"Typical White person"

[Gunny]

is how Barrack Obama described his grandmother on a Philly radio show yesterday while ensuring the issue remained on his race versus politics.

If a white person described a black person as a "typical black person" in the MSM the echo if their words would still be ringing as the first drove of knuckleheads began wailing "racist" in chorus.

 

[Diuretic]

So, what did he mean?

The reason I ask is that "typical" is indicative of the use of a stereotype. Stereotypes can be positive or negative. So, removed from context I need to ask, what did he mean?

 

[jreeves]

So, what did he mean?

The reason I ask is that "typical" is indicative of the use of a stereotype. Stereotypes can be positive or negative. So, removed from context I need to ask, what did he mean?

Lmao.....I can fool "all" crackers into beliving I don't hate them.....LOL

 

[Gunny]

So, what did he mean?

The reason I ask is that "typical" is indicative of the use of a stereotype. Stereotypes can be positive or negative. So, removed from context I need to ask, what did he mean?

What does it matter? If, as I suggested, a white person said the same thing about a (insert your favorite ethnicity here) person, would the same people who are willing to overlook Obama doing it ask that question?

No. The accusations would begin, any intelligent discussion would end.

I personally am not offended by the remark. I could care less. My sense of fair play is offended that he was allowed to make such a remark without the same crowd of usual suspects condemning him for it.

There's NO missing the glaringly obvious double standard.

 

[Diuretic]

No really, I'm serious. I missed it, I have to admit I'm trying to avoid the Obama-Clinton shitfest. What was the context?

 

[Ravi]

No really, I'm serious. I missed it, I have to admit I'm trying to avoid the Obama-Clinton shitfest. What was the context?

The point I was making was not that grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesn’t.

But she is a typical white person, who, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn’t know, you know, there’s a reaction that’s been bred in our experiences that don’t go away and that sometimes come out in the wrong way, and that’s just the nature of race in our society.

We have to break through it, and what makes me optimistic is you see each generation feeling a little less like that, and that’s powerful stuff.

 

[CSM]

... But she is a typical white person, who, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn’t know, you know, there’s a reaction that’s been bred in our experiences that don’t go away and that sometimes come out in the wrong way, and that’s just the nature of race in our society.

We have to break through it, and what makes me optimistic is you see each generation feeling a little less like that, and that’s powerful stuff.

Yeah, that philosophy works right up until good old grandma decides to let her guard down, walk across the street to shake hands and then....

There is a reason Grandma feels like she feels and it goes a lot deeper than "I think I'll hate black folks today" or whatever ethnic/economic/religious group is the one to hate these days

 

[Diuretic]

The point I was making was not that grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesn’t.

But she is a typical white person, who, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn’t know, you know, there’s a reaction that’s been bred in our experiences that don’t go away and that sometimes come out in the wrong way, and that’s just the nature of race in our society.

We have to break through it, and what makes me optimistic is you see each generation feeling a little less like that, and that’s powerful stuff.

Ah, that's the context?

 

[Diuretic]

Yeah, that philosophy works right up until good old grandma decides to let her guard down, walk across the street to shake hands and then....

There is a reason Grandma feels like she feels and it goes a lot deeper than "I think I'll hate black folks today" or whatever ethnic/economic/religious group is the one to hate these days

But that's not what Obama was getting at. You're free to extend the point but not to misrepresent the context of his remark.

 

[LordBrownTrout]

He's starting to make more and more of these slips of the tongue. Yeah, if that was a white person that had said that he/she's career would be over. Different standards. Politically correct racism for some.

 

[CSM]

But that's not what Obama was getting at. You're free to extend the point but not to misrepresent the context of his remark.

My comment was in no way an attempt to misrepresent the context of his remark. That's why there are no little quote thingies or even backhanded references to his remark.

My point is that people react to other people based on their experiences. I am willing to bet that if you have been mugged once by a white guy with a beard in a trench coat you are going to be awfully leary of an approaching white guy with a beard wearing a long trench coat.

 

[tigerbob]

No really, I'm serious. I missed it, I have to admit I'm trying to avoid the Obama-Clinton shitfest. What was the context?

He was asked about her having been afraid of black people in the past and having been accused of racial or ethnic stereotypes (or words to that effect) and replied that when she saw someone on the street that she did not know there is a reaction that has been bred in and that reaction sometimes comes out the wrong way or words to that effect.

There are 3 issues here.

First, is there such a thing as a typical white person?

Second, the point that he appears to be making is that such a typical white person has in-bred negative feelings about black people.

Thirdly, to gunny's point, if a white person said that black people typically viewed all whites negatively it would be a huge deal.

On point 3, it appears that what Obama said is a pretty big deal anyway, at least as far as the media are concerned, though perhaps not as big a deal as if McCain had said it

On point 2, to a degree, I think Obama is partly right. I have a number of black friends. The fact that I consider them as friends should indicate that I do not view them in a negative light, far from it in fact. But the point Obama is making is about how white people view black people who are strangers to them. And that's a lot less easy and less comfortable for me to answer. Are the views of white people shaped by things like inherited bias? Do white people tend to latch onto the more extreme views voiced by some members of the black community (Sharpton et al) and graft them onto the black community in a more general sense because doing so suits the perspective they have about black feeling towards whites? Do white people latch onto media coverage about black criminal behaviour and store it up, ready to bring into an argument as "yet another exapmle of" whatever? To my way of thinking, some of us do. On the other hand, and this is where I disagree with Obama, "some of us" isn't "typical".

On the first point, is there such a thing as a typical white person? Of course there is. The typical white person I would say graduated high school, has a job, pays taxes and respects the law, amongst other things. That data must be relatively easy to come by. Information about whether white people "typically" have a degree of in bred bias about black people would be harder to get at reliably.

So why did Obama say what he did? Some will say he is addressing a truth that is largely ignored but ought to be brought into the open. Others will think it is because black people are more naturally distrustful of whites than whites are of blacks. And there will be many other perspectives as well.

There's no right or wrong to this. There is only opinion, and everyone's opinions are, to a greater or lesser extent, shaped by their experiences.

 

[Diuretic]

My comment was in no way an attempt to misrepresent the context of his remark. That's why there are no little quote thingies or even backhanded references to his remark.

My point is that people react to other people based on their experiences. I am willing to bet that if you have been mugged once by a white guy with a beard in a trench coat you are going to be awfully leary of an approaching white guy with a beard wearing a long trench coat.

That's a fair point. I would. I would also probably generalise that learned response to other individuals with comparable characteristics and behavioiurs but that's another issue. But that's learning from a personal experience. When we stereotype we're usually doing it not from a personal experience but from some form of social learning.

 

[CSM]

That's a fair point. I would. I would also probably generalise that learned response to other individuals with comparable characteristics and behavioiurs but that's another issue. But that's learning from a personal experience. When we stereotype we're usually doing it not from a personal experience but from some form of social learning.

Agreed. however, I think that stereotypes are "earned" and not necessarily made up. Of course, no one wants to be stereotyped....we all want to be unique.

 

[Diuretic]

Thanks tigerbob. I am definitely at a disadvantage here, not knowing the context but that certainly does add to it for me.

I think though, that I can say that if the remark is examined out of context that much mischief can be made of it. Of course that suits Obama's critics and works for the bubbleheads in the media that want to grab a phrase and re-work it so that it fits their own ideological and political agenda.

WTF happened to critical thinking????

 

[manifold]

What does it matter? If, as I suggested, a white person said the same thing about a (insert your favorite ethnicity here) person, would the same people who are willing to overlook Obama doing it ask that question?

No. The accusations would begin, any intelligent discussion would end.

I personally am not offended by the remark. I could care less. My sense of fair play is offended that he was allowed to make such a remark without the same crowd of usual suspects condemning him for it.
There's NO missing the glaringly obvious double standard.

Let it be known from this point forward that GunnyL does indeed believe that two wrongs make a right.

 

[CSM]

Thanks tigerbob. I am definitely at a disadvantage here, not knowing the context but that certainly does add to it for me.

I think though, that I can say that if the remark is examined out of context that much mischief can be made of it. Of course that suits Obama's critics and works for the bubbleheads in the media that want to grab a phrase and re-work it so that it fits their own ideological and political agenda.

WTF happened to critical thinking????

Critical thinking occurs all the time on this board....criticize this, criticize that and criticize Bush.....

Oh, you meant the OTHER kind of critical thinking...

 

[Diuretic]

Agreed. however, I think that stereotypes are "earned" and not necessarily made up. Of course, no one wants to be stereotyped....we all want to be unique.

I definitely agree that inside any stereotype there's an element of truth. A stereotype can't be maintained and transmitted across generations unless there are instances which reinforce it. So yes, it's not simply a lie. And I have to say it's a normal human response. What we have to learn (says he getting on his soapbox - sorry) is to be guided by, but not controlled by, stereotypes.

 

[Diuretic]

Critical thinking occurs all the time on this board....criticize this, criticize that and criticize Bush.....

Oh, you meant the OTHER kind of critical thinking...

Yep, the rare type!

 

[CSM]

I definitely agree that inside any stereotype there's an element of truth. A stereotype can't be maintained and transmitted across generations unless there are instances which reinforce it. So yes, it's not simply a lie. And I have to say it's a normal human response. What we have to learn (says he getting on his soapbox - sorry) is to be guided by, but not controlled by, stereotypes.

Holy Crap! you must have upped your meds....three times in one day you make statements that I have to agree with ... you need to stop that.

Stereotypes have their purpose. Not all stereotypes are bad and not all are good. I do believe you are correct in that stereotypes should guide but not control our perceptions.