An apology and an observation

[Canuckistanian]

I have to admit, I was taken aback by 2 responses to a reply I made to an OP.

Here is the thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5567435&mesg_id=5567435

I was responding to the news that the commander of the Navy vessel that rescued the Captain of the Maersk Alabama was a black woman. My one-word response, "So?" seemed to have struck a nerve with some.



Sorry, did I say she was the commander of a Navy ship? I meant that she's Rear Admiral (Select) Michelle Howard, Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy, and Commander of Combined Task Force 151

Clearly, this is no ordinary black woman "commander". And I realize that.

But my response was intended to convey the utter irrelevance of her race. But I was soon admonished for my lack of respect for this fact.

You see, in Canada, if you had given me the same information about a Canadian Admiral, I wouldn't have raised an eyebrow, nor would anyone else that I know. We've had many black officials here in Canada - our Governor General, a former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, along with a list of other military people, MPs, mayors, judges etc.

So what is my point, you're asking? I'm not sure. Maybe it's that I was surprised that her race (or her gender, for that matter) is even an issue.

Not that I'm making light of the obvious struggles she's been through. And there have probably been many.

At any rate, I sincerely apologize for seeming to make light of her accomplishments.

[glitch]

1. You are sweet, I am sure you are forgiven. K & R (because apologies are adult and need promoting) nt

[Canuckistanian]

3. Thank you

I was afraid I had crossed a line, somehow.

[elshiva]

2. Thank you. That makes a lot of sense.

:applause:

[Canuckistanian]

4. Thanks n/t

[DainBramaged]

5. It amazes me how big mountains are made over little tiny mole hills here.

My reaction was the same as yours. And if it was a he who was a Japanese, Jewish one-armed man, someone would have picked a fight over any reaction.


I get so tired over the bullshit when innocent comments are made. And just the fact that someone tried to make her race and or gender an issue IN SPITE OF HER OVERCOMING BOTH in the US Navy, amazes me. I wonder what her reaction would have been?


Apology not accepted, you did nothing wrong. Let's go have a beer. :toast:

[Canuckistanian]

7. I'm way ahead of you

But :toast: anyways.

[Mike 03]

6. I missed your post, but as someone who has had to apologize for my own posts, I appreciate what it

takes to do so.

The wonderful people here at DU are very forgiving, IMO.

[havocmom]

8. I hope my response was not one to make you feel a need to apologize

I got the intent of what you were saying, but am older AND grew up involved with a lot of navy personnel. I knew many who had really bad 'tudes about women on ships and heard way too many disparaging remarks about women in the navy, called WAVES back then. The ugly remarks I heard spoken by chaps who seemed otherwise reasonable make me not shocked about the reports of rape and other attacks on women currently serving in the armed forces. There is a lot of bad out there still, and women in uniform still have unpleasant conditions regarding how some of their comrades in arms think of them.

Sad but true, too many Americans still think women are for sport and not for command.

But I got your meaning, and it made me wistful. Someday, I thought, someday.... it won't be anything special that a woman of color was the flag officer in charge of taking down some pirates.

Someday... and we are getting closer all the time.

edited because my hands aren't obeying my brain much today :blush:

[Canuckistanian]

9. No, actually it wasn't.

I got a total of 4 responses.

I didn't consider yours to be one of the 2 that surprised me.
:hi:

[havocmom]

10. Ah good, cuz I love my DU neighbors to the north

They give me hope for America. I keep hoping we will get an epidemic of Canadian Clear Thinkin Flu ;)

[EFerrari]

11. Race is still very much an issue in the United States

and it likely will be for another few generations.

[leftofcool]

12. But believe me, it is better than it was in the 50's and 60's

We have a long way to go but we have also come a long way out of the darkness. Things were just starting to get better when I graduated from college in 1972

[EFerrari]

15. In 1972, Sunnyvale was still segregated.

Yes, we've come some way since then.

[Canuckistanian]

13. Yes, I understand

Well, I don't understand why it continues, but I can see why it's on everyone's mind.

[EFerrari]

16. Our elections are still stolen on the backs of black voters.

Our prisons are still full of young black men.

The system that duhumanized black people is still being dismantled.

Don't give up on us! :)

[Canuckistanian]

19. Give up? Not hardly.

DU restored my faith in the goodness of America a long time ago.

That's why I've been here all these years.

:fistbump:

[Number23]

22. "The system that duhumanized black people is still being dismantled."

Oh my God. That is the most beautiful, most accurate sentence I have ever seen here. Wow. Thank you. It is obvious to me from many of your posts over the years that you GET IT.

I don't know HOW you get it, but you do. I appreciate that, EFerrari.

[EFerrari]

23. TGIF, hermanita!

:hi:

[WildEyedLiberal]

14. But you've never had a black president!

:P

Ideally, some day it *will* be wholly irrelevant to mention anyone's race in any context. But thanks for drawing attention to Admiral Howard's accomplishments, which are pretty incredible for a person of any race or gender.

[Canuckistanian]

17. There you go.

We don't have many people of color in politics, but I'd like to see one as PM.

See, I'm secretly jealous!

:hi:

[Foolacious]

18. Well, we've never had a president, period.

Hope you don't mind if we borrow yours from time to time. :-)

[Canuckistanian]

20. Shh! She's on a roll.

If she says anything about Pearl Harbor, just nod and smile.

[WildEyedLiberal]

21. Did we just roll over when the Germans attacked Pearl Harbor? Hell no

Smartass. :P I suppose you can adopt Barack as your honorary black PM as long as you return him in good condition :D