, they just prove her point

by howling...

[Control-Z]

2. I'm glad she said it.

K&R

[WCGreen]

6. Me too...

[ailsagirl]

23. Yep-- she carries a lot of weight

Very popular woman

[Jackpine Radical]

32. So do I, but I'm not all that popular.

"she carries a lot of weight"

[ailsagirl]

35. Boy, am I slow!!

I just got that

[lostincalifornia]

3. I in my lifetime I have not seen a president treated with such rudeness. Not only the "you lie",

Last edited Fri Nov 15, 2013, 07:54 PM - Edit history (1)

but the Arizonia governor, the remarks from other states telling the president not to come to their state, and so many other innuendos, with the placid approval of our illustrious media, who they themselves engage in it.

I hate to say it but it may be generational, however, new generations are being bred as we speak.

When the hate fest came out from George Wallace and others in the sixties, the media did not minimize it, but exposed it for what it is.

[heaven05]

5. thank you on "new generations(of racist) are being bred as we speak"

Yeah it's getting better, yet it is still worse than it should be. Zimpig the murderer proved that to me. That football player shot after the car accident who was looking for help. A new case in Detroit concerning the inebriated accident victim being shot in the face with a shotgun. Motorcyclists beating a man in front of his family, yes they were black and he was asian, it's the hate right under the surface that I am commenting on. Yeah well bless Oprah, but I don't completely agree with her either.

[lostincalifornia]

20. And of course the Martin case in Florida, I am sorry to say

[northoftheborder]

15. bred not bread; you're welcome.

[lostincalifornia]

22. I think it was the auto spell on my stupid iPad. Regardless, thanks

[northoftheborder]

62. Auto spell is magnificent most of the time, but crazy and laughably wrong at times!

[lostincalifornia]

71. I have texted completely incoherent messages when not paying attention

[AtheistCrusader]

4. That "and they just have to die" line is going to be massively taken out of context...

[davidpdx]

43. Yes it will of course

I would have said, "and it will take all the racist assholes in this generation dying off before things change"

[AtheistCrusader]

48. I'd inject a 'of old age' in there, but yes, that is a much better, irreducible quote.

[Le Taz Hot]

49. I've been hearing that since the 60's.

Guess what? They breed. Look into the faces of the TeaKlanner. If all you see is "old" you better look again because I see a whole lot of young faces in there too. So while you and others are wishing all us old people would die off there's a whole lot of liberal activists out there lumped into that and no I'm not taking anything out of context.

But I understand we have to cycle through this wishing old people death on DU every once in awhile. I guess it's time once again.

[AtheistCrusader]

51. It's a socially transmitted disease.

[jtuck004]

55. Yup. n/t

[heaven05]

60. teaklanhadists

will carry ignorance and stupidity into the 22nd century, guaranteed. palin's kids, cruz's kids, ryan's kids, unless they come out in open rejection of their parent's RW ideology and idiocy, either in word or deed, will carry on the family beliefs on race among other salient issues of our day.

[Gothmog]

7. Water is also wet

Oprah was stating the obvious here and I have no doubt that she will get some outrage from the right

[JaneyVee]

8. Ya think?!

[TwilightGardener]

9. Not news, pretty obvious. It isn't a factor in everything about his Presidency, for sure,

but it definitely has an impact. His margin for error is less than other Presidents. The persistent lack of respect, the suggestion he was "affirmative action" hired, the denial of his American roots, has been corrosive. I have seen it personally, with family and coworkers--the minute Republicans feel safe in venting their spleen against the man, it turns into racial slurs. They'll deny this, but I've heard it time and time again--it's the easiest and most satisfying way to attack him, kind of like calling a woman a bitch when you don't like her. They can't resist the temptation.

[Laelth]

10. k&r for the truth, however depressing it may be. n/t

-Laelth

[Major Hogwash]

11. Oprah is absolutely right about it not being as bad as it was in the 1950s, but this is 2013.

And the reactions some of the Rethuglicans have had to the first Black President of the United States is embarrassing due to their hateful, racist speech and actions.

[big_dog]

12. k&r

[Rstrstx]

44. LOL, love it

Where'd the hair come from?

At least Oprah's talking about the elephant in the room

[Triana]

13. Happy she said it. And I HIGHLY recommend The Butler - great film! n/t

[BlueJazz]

16. Here in the South, it's painfully obvious that a large share of the population think...

...of Obama as "That Black Guy President" rather than "The President".

George Bush was given a break on every issue during his holy reign down here.
Our present President gets blasted if he says the word "Ah" while making a speech.

[Skittles]

24. HOWDY DIEGO THE SPANIARD

welcome to DU

[ReRe]

18. Jeanine Garafello (sp?) said this 4 years ago....

....Oprah is not the only person that has said this. She may be the wealthiest person to ever say it in public.
.............................................I'm glad she said it, though.

[alp227]

19. Yahoo News? Ooh, the comments section is SURE to prove Oprah's point...

The original BBC article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24934979

"Horrible Yahoo News Comments" tumblr: http://horribleyahoonewscomments.tumblr.com/

[Spitfire of ATJ]

38. YouTube is a great place to torment them.

[nomorenomore08]

45. Somebody's got an iron constitution, to have been able to put that together...

[rucky]

61. That Tumblr blog is hilarious!

[awoke_in_2003]

21. I remember the "liar" incident...

I was at work watching that SOTU address with a co-worker- the only other liberal in the building. It was so shocking that we both looked at each other and said "did that really happen?"

[Skittles]

25. I remember thinking he was performing for his racist base

sickening

[Vietnameravet]

26. Open racism is not longer acceptable in the US but

the feelings are still there..so they get expressed in different ways..

Evidence?

When Bush got us involved in Iraq over WMDs that were not there..that was simply a "mistake, but Obama is always the "liar"

How does one explain the persistence of the birther movement and its total disregard for facts?

Why do righties often stress his middle name.. Hussein.. isnt that sending a coded message that he is one one of us?

John Sunnunu of New Hampshire said he is "lazy" and i am sure he sees it that way..and taking too many vacations is a popular criticism ...anyone see something here? He is not alone in making this charge.

Remember when he ordered Seals to kill those Somaili pirates who had hijacked the Alamama? Limbaugh blamed him for killing 'kids who just wanted to return home' Or words like that,,.but when those same Seals killed OBL, rightes say in that case Obama had nothing to do with it,,,they did all the work..and he just too undeserved credit.. Why the double standard?

Why the hysteria about "winning back our country" Winning it back from who or should I say "What?"

How does anyone account for the unceasing opposition to anything he does?

Why the attempts to suppress minority votes?

Remember the pic in the one NY paper depicting Obama as a monkey? And why do I find my niece posting a photo of Michelle laughing with a money doiing the same right next to her?

Why the talk about how he does not salute the flag or say "God" when reciting the pledge? All clearly shown to be false but still persistant.

And why did my wife's cousin say there are too many blacks in Washington and my brother in law say, "Why did the democrats have to nominate a N****? And he is a doctor..

These people all have one thing in common,,,they all bristle when anyone calls them racists...

I am sorry to hear that Oprah thinks racism will not die out until the older people die off,,,its sad but true...I am 69 so I guess I will not be around to see that day when people realize that skin color is only the exterior clothing of the soul....and I dont believe I will see it from some alternate reality either..

[RosettaStoned77]

31. This is how

they want to portray him every time.

Who are the real patriots here? I think WE know. But do they?

[Vietnameravet]

75. They actually created this image or is this something created to saterize them?

Where did you get this? Its so upsetting and disgusting..

[RosettaStoned77]

77. Pretty sure it was THEM.

I believe the site is called liberalslies.com or something. The net is absolutely flooded with hate-fueled, ignorant bullshit the right calls 'funny'.
I am from one of the most liberal places in the states and you should see my fb page. For every fact we share with our 'friends'( I actually know all mine), there
seems to be a hundred lies to answer them. Even my old friends I grew up with are repeating talking points about immigrants or food stamps(don't think any of
them really WANTS that job picking fruit for less than min. wage, but hell if that stops them from ranting off some shit they heard on the radio or fox). I actually posted to fb for anyone who considered themselves a 'teabagger' to please un-friend me. Lost a few that day... Good riddance. The internet is becoming a scary place these days. And apparently so is the Seattle area!

I think I will start hunting down these types of things and reposting to DU if only to give the rest of us an idea of the sick people we are really dealing with.

?w=500&h=241

It gets worse!!

[Vietnameravet]

79. Notice how dark and unshaven Obama appears in this..

pretty obvious what the intention was..

I would like to go over to that site and post some nasty replies..but then I think "Why bother?" You cant change them..we can only defeat them..

[RosettaStoned77]

80. ahh, fukkem!

but they really do spend ALOT of time and energy on this type of crap. "petty" party, hehehe.

[heaven05]

59. I'm 65 and and given how long virulent racism

Last edited Sun Nov 17, 2013, 10:55 AM - Edit history (1)

has been in amerikkka, my children's grandchildren's children will still have to deal with the stupidity, ignorance and backwardness of amerikkka's racism. It just won't die. Why? I think I know why but it concerns slavery and the aftermath, segregation, lynchings, christianity and how all of these have generationally ingrained HATE and FEAR in those susceptible to racial hate, in the south especially, southern baptists particularly but not exclusively, and no one want's to address all those issues in one place, at one time.

[Vietnameravet]

76. Sop true!And I especially dislike racists with crosses!

[Lil Missy]

27. Another one for the no shit Sherlock file. n/t

[deafskeptic]

34. ^^^QFT!

Poster no 26 certainly laid out a good case for racism being alive and well and that Obama is a victim of it. I've been saying that all along at a forum I used to post at before I left it.

By itself, opposition to the ACA is not an act of racism but when tea party protesters portray him as a witch doctor, I'm going to think otherwise especially when you consider all the efforts to block him at every turn.

I remember saying that the Democrats should go it alone because it was clear to me the Repugs had no intention of ever cooperating with him on a different forum. It exasperates me that Obama kept trying to reconcile things. I think he's finally getting the message though.

I disagree with Ophra Winfrey that racism will die out with the older folks.

Here's why I disagree. I am a white woman but I was born deaf and I've been the victim of audism (this is a word widely used in the Deaf community.) It has been my observation that in many cases if not all that audists are much more likely to be prejudiced against other groups like blacks,GLBT,Mexicans etc..

I think racism has gotten more subtle but it's still there. Every so often you see overt cases of racism like Obama being blocked at every turn.

[bravenak]

28. He's dealing with it better than I would have. I'd have socked Joe Wilson in the mouth.

It's been going on since before he was elected, it won't end till he's dead.

[kestrel91316]

29. She just now noticed?

[nomorenomore08]

47. Maybe she waited a few years for the (blatantly obvious) evidence to pile up...

[merrily]

57. She shies from controversy.

She claimed that the lawsuit filed against her over her hamburger remark was the worst thing that ever happened to her in her life--and she has said she was sexually molested as a child by a close relative.

[zentrum]

30. BBC?

This interview is done by and for the BBC--right?
So most Americans won't even see it.

She needs to say it here in America and do a full hour show on it.

Or am I missing something?

[freshwest]

33. The nihilist racists would rather destroy the entire nation than give him a chance...

Their reasoning is thus:

American founded by 'white guys' who talked English so it 'belongs' to them alone.

Rather than hand it over to a diverse population to profit from their 'hard work' they would prefer a scorched earth policy so that nothing is left.

They ignore the injustices of genocide and slavery in that 'hard work' and even forget that several of the Founders spoke many languages beside English.

They claim the fruits of the Enlightment and individual liberties without respecting the goals of either of them.

They are 'bad' at politics and I'm tired of 'em.

[DonCoquixote]

36. I udnerstand some cirtis of Obama

may think they are beign called racist.

Yes there are things to call PBO on out

But to pretend that he is not being drilled twice as hard as a white person would be is folly.

And those who want Hillary to be the next President, you know they will do the same thing to her.

[Jack Rabbit]

39. They've been doing that to Hillary since 1992

She was a target of the culture for being a working mother. Someone said, "When they (at the '92 GOP convention) struck at Mrs. Clinton, every working woman in America felt the slap."

In case anybody hasn't noticed, I am not among her greatest admirers. Nevertheless, misogyny is still a mortal sin in my book and that was the salvo that brought the Republican war on women into high gear.

[madokie]

37. I've been saying it a long time now

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

40. Oprah is right! Period!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

41. I'm sorry, but she won't just get it from the Right, there's plenty of hatred coming from the Left

too. People on the Left who refuse to admit that racism exist--in ALL forms--not just in explicit expressions.

[davidpdx]

42. Winfrey is of course correct

There has been such unprecedented hatred toward Obama by the right and the racists. Most people know this of course. It started when he was a candidate.

While I applaud Winfrey for speaking her mind, I'm not sure bringing President Obama into the conversation is productive. Nothing is going to change about how he is treated the rest of his time in office or the rest of his life. Those that hate him, hate him. They are ugly people (in their behavior) and will always believe what they were taught (something Winfrey herself mentions). Personally I think race relations could have been brought up with out the president's name. These type of interviews only cause more backlash toward him, which right now he doesn't need.

[JustAnotherGen]

53. She had to bring him into it

There are many - such as myself - that "relate" to him. Every coded n-bomb directed at him - has been taken personally. If we can't have truth telling about racial attitudes that have ramped up 20 fold since he has been in office - then when can we?

The time is now. Because him winning brought out the mean reds in an awful lot of downright ugly Americans.

[davidpdx]

54. Well and I didn't see the interview

It might make a difference to see the full context. I agree with you about the racial attitudes and as the minorities become the majority I wouldn't expect it will get better anytime soon. The problem is I don't see it changing a lot of opinions (call me pessimistic) as there aren't too many people who are going to suddenly admit they were wrong. The greatest hope are the younger people who still have an open mind.

I was born in a different state and ended up living in an area in Oregon where racism was not just common, it was the culture (that and country music which still makes my skin crawl). I ended up moving up to Portland where I went to school and met people from all over the world (there was a guy from Iran who was really cool). Thankfully I didn't have to live there all my life and I realized what people were doing was wrong.

[JustAnotherGen]

78. You are right

I t won't change those who are set in their ways. But to have someone so high profile validate precisely how we are feeling about things was nice.

That said - my Gramfeathers (maternal great grandmother I was very close to) was lace curtain Irish Protestant born at the turn of the last century with a family military history going back to the French Indian war. My mom brought my dad (black man) home in 1969 and she didn't blink an eye. My grandmother brought a Jewish man him in 1945 and she didn't blink an eye.

But she had a tremendousv"defect" in her heart when it came to Roman Catholics. And when I attended a Catholic Universitynin the early 90's she was terrified I would end up marrying a Catholic. But at 94 she said to me, "I think I've been wrong - Kennedy was a Catholic and I adored him."

People can change - but I think in her case it was seeing me thrive in the environment I did and reading my letters about my friends. It was a personal experience of second hand contact.

[votesparks]

50. DO NOT MESS WITH OPRAH!

That is all.

[AverageJoe90]

52. Sadly, this is all too true.

But she also points out that we have indeed made progress....and we have! Let us never forget where we started, and push ever forward to that loftiest of noble goals; true equality on all levels of society.

[Orsino]

56. She's awake!

We should warn her about the ubiquity of iPhones and Lady Gaga.

[Justice]

58. I say this also. Completely agree

[6000eliot]

63. It's been painfully obvious from the start.

Thanks for saying it anyway, Oprah.

[appacom]

67. Even Oprah felt the need to temper her words with that whole spiel about our having evolved;

People need to stop talking about how much we've evolved and focus on how much we need to evolve cause we ain't evolved nearly enough - somebody show me some appreciable difference between what happened to the Scottsboro boys and Trayvon Martin. Emmett Till, Anyone? Show me the difference between being barred from entering a store and being arrested for shopping while Black. Show me the difference between the prejudice in The Butler and what's going on everyday in my WV town. Show me the difference between the language being used by today's rethug and the language used by the Bull Connor I marched against as a college student more than 37 years ago

Is my grandson getting a fairer shake in his Kentucky high school than his dad did, or his granddad did?

[kickysnana]

68. Unfortunately, it hasn't made him rethink his drone actions in the Middle East.

Can you imagine doing what he is doing, killing indiscriminately, bombing the funerals of the terrorists in Europe or Wisconsin?

Talk about racism!

[kwassa]

69. Obama is bombing the funerals of terrorists in Europe and Wisconsin?

Do explain.

Where in Wisconsin did he drop bombs?

[kickysnana]

73. I said imagine and it makes no sense does it?

Even though they have arrested terrorists in Europe, in Wisconsin over the last 6 years he only does drone thing to Islamist and African. Somehow that makes it all right to be so monstrous to the terrorists family and friends but not in Europe, not Wisconsin. Reminds me of Clarence Thomas world view. Really, really sad for them about that and mad that these actions are hurting America, that they cannot see what they are doing or that we let them.

[Tom Ripley]

72. She is correct

[VPStoltz]

74. And please tell it didn't take this long to figure that out.

I've been saying this since the first filibuster.
Had she been saying this from the start maybe that heaping cup of reality would have drenched some of that damned right wing foolishness.

[demigoddess]

81. she's right.

we all have noticed it.

[yurbud]

83. old school racism will die out with the last of those who fondly remember Jim Crow but...

younger folks are still susceptible to a tribal kind of racism--equal but separate like gangs in and out of prison.

[yurbud]

84. I would not say that Obama is a "victim" any more than a black cop would be if a schizophrenic

homeless guy yelled the N word at him while he was being taken to the drunk tank.

The victimizer has to have more power than the victim, and the victim has to actually be harmed or intimidated by the racism.

To the degree that Obama reacts to it at all, he seems to be more embarrassed FOR those acting on their racism toward him rather than being offended or cowed them.