It's called "white privilege" G. Beck CAN call Obama racist but Kanye CAN'T say "George Bush doesn't

[wndycty]

. . .care about Black people."

My dad taught me that at a young age. He said it is not right, I shouldn't accept it, but I should never be surprised by it.

[Avalux]

1. Do you know Pukes in the house drew up a resolution -

to force Obama to apologize to that cop? :mad:

I hear you loud and clear. Even the President of the United States can't escape it.

[MellowDem]

2. Well, Kanye DID say that...

so I don't get your point. Kanye got shit for it from those on the right, and Beck will get shit for this from us, though in all honesty we already see Beck as a lunatic whereas Kanye can actually be taken seriously when he speaks.

[wndycty]

4. Kanye got shit from everybody, not just those on the right. . .

. . .additionally, Republicans take offense when you call them racist, yet they don't thing twice about calling Democrats racist.

[DrToast]

5. Huh? I remember a lot of people agreeing with him.

[wndycty]

7. Unforunately he earned more ridicule than he did praise

:kick:

[vaberella]

12. Agreed. I know many a people who could be called "left" who said he crossed the line.

Something about taking advantage of a tragedy to create a racialized statement defeats our purpose. Meh...what purpose besides equal recognition and respect...I have no clue.

However he was bloody right in his statement.

[cherokeeprogressive]

25. Yeah, but we shouldn't forget that he earned a lot of moolah too.

Late Registration, his second album, was released the day after Katrina came ashore in New Orleans. He made his famous remark days later. In two weeks, Late Registration had sold over 1.14 million copies.

Smart guy, that Kanye. Good eye for what sells albums, namely controversy.

I'd take ridicule like that any day of the week.

[uponit7771]

26. yeap, M$M will not allow you to talk about the "mainstream" American that way

[MellowDem]

8. If it was a bigger controversy...

I'm guessing it's because it was tied to Katrina, which was a huge news story, so you'll have a lot more opinions out there. And Kanye is probably a more well known figure than Beck is. In fact, few people outside of us political junkies probably even know or care about what Beck says. Kanye is more mainstream.

Another thing, which isn't necessarily fair, is that Kanye is seen as an entertainer. So when he got political, he's more likely to be made fun of for it, as most entertainers are actually. Glen Beck is a professional douchebag political commentator, so when he says something like this, it's not surprising and it won't pick up nearly as much news since a lot less people care about what he has to say.

Regardless, I think we will see more of this story in the coming days and hopefully it will end up getting more condemnation than Kanye got.

The unfortunate truth is that the word "racist" means little anymore. It has been used wrongfully in so many cases for so long and in many cases it has been used as a political weapon not based on any truth that it doesn't carry the same weight it used to. When someone is accused of being a racist anymore, it has the same effect as the boy who cried wolf. There is a lot of skepticism because of how the word has been butchered to pretty much mean whatever the accuser wants it to mean. As it is, the mainstream world doesn't take Beck seriously already, and this will just reinforce that conviction.

[zbdent]

14. Kanye got a lot of shit from THE LIBERAL MEDIA ...

which had not yet started to lose the worship of Bush at that point ...

[Raineyb]

15. And on top of that they edited his remarks from the west coast showing

And it didn't take very long to get his mic cut either did it?

[JVS]

19. Kanye's comments were well received here at DU

But from the world at large, he did indeed take more flak than Glenn Beck will ever get.

[olkaz]

20. Which is silly, because Kanye is a lunatic.

The guy is a great producer, but I wouldn't want his opinion on a chicken sandwich, let alone anything substantial.

[MellowDem]

28. Well, on relative terms to Beck... nt

[jberryhill]

3. They both CAN and DID say those things /nt

[mzteris]

6. unearned and undeserved

white privilege.

"Whites" benefit every single day just by being white. Most have absolutely NO IDEA that this is so, and most would deny with their dying breath. Even if they don't WANT it, they have it and benefit from it. Racism has been institutionalized in this country, so ingrained, it's nearly impossible to escape.

If only white people could spend one day as anything other than "white" - they might begin to get a clue.

[provis99]

9. "white privilege" is too mushy a term.

Why not just call it what it is: white racism?

[wndycty]

10. Because its not, its privilege. . .

. . .the whites who do drugs but don't get busted for it while Black folks do are not racist, they are privileged. The system is racist but in many cases the folks who benefit from it are not racist.

[Number23]

13. Because Blecch er... I mean Beck has an entire power structure that will support his statements

This is a case of privilege, not racism. It's the exact same philosophy that allowed those white male Senators to question Sotomayor's heritage in such a disdainful way during her confirmation hearing.

Questioning whether Obama is a racist or whether Sotomayor's penchant for certain foods will affect her abilities are not acts of racism; but they do speak to a certain level of privilege and entitlement that few people of color, regardless of achievement, would ever have.

[slackmaster]

22. Because it's not racism, it's a perverse way of describing absence of discrimination

:nuke:

[vaberella]

11. Ahhh...the wonderful world of being Black. n/t

[Fire1]

16. k&r. FWIW. n/t

[angee_is_mad]

17. kick

and recommend

[applegrove]

18. That is an excellent example.

[slackmaster]

21. Kanye actually did say that, and got a lot of free publicity for it

K&U

:kick:

[EFerrari]

30. Heaven forfend a citizen of this country point out murderous racism

and that his comments should hit the press.

What's the matter with you.

[mopinko]

23. +1

:puke:
sorry to share a skin color with a whole lot of these assholes.

[wndycty]

24. Don't apologize. . .ALL OF US, especially those of us who can make a difference, need to reflect. .

. . .and consider what we can do to move this country forward.

[Phx_Dem]

27. You might want to do some research, Kanye DID say it on national TV.

And recieved lots of coverage/publicity for it. He wasn't blackballed or in any other way damaged by his comments.

Of course, Kanye actually had a good reason for his statement -- after watching Bush sit on his ass and eat birthday cake while blacks drowned in aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Beck and the GOP have absolutely no such reasonable stance. They're just bitter and angry that they lost an election. That's their sole reason for calling Obama a racist -- soreloserdom. Or is is soreloserness?

[wndycty]

29. I know Kanye said it and he was roundly criticized

Many of the folks who follow Beck were outraged, where is their outrage now?

[rhiannon55]

33. sore loser psychosis

They were racists to begin with, but they are only happy when "their kind" has all the power. Now they need to be medicated. They can't get over losing. To a black man. They are unhinged by the "tragedy" of it.

[BlooInBloo]

31. Everybody knows it, many lie about it.

[D23MIURG23]

32. Both of those things were actually said by the respective speakers.

[wndycty]

34. Yeah and your point is?

My point is Kanye received significant criticism from those on the right, Beck? Crickets. So thanks for telling me both got a chance to speak, I was just pointing out the double standard.