If you never believed in White Privilege before, you can see it in stark relief today

[EffieBlack]

Imagine if Obama refused to look at McCain, sneered and scowled throughout, couldn't pronounce the names of foreign leaders,and got several facts wrong.

If the shoe were on the other foot, do you think ANYONE in the media would today be claiming the debate was a draw, much less a win for him?

This is unbelievable. The pass they continually give McCain for his dismally pathetic and embarrassing performance in last night's debate and the entire campaign compared with the ridiculously high bar they set for and keep raising on Obama is a perfect example of the white entitlement that black folks frequently face.

The fact that Obama is still running neck and neck with this guy - and the media continues to actually put them on the same level - when he is obviously superior in every single way should give everyone pause.

[peacebird]

1. i think the media WANTS a close race so they have something to "pundit" about...

that's all....

[rurallib]

5. They have advertising to sell

were it not for the media, McCain wouldn't even be in this race.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

33. My thought exactly.

Green always trumps black and white.

[Raineyb]

72. If that were true Jim Crow would never have taken hold in this country n/t

Regards

[ck4829]

2. And this morning's discussion from Joe Scarborough about how Obama is "darker"

What's that have to do with anything?

K&R (From a white person BTW)!

[billybob537]

4. Joe is admitting McCain is a failure

If you have to resort to name calling, race, and lies, There's nothing left in thier bag of tricks.
McStupid should concede now and take Caribu Barbie with him.

[Jane Austin]

8. I thought the lighting did make Obama look darker

than he is.

That was mentioned at our little debate-watching party at the time.

[angee_is_mad]

53. Black People tan also

lol, just to let you know. The man has been out in the sun alot campaigning and doing rallies.

[1Hippiechick]

86. And, there are pix out there (I might have one) of him in the surf, shirtless, and tan lines are

visible--very visibly got a DARK tan....I was surprised to what extent, actually.

[yellerpup]

14. If I vacationed in Hawaii, I'd be darker too.

Gimme a break. He was not only "darker" but also "smarter", "more relevant", "better informed" with "plans that will work"... Oh, did I say better looking than old yellow tooth? Obama is ready, McLame is waaaay past prime. That's what showed!

[NOLALady]

19. The melanin probably kicked in

to protect his skin while he was on vacation.

He's the color of gold.

[yellerpup]

24. Of course. That's why melanin is there!

Other than to beat a racist drum, why bring it up? Everyone I know has already noticed a difference in skin tones between the two candidates.

edit for typo

[EffieBlack]

21. Yes, black people tan, too

Funny - when a white candidate spends time in the sun and gets darker, people talk about how tanned and refreshed they look. Obama spends time in the sun and they say, 'He looks darker? Why is that? Do you think that will hurt him with voters?"

Hey Joe, et al, here's a clue. Anyone whose vote will be influenced by the fact that a black candidate's skin got a shade darker in the sun was not going to vote for a black person anyway.

[yellerpup]

25. Absolutely.

When a person resorts to skin color as a qualifier, it only means they have nothing else to trade on. I used to piss off my father all the time by reminding him of that.

[Egnever]

65. Um

even if they think it made him look better?

[vaberella]

67. I'd like to know what being "darker" has to do with anything too. n/t

[FrenchieCat]

3. But Barack's got a bigger problem; he's also a Democrat.....

That's like a double whammy!

And plus, the way that McCain lied about everything, got his history totally wrong, etc...

I had to start a thread to gather all of McCain's 90 minutes of wrongness --
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7216554&mesg_id=7216554

and we're not even done!

I still have to add the lies about Reagan not talking to the Russians till, bullshit!

Sad, sad, sad.

And you know what Joe Scarborough decided to discuss; Barack's skin color perhaps being darker...whatever that was supposed to mean.

Unfuckingbelievable.

[Cosmocat]

78. Nail on the head - If Colin Powell ...

was the republican candidate, he would not have to deal with 1/10th of the crape that BO has to deal with.

Yes, the color is a factor, but John Kerry and Al Gore were white, and they faced the same gaming that BO faces, where their opponent, literally an idiot, constantly had the bar lowed to get him over it, and they had their strong points turned into weaknesses, ect.

[AndyA]

6. What Americans saw at the debate last night:

A man who they could see as President, and a man who got flustered, angry, and didn't even have the decency to look his competition in the eye.

Is this what we want in a crisis? A person who looks down, shuffles papers, smirks, and won't look others in the eye?

The choice couldn't have been more clear last night. It was Obama's night.

[Aloha Spirit]

76. Exactly. and McCain cannot undo that impression.

[1Hippiechick]

87. And, not looking an opponent in the eye: impact on foreign relations? What is the protocol?

He's such a damn mavrick (Republican convention spelling), he would probably say "F*CK protocol"--just another reason he scares me.

[Tutankhamun]

7. Obama won handily in both style and substance.

But the pundits will tell us what to think. In the end, the pundits' discussion and the clips and soundbites the MSM runs are what wins the debate for a lot of Americans.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. They make so many excuses for their own, it's pathetic.

Some of the compensations they make they use under the guise of charity, or Christian duty to help a person in need. The thing is, they're very selective about who gets their charity, and you can sort it all about by color, if you look hard enough.

[ecstatic]

10. So true. Check vid section-As Chris Rock said, there is no such thing as

beating a white man. You have to knock him out for it to be considered a win. Standards are always set super high for blacks and super low for the rich, well connected white men.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-drZm4Hd8c

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. It's so true. If the minority member can't hit the homerun and win the game,

they say he didn't measure up to expectations and then they give the MVP award to the white guy that got hurt in the second inning and has been sitting bench almost from the start.

[Hardrada]

62. And then the white folks change the rules so they win anyway.

The audience responded to that with horrified recognition.

[Tribetime]

11. If you can't look Obama in the eye, you lost the debate period

No questions are even necessary. No one has ever done that before, how fucking arrogant.

[Danger Mouse]

12. Doesn't matter what the pundits said. The public said Obama won...

and the pundits can't change that.

[slackmaster]

15. McCain's goofy vocabulary cracked me up, but nobody has given Obama grief for his speech impediment

McCain kept using the word "dividend" in place of "deduction". His sentences were fragmented, his references circular. He usually speaks in broad generalities. I heard at least three big references to the ghost of Ronald Reagan.

Obama's biggest problem speaking is something akin to a stutter. I don't know the technical term, but he keeps starting sentences with "I-I-I-I-I-I-I" instead of "I", or "And-And-And-And" instead of "And". His sentences make more sense than McCain's in do general but they do run on, bullet points blurring into blah blah blah and blah blah blah and blah blah blah for a whole paragraph. As far as I can tell, he's gotten a complete pass on that as has McCain on his twisted verbiage.

Devout partisans on both sides are predictably seeing their champion as having won. I saw no clear victor. I think the domestic policy debate on October 15 will be Obama's best chance to deal a knockout blow.

I see the whole "white privilege" meme as the bullshit du jours. The supposed privileges granted to whites are really the dignified treatment that every person deserves.

[redstate_democrat]

47. No. There is such a thing as "white privilege" and it is real.

It isn't the so-called "dignified treatment that every person deserves". It's racism.

[slackmaster]

48. Horseshit

:nuke:

[Alexander]

64. Yeah, that seems to be all you contribute.

[JimDandy]

54. This guy's posts ALL have one pattern. Most folks just ignore him.

He's the ONLY DU poster I have on ignore. Don't know why his posts in this thread are showing, though.

[slackmaster]

85. Maybe you have me confused with someone else, JimDandy

By all means put me on Ignore if you really don't want to read opinions that don't blindly follow the angry mob mentality here.

Don't know why his posts in this thread are showing, though.

:dunce:

[Chulanowa]

70. And that dignified treatment is often denied to nonwhites

Thus the notion of "white privilege." Maybe it's something you have to see from the outside.

As for Obama's "impediment" you'll notice he only has it at certain moments - when he's trying to get a word in edgewise before John "Abe Simpson" McCain starts rambling about tying onions to his belt 'cause it was the style at the time. It's a good method of interrupting and preventing further ramble.

McCain got a few licks in, but he was stuck in the corner with Obama pounding his face in for most of the debate.

[slackmaster]

88. It's a bass-ackwards way of describing racism, of course

I've never once in my life felt that I have received any kind of special treatment due to the color of my skin. Nor do most people. That's why the "WP" meme has not been effective at raising peoples' awareness of actual racism, which is very real.

The only people I have seen as recipients of undue privilege are the obscenely wealthy. I grew up in a very affluent suburb, in a family that was never wealthy by any stretch.

The remedy for excessive privilege is to remove the part that is over and above what a person or class of people deserve(s). (Pardon my sloppy sentence, I am too lazy to fix it.) My point, for those who haven't grasped it, is that the proper way to cure racism is not to bring white people down, but to bring everyone else up to the same level of privilege. White people IN GENERAL are not recipients of undue privilege. Rich people of all colors are.

It seems pretty obvious to me, but a lot of people aren't getting it.

[Chulanowa]

93. Like I said; perhaps you have to see it from the outside

It's quite present. And this presidential campaign has been a good example.

Obama gets torn apart for his association with Rev. Wright and the Trinity church, despite Wright not once ever saying or doing anything untoward. And yet somehow Obama is still a Muslim, go figure, right?

McCain associates with an openly anti-Semite preacher, Rev. Hagee, who preaches the prosperity doctrine and is a dominionist of a particularly frightful stripe. In addition, McCain brings a crazy tongue-speaking young-earth creationist who openly hopes for the apocalypse onto the ticket... And nobody says a damned thing.

Now, we could attribute this to media being pro-republican. But when you explain to your average person that Wright's an okay guy, that the trinity Church isn't a kookbat racist organization, or that Obama isn't Muslim, you've suddenly got an argument on your hands. Try to explain McCain's associations to the same person and you'll get a blithe dismissal of all that being okay.

WHy the cognitive dissonance? Because people are more likely to give white people the benefit of the doubt, give them a free pass, and are more likely to assume the worst of blacks and cling to it.

It's the same with how illegal Irish and East Europeans are as big a problem on the east coast as illegal latin americans are in the southwest... but you never hear about them 'cause Irish and Poles aren't brown, but Guatemalans are.

[slackmaster]

95. It seems you would like to see McCain brought down for associations in the way Obama has been

I see it the other way around. Both men deserve to be taken at their word, given the benefit of the doubt and a free pass, until they themselves demonstrate otherwise.

[Raineyb]

73. Bullshit!

The supposed privileges granted to whites are really the dignified treatment that every person deserves.

If that's true are you trying to say that no black person deserves dignified treatment? Because we sure as hell don't get that kind of benefit of the doubt.

Regards

[slackmaster]

89. You seem to have a serious reading comprehension problem

Or are you saying that black people are not a subset of "every person"?

[Raineyb]

90. I have no problem with reading comprehension.

You on the other hand seem to have problems with that and basic manners.

If the treatment is not afforded to every person it's privilege. Should I use smaller words so you can understand?

Regards

[slackmaster]

92. I said that which is described as "white privilege" is treatment that all people deserve

What's so hard to understand about that?

[DaveT]

16. Keep in mind that TV is a dying medium

that has lost more than half its audience in the last couple of decades and there is no reversing that trend. A good chunk of their audience has moved to cable, but even the highest rated shows on cable rarely have as many as 3 million viewers in a country of 300 million people.

Meanwhile the bigfoot pundits who write columns for newspapers are working for institutions that are dying much faster than television is dying.

This conversation we are having right now on this internet board is part of a new national media system that is not based on pundits and other designated "voices of authority" telling us what to think. The future is happening right here, and right now. And Barack Obama represents the future.


I completely agree that unconscious and semiconscious racism inherited from our slaveholding and white supremicist past explains the ridiculous double standard that Obama has to contend with. Notice how he NEVER complains about that obvious reality -- like Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson, Barack understands that white racism is something that very few white people choose to harbor, so when you accuse them of having it, it just makes them crazier.

Instead Obama wades throught he unfairness, demanding nothing more than for people to see him as a person rather than a color. When he is compared, human being to human being, against McCain -- he wins. The instant polling last night showed that.


So, althought the OP is correct about the double standard, I suggest that we all do like Barack and recognize that we are going to win in spite of it.

[Blondiegrrl]

66. *butts in* Wow, nice analogy. This should have been a main post!

:toast:

[NOLALady]

17. Right.

McCain was a perfect representation of a shrill, angry, inarticulate white male. If Obama dared to show that kind of anger he wouldn't have a snowballs chance in hell to win.

Obama is definitely the superior candidate. The MSM has a lot of nerve to put them on the same level. It's disgusting.

[nini]

18. It's ok for Republicans to act like that - it shows their 'strength'

Obama has 2 strikes against him - he's black and a democrat. Yes, the bar is higher for Obama because of the color of his skin, but the result wouldn't have been much different if he was white as the media spins for the right.

The repeated use of 'he doesn't seem to understand' is the republican mantra of the American people in general. We don't understand so trust us to take care of everything - this time we are suffering the effects of them taking over and it's not working this time.

[Balderdash]

20. WTF?

You're as bad as Joe Scarborough with the race stuff. Most pundits give the debate to Obama for a lot of the reasons that you mentioned. Obama is leading in almost all polls, he's going to win. We are going to have our first black President.

You continually want to shame white people and I can tell you this white person finds it offensive. This Democrat finds it offensive. When I read this morning that Joe Scarborough said that Obama looked darker I was like, what the hell!? And now you with the white privilege crap again. Shame is not the best way to go about winning people over. Hillary was my first choice, not because she was a woman but because of her policies but because she is a woman the bar or glass ceiling was much higher for her than any of the men that were running no matter their color. Barak is not the first black to run for President but he is the first that had a message that appealed to a broader electorate and he hasn't tried to shame white people to get their vote he appeals to them on the issues, his win will be much cleaner for it. As far as I can tell the main issue that keeps Barak from wining a landslide is his lack of experience but the next debates will probably nullify even that because last nights debate was the toughest one for him and he won it.

[ecstatic]

23. What about the content of the OP-if Barack made the same gaffes

would the MSM still call it a tie or even suggest that Obama won?

[Balderdash]

30. Barak had his own gaffes

but he still won the debate according to the MSM. For me, if heard Barak say "john is right" one more time, I thought my head would explode. But I understand that Barak has a plan and he needs to appeal to Independents and according to what I'm reading this morning he did just that.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

31. The MSM is destroying McCain on those gaffes.

I don't know what channel you're watching, but CNN and MSNBC are both taking him to task on his body language while praising Obama for have both style and substance. They're even going out of their way to refute the Republican pushed notion that Obama isn't tough because he agreed with McCain several times. So really, wtf are you watching?

[ecstatic]

34. I pretty much turned off the MSM news after Joe asked if Obama looked too dark and sinister

:shrug: So I guess they started making worthwhile comments after? Because the BS I was seeing was stuff about a draw, etc.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

35. You watched a fucking Republican asshole - what did you really expect?

Watch more balanced shows, where they have neutral and reps from both parties.

[Balderdash]

44. Yeah, I'm watching the same media that you are and

McCain isn't looking good.

[Starry Messenger]

27. "White privilege" and white people are two different things.

I didn't see anything in Effie's post to "shame" anyone. White privilege is a much written about social phenomenon and is an interesting topic of discussion in the context of the election. If it were Hillary in the race, male privilege would probably be talked about.

[Balderdash]

37. I know that "white privilege" exisits but it isn't

going to determine this election. White Privilege pisses every one off including most whites because very few have that kind of privilege. White Privilege didn't cause Joe Scarborough to say that Barak looked darker, that was racism and we all know that Republicans have that as a plank in their platform. Sexism and misogyny from all sides was the problem as far as Hillary was concerned, it was rampant. But white privilege isn't going to keep Barak from becoming President in fact it may even help because most folks in this economy are not happy with any kind of privilege.

[Starry Messenger]

39. Well, it doesn't piss me off.

Maybe we're talking about two different things here. I'm talking about this article:

http://mmcisaac.faculty.asu.edu/emc598ge/Unpacking.html

which actually came out of a Women's Study program.

White privilege didn't cause JS to say Barack looks darker but it will keep him from paying a penalty for it in the media. That's what we're talking about here.

[Balderdash]

42. JS's comment is all over the media this morning.

We're talking about it right now because it's all over the media this morning.

[Starry Messenger]

43. Is it?

I've only been here. I haven't seen any links to anyone saying that he was being taken to task for it. If that is true then sorry. I was just riffing off your example.

[Starry Messenger]

74. It's been over 24 hours now.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=joe+scarborough+barack+darker&btnG=Search

There are only a few blog posts in response to JS's bizarre remarks. Did you ever find any other media coverage?

[Balderdash]

82. I watched it discussed on CNN and

may have assumed wider coverage but I also know Chris Matthews discussed it too. So that's CNN and MSNBC. I'm sure that we haven't heard the end of it either, I bet he makes Olbermans "worse person in the world".

[Starry Messenger]

84. That would be cool. I love Worst Person.

I'm glad these bugs are getting squashed in public. Thanks for the heads up!

[DevonRex]

36. I'm curious that you would take offense to a straight forward observation

and question. The poster believes (and I agree with her) that had Obama not looked into McCain's eyes at any point during the debate, then the Rush Limbaughs of this world, AND mainstream pundits might very well have pounced on it. The RWers would have damned him for being a "shifty black man." The MSM would have damned him as "unsure of himself."

There certainly is some talk about McCain's strange behavior last night, but it is not what they would have said about Obama.

And there is NOTHING in the OP that shames white people. It may be time for you to take your own inventory. Just a suggestion.

[Balderdash]

40. It's all a big what if...

It didn't happen and McCain is taking hits for his "odd" behavior. I'm just not seeing the need to "what if". Every pundit I've listened to has made a big deal out of the fact that McCain didn't look at Barak. We can't know what would have happened IF Barak had done the same thing. And who gives a shit what Rush Limpballs has to say about anything?

[sandnsea]

38. I'm white, are you denying white privilege

in general? Outside of this election, does it exist or not?

The poster is correct in their assessment, but the media treats all Democrats that way. What many white Democrats fail to understand is that the reason the media has gotten away with it is because white Republicans look at Democrats as minorities and women, ie, the Democrat would never win if "insert interest group" hadn't voted for them. Democrats are treated badly because most of the time it's a woman or a minority that the white male Republican is attacking.

[Balderdash]

41. As I said, of course white priliege exists

I just don't see it as the problem that the OP makes it out to be. By most accounts Barak won the debate and a lot of it had to do with McCains rude behavior. We don't know how the MSM would have framed things if Barak had done what McCain did.

[sandnsea]

45. What do you think would happen

if the Democrat had ignored the Republican, refused to look him in the eye, said "horseshit" under his breath, disrespected the spouse, mixed up key facts and rambled endlessly on several occasions. Would anybody say he had won?

[BrainStorm]

68. I think we have a black candidate who is winning.

And I think male privilege is far stronger than anything else.

[Pithlet]

56. That post didn't shame white people

This white person agreed with it. Yes, I think there's a very good chance we're going to win. I'd be shocked if we didn't. But it should be a friggin landslide. The polls shouldn't have been neck and neck all this time. The media shouldn't have attempted to make the debates look like a draw, before they had to change their tune when the debate polls came back. Did they look like a draw to you? They sure didn't to me. And I think a big reason has to do with what the OP says. I do think if the shoe were on the other foot, things would be different. I don't think it was the OP that was offensive, and I'll leave it at that.

[chascarrillo]

58. I think that your inability to spell Barack Obama's name right simply underscores that OP's point.

[Balderdash]

80. Spelling?

You're taking points off for spelling? I didn't spell Barack's name right because of white privilege? I voted for Hillary in the primary and habitually forgot one of the L's in her name. Or are you saying that I'm a racist because I didn't spell his name right? I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you're saying.

[Raineyb]

75. Your inability to deal with the reality in this country thankfully does not dictate what we discuss

First of all, the bar was not set higher for Hillary Clinton. That is a load of crap they had practically given her the nomination before the votes were even cast I might add. So please spare me the bullshit about the ceiling being so much higher than it was for a man of color.

Secondly, white privilege does exist. Now I suppose as a white person you can afford to pretend it doesn't exist. However, as a black woman I damn sure can't pretend it doesn't. I am sick and tired of white people saying that something is crap because they can't see it when I see it every day. Of course you don't see it it doesn't affect you negatively does it? But I see you've jumped all over sexism haven't you? I guess an ism is only a problem when it affects you personally right?

Third of all, as to this broad electorate nonsense. Black people are not a different species you know. What we are in this country are the canaries in the mineshaft. Whatever you do to us you do to yourselves. Jobs programs? It doesn't just benefit us everyone benefits from jobs programs. Predatory lending doesn't just hurt us you know. Predatory lenders have targeted the black community for years and it's not because our credit is bad. More than half the predatory loans were made to people who would otherwise have qualified for regular prime loans but as long as they targeted mostly minority communities with these rotten loans no one wanted to do anything about it. Now it's an emergency. Guess what had someone done something about these God-awful loans years ago we wouldn't be in this mess now. Do you really think that the banks would stop ripping people off after they've stolen the wealth out of minority communities? These are things that should appeal to everyone. So I have no idea what the hell you're talking about when you talk about appealing to the "broad electorate."

Although, I suppose that dealing with racial profiling may not appeal to the "broad electorate" if you assume that the "broad electorate" has no sense of fairness.

It is too bad for you that talk of white privilege makes you uncomfortable. It needs to be pointed out otherwise how the hell are we to eliminate it unless of course that is not your interest in the first place.

Regards

[Starry Messenger]

77. I wish I could rec this post.

Your point about the canaries in the mineshaft would be an awesome OP, too.

[Balderdash]

81. I never said that white privilege doesn't exist

I said, "of course it exists." And it effects everyone not just black people. There are plenty of white and brown and whatever other color people effected by bad loans and every other greedy assed thing that white privilege brings. That's why we have Democrats of every creed and color voting for Obama. That's why we have Democrats period.

I'm not uncomfortable talking about race or white privilege and I never said anything even remotely like "black people are a different species." Why can't this be discussed without trying to make me out to be a racist? I'm not. This election was never going to be a landslide, no matter who was our nominee even if the nominee had been a white male. Half the country is Republican and in that half of the country you've still got rednecks and racists and sexists, it's a package deal with the Republicans. In 2000 we had one of the smartest white men alive running and he was beaten by Republicans. In 2004 we had a white male, war hero, that wasn't the god awful George Bush and he was beaten.

There are people in this country that are going to have to see what WE as Democrats can do with the country. Obama is going to win and he's going to have one of the hardest jobs any President has ever had but not because he's black but because the Republicans have run the country into the ground. The OP asked a question that could not be answered because it didn't happen. Obama played that debate right and lots of Independents came off the fence into OUR column. White privilege is losing this one.

And BTW, I raised my 16 year old half black grandson, I am prouder of him and love him more than any other thing. The first time I heard some stupid ass call him the N word, he was the one that held me back from putting my foot up the ass of the jerk who said it. He wishes that he was old enough to vote, I do too. It would be awesome for him to be able to vote for the first black President. But his future is looking brighter every day.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

22. Here's my essay from yesterday...

John McCain reminds me why I don't assign group projects in my political science classes:

Every semester I can expect to get a student who is more concerned about his next female conquest than he is about education. This is typically the underachiever who—if he does show up for class—sits in the back of the classroom, laughing or talking during my lecture or disrupting the class in some fashion. This is the kid who is privileged. This kid was accepted to the university because his daddy and granddaddy and great-granddaddy and great, great granddaddy attended the university and gives large sums of money for its academic and athletic programs.

This kid only participates in classroom discussions when I have the dreaded conversation about affirmative action. Despite his privileged background and legacy admission to the university, he’s the one who often rails off the loudest against affirmative action programs. He’s the petulant one who doesn’t respect me because he sees the darkness of my skin and assumes that I’m only his professor because of affirmative action. He’s the one who speaks often about ‘personal responsibility’ and how poor people beg for government hand-outs and don’t want to work. He’s the kid who believes that racism no longer exists, and that if people simply worked hard, they can be as rich as his daddy is.

This kid doesn’t have to worry about getting good grades. If I were to give him a bad grade, rest assured that his daddy would be calling the department head threatening to withhold further donations to the university until the grade is adjusted. And he certainly doesn’t have to worry about jobs. His daddy’s friend has a friend of a friend who has a friend that works at a prestigious law firm and has a lucrative position already lined up.

John McCain reminds me of this kid. And he’s the reason why I no longer assign group projects. Why? Because John McCain is precisely the kid I’ve described above who’ll claim credit for work that he didn’t contribute. John McCain is that kid who is the slacker and spends time just sitting and listening and stealing the ideas from the members of the group and posing as if they were his own. John McCain is the parasite of the group. He feeds off the hard work and determination of others then reaps the benefit because each member of the group receives the same grade. He’s funny and a class clown, but deep inside, the class hates him! They know that he comes from privilege and they aren’t as fortunate as he is, and yet, he’ll never have to worry about jobs or bills.

All of this can be summed up in this way:

The stunt that John McCain pulled yesterday is a reminder that he’s still that kid from the Naval Academy just 40 miles away from where I sit who graduated at the bottom of his class but claimed credit from his father’s and grandfather’s accomplishments. John McCain never succeeded like his father and grandpappy did. He never became a Navy Admiral as they did. Maybe that’s why, like George W. Bush, he feels that he has to succeed at something, to prove that he can do it. Perhaps he feels that by achieving the presidency he will have “one-upped” his father and finally succeed at something other than being a party guy and a ladies man.

But he’s still that kid that nobody really likes but puts up with because they feel sorry for him.

I have come to despise John McCain because yesterday’s events not only reminded me of those students who I resented because they never had to work hard, but because this guy just might become president because of someone else’s accomplishments.

[EffieBlack]

50. GREAT post!

[Balderdash]

83. Wonderful post and right on!

I don't think John McCain is going to win though.

[glitch]

26. It's not just White Privilege - it's White Republican Privilege.

They did the same thing to Gore and Kerry and will continue to do the same to anyone who fights their power.

[last_texas_dem]

60. I agree

I don't think McCain is so much advantaged by "white privilege" as he is advantaged by former-POW privilege, self-proclaimed-maverick privilege, and the-media's-favorite-politician privilege...

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

71. You're absolutely right!!

[LiberadorHugo]

28. Racism would be hilarious if it were not so tragic...

dumdeedumdeedum..."Hey...You're worse than I am because over thousands and millions of years, your pigmentation balance became different from mine so that you could adapt to your environment."

I mean...That's the most stupid fucking concept that has ever been devised.

[agentS]

29. White Priviledge won't be enough to save McCain

It may lessen the damage but White Privilege can't win for a candidate who consistently shoots himself in the foot.
McCain is his own worst enemy and we've seen that in the debate. He got names, places, and times wrong all over the place.
Now he looks clueless and the independents are flocking ever quicker to Obama.
No wonder the MSM is almost bottom in trustworthiness by the American people, right below HMOs I think.
Look at these recent poll numbers. People are tired of his whining.
White Privilege can't help a person forever if that person's lousy. Eventually patience wears thin, and then out.

[BlooInBloo]

51. (a) That's not the point, (b) That remains to be seen.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rucky]

46. McCain was sure acting uppity last night.

hey, if the shoe fits...

[Laelth]

49. imho, it's another example of Republican entitlement.

The bar is always higher for us, regardless of skin tone.

-Laelth

[angee_is_mad]

52. Hope people read this post

and get a clue about the real world as it is at this time.

[Withywindle]

55. That's what I see in McCain's surly, hostile behavior.

White privilege isn't working for him now as much as he was always taught it would. He feels betrayed and furious and petulant because he always had the unspoken assumption that just being who he is--pasty white, war heroTM, married rich--would mean he would never have to work as hard as the hoi polloi and that he could have everything he wants because it's just his due. For the most part, it's worked for him. Now, he's coming up against the rude shock that occasionally, just maybe, sometimes, a black man--who does indeed have to work twice as hard to be thought half as good--will be the better man and PEOPLE WILL SEE IT. He was counting on people not seeing it.

He's a bully whose bluff has been called. He's a third-rate white ball player watching Jackie Robinson and realizing his game is up. Off to the bush leagues where his no-talent white ass belongs.

[Binka]

63. John Is A Malignant Narcissist He Doesn't Care About ANYBODY But Himself

He didn't count on people NOT seeing the shit he is, he doesn't even acknowledge they exist. But throw a black folk into the mix and it has got him seething. He sees black and white alright. Nasty little fucker. Son of privilege and worth less than a pail of piss. I really fucking hate this bastard.

[BlooInBloo]

57. Talk about affirmative action! (snarfle)

[Withywindle]

59. "Affirmative action" is why we're in the mess we're in.

Think Bush would be where he is if he weren't very rich, very white, and very connected? If it weren't for white privilege, we might all be in a much better country today.

[kevinds13]

61. Well, well, well...

The media can't have this thing be over already. One month coronation's aren't nearly as good for ratings as horse races are.

[Usrename]

69. McCain doesn't deserve to be in a debate with Obama.

It just serves to help legitimize McCain's twisted view of the world.

[Honeycombe8]

79. I don't see THAT as a race thing (there'r plenty of other race things). They would skewered Gore,

too, if he'd acted the same way as McCain.

It's just that the Repubs are better at attacking their opponents and drawing attention to things.

[WeDidIt]

91. Barack Obama Must Stand HEad And Shoulders Above All Rivals

just to be considered to be at the same level.

That's reality in America.

[samsingh]

94. you're right.