Wright says criticism is attack on black church
By NEDRA PICKLER,
Associated Press
Posted: 2008-04-28 09:51:11
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Rev. Jeremiah Wright says criticism surrounding his fiery sermons is an attack on the black church.
Barack Obama’s longtime pastor says he hopes the controversy will have a positive outcome and spark an honest dialogue about race in America. Wright says black church traditions are still “invisible” to many Americans, as they have been throughout the country’s history.
Wright spoke at the National Press Club Monday morning before the Washington press corps and a supportive audience of black church leaders beginning a two-day symposium.
He said the black church tradition is not bombastic or controversial, but different and misunderstood by the “dominant culture” in the United States.
Do you agree with Rev. Wright’s view? Do you believe that racism or sexism still exist in America today?
Wright is wrong. There’s no racism or sexism in America. You should just go back to where you came from. We don’t need any female foreigner making the USCF look bad. This federation is doing fine without your $100,000 scholarship prizes, laptops or category 15 tournaments. I fully support Mr. Goichberg, Bauer, Hough and Berry. They know what’s best for the USCF.
Do you believe that racism or sexism still exist in America today?
Yes, and a good portion of it is being spewed by race-baiters like Wright and Al Sharpton.
Don’t forget the uscf eb, payne, laughterty and the gang.
Wright is right! All crazy people should be allowed to run naked in the streets because we didn’t take naps as children and have grown up to be crazy litigious nut-jobs!
Heil Zippy the Pinhead!
Heil Zippy the Pinhead!
Heil zippy the Pinhead!
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Do you agree with Rev. Wright’s view? Do you believe that racism or sexism still exist in America today?
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Of course. He himself is one of its most virulent practitioners. He’s also kind of a relic of the past. He grew up in the 50’s when racism was plentiful and overt, and justified his own hatred with the idea that everyone else was just as bad. Times have changed, but he hasn’t changed with them. He’s stuck in a time warp. He belongs in a museum more than a Presidential campaign.
The whole idea of a “black church” or a “white one” or any kind of exclusionary church is anti-Christian, of course.
There’s no sexism or racism. We just don’t like smart or successful foreign women.
It’s amazing how defensive some American’s get when speaking about these issues – a good indication that these issues do in fact exist.
The point is, there is little dialog about race in this country to the detriment of both whites and blacks.
If we could all put away our kneejerk reacts for a minute, we could see that our society would greatly benefit from this dialog.
Is that what we say about the Klan or the Neo-Nazis, that they are OK because it will spur a dicussion on race that we need. The central truth about our racial discussions is that they are partisan, if your white your wrong, an if your black your right and you can be as racist as you want.
Wow! Maybe you should censor these remarks!
One thing is for sure: having a half-black president isn’t going to cure any perceived racism.
Neither is having a female president going to alleviate any perceive sexism.
These are subjects for voters that have weak minds who can’t look deeper than skin color or lack of a pair.
Even entertaining the questions minimalizes important issues.
My wish for today is all of the people who wrote these reactionary comments could stand in the shoes of a person of a different race today and then post again.
I guarantee that we’d have a different sort of discussion here.
Obama gets 90% of the black vote.
Clinton gets far less than that of the white vote.
So which group is voting more along racist lines?
In fact, go to just about any non-white country and you will find the natives generally far more racist and racially exclusive than white countries are.
Why does it seem perfectly ok for non-whites to be as racist as they like, yet if some whites show signs of racism, it is condemned to the skies?
All very strange…
As for Wright claiming he is a Christian, I thought Christianity was supposed to be about love, not hate…
Ok, so let’s put it this way:
If Obama gets the nomination, black leaders around the country (I’m looking at you Al Sharpton) will say that the best candidate won.
On the other hand, if Clinton gets the nomination, they will say that America is racist and that is why Obama couldn’t get the nomination.
I think this racism claim by every minority is going way too far these days. If someone doesn’t get their way…..then is racism. How far are we going to allow this to happen? I though we had smarter voters in the US…..it seems we don’t.
If he can say there is a black church, can there also be a black school, a black restaurant, a black bus, a BGM chess title, ect? See how ridiculous he sounds.
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It’s amazing how defensive some American’s get when speaking about these issues – a good indication that these issues do in fact exist.
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Yeah, racism makes people uncomforatable, no doubt about it. As Wright is a bigot and a hatemonger, people are decidedly uncomfortable with him.
The way you’ve got it figured, disliking racism proves that people DO like it. Surely you know that makes no sense.
Racism and sexism exists all over the world and anyone who says otherwise has his head stuck in the mud.And Americans,Black or White exhibit racist behaviour towards a lot of the rest of the world.
nope. and stop global scamming
Obama has bad judgement and bad friends like: Reverend Wright,Rezko and William Ayers (a founder of the radical Weather Underground).
One needs to address Rev. Wright’s statements individually on their merits and in context, not lump him with pictures derived from other people. I deplore his propagating the allegations of the US government conspiring to bring AIDS on black people, even with the backdrop of the Tuskegee syphilis study. Likewise, in his “God Damn America” sermon (see this excellent redaction), he is wrong to assert blandly that FDR knew about Pearl Harbor in advance, wrong to slam the “Klan court” and call names, and perhaps wrong to term the 2000 election “stolen”. But the rest is pretty well documented. In context it was April 2003 in grief and shock over the US invasion of Iraq, and he correctly predicted there would be no WMD found except for some we’d try to trump up.
Where he said “God Damn America—that’s in the Bible”, just substitute Israel (and/or Judea) for America and you’ll find plenty of places where the prophets “spoke truth to power”. And it must be understood that this is part of the “prophetic mission” of a pastor. For Lincoln’s description of GDA see Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address:
“Yet, if God wills that [“this terrible war”] continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”
Lincoln continued, “With malice toward none, with charity for all…”—as Obama has, but which clashes ironically with the ending of Wright’s sermon.
Mr. Regan,
You have intelligently explained the topic at hand. I am very impressed with your knowledge and scholarship!
Best wishes,
Grundy
This comment has been removed by the author.
yes i racism still exists and that whites get the majority of the positions of power. i also think sexism exists specifically women getting the better of men. in dirvorce cases who gets the kids. the woman. who gets the money in divorce cases? the women usually get 70% of the money while the man generally earnes the most money of the two spouses. shouldnt it be reversed?in terms of health funding which sex gets the most funding for cancer. breast cancer reasearch for women is three times that of prostrate cancer funding for men. so yes sexism does exist but it exists in favour of women at the expense of men.
Hi Susan,
The comment below by the person calling him- or herself “national pride” below indicates, in one brief email, that the scourges of racism and sexism are still sadly prevalent. The writer says that “there’s no sexism in America” then in the same breath contradictorily tells you to “go back to where you came from.” This is reprehensible and reveals a deep ignorance of the fact that this country was built from the blood, sweat, and tears of millions of “foreigners” who came to the U.S., forcibly, as in millions of enslaved and indentured peoples, or willingly.
Perhaps, when the writer tells you to go back to where you came from he doesn’t mean Hungary but New York City. We definitely miss you here!
Thanks to you and Paul and your colleagues for all your tremendous efforts, of which “$100,000 scholarship prizes, laptops or category 15 tournaments” are only a small part of your overall efforts.
And thanks once again for your open forums.
Take care,
John Madera