My Dad, Hillary, Obama, and the "n" word:

rateyes

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Tue Mar-11-08 05:30 PM
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My Dad, Hillary, Obama, and the "n" word:

For the record, I'm a white male who went to school at an all-white High School in East Tennessee.

I was taught all my life by my parents never to use the word "nigger." (I use it here for illustrative purposes only, not to offend). MLK, Jr. was assassinated on my 8th birthday, and I still recall wondering as I watched our Black & White Television why the white cops were always beating up on black people who were doing nothing but sitting down or marching where the whites didn't want them to be.

I have, since childhood, been an advocate for equality for all people. I've worked hard in that effort. Which is why I was surprised recently by a conversation I had with my Dad. It really disturbed me.

My mom recently went in the hospital (very sick) and I went home to be with her. One morning, before we left for the hospital, we were watching the news, and Hillary Clinton was speaking. My Dad knew that I had voted for John Edwards in the GA primary, and that now I am leaning toward Obama.

My Dad gets extremely angry (NOT unusual for him--he's mad at the world---he's also been a Democrat all his life, but hates "those libruls in Massachusetts, :crazy:)...and, yells at me. Why don't you like Hillary Clinton?

I said, "I like Hillary. But, I did not like her vote on the war in Iraq, and am not comfortable with the corporations who fund her campaign. And, before I could get out another sentence he jumps in and says, "You didn't vote for her because she's a woman!" (Mind you, my wife is a feminist--as am I---as are my three daughters, and works with the Gay-Straight Alliance on a College Campus where she works and my daughters go to school, etc.)

I said that her gender has nothing to do with my vote and my attitude toward the candidates. If Clinton gets the nomination, she'll get my vote in the GE.

He kept insisting that I was "sexist" in my attitude toward Hillary's candidacy, and then said, "People can get away with criticizing Hillary Clinton, but you can't say one word against 'that nigger' because you'll be accused of being a racist."

I came back at him, saying, "well, you just proved your racism by using that word." He said, "There's nothing wrong with that word, it's just short for 'Negro.'" I said, "If there's nothing wrong with it, then why did you tell me all my life not to use it? You know it's wrong." He said, "I've used it all my life." I said, "Yes, you have. And you were wrong." He said, "Well, if he gets the nomination, I'm not voting for him."

Changing the subject back to Hillary, he said--"Well, you're a sexist because you voted against Hillary because she's a woman." I said, "Well, I guess I'm both a sexist and a racist because I voted for John Edwards--a white man."

I now know the only reason my Dad never wanted me to use the "n" word is because he was afraid I'd get in a fight.

I tell that story to say this. No one should have to defend him/herself against either charges of racism or sexism, etc. based simply on the fact of who they did or did not support in the Democratic primary. But, I think there is an undercurrent of this kind of thinking that never gets addressed---the elephant in the room, if you will.

I think some of this was voiced by Geraldine Ferraro today. I was totally disgusted by what she said. I want to say to her, and to others that IMO, we Democrats need to quit eating our own. To mix metaphors, we are all standing in a circular firing squad.

Enough of this stuff. We can't afford to be divided. I'm still voting for Obama, and I will criticize Hillary and Obama when I think they need to be criticized. But, critcism does not equal sexism or racism.