It doesn't have to be the entire sermon to serve as an example of bigotry. Even among a strong speech of how great it would be to be at peace with everybody if I called a black guy a "big-lipped African" it would be taken as racist.
This guy may spend a lot of time talking about "good" things, but that doesn't make "Garlic-nosed Italians" disappear. It doesn't make 'US of KKK A' any better. It doesn't make his statements suddenly and magically "clean of all bigotry". The man is a bigot.
So are many pastors on the right, specifically against homosexuals. Does it make it all okay if they talk about how we can build a better society by working together? What if he was saying that if whites worked to improve whites lives it would make it better?
I'm telling you, this guy is getting a pass that the righties would not get. When it comes to the color of the skin (not homosexuality or abortion crap, the homosexuality crap can often be heard very strongly in black churches too BTW), a white church with equal statements would be excoriated and the candidate that went there would already be gone.
This guy may spend a lot of time talking about "good" things, but that doesn't make "Garlic-nosed Italians" disappear. It doesn't make 'US of KKK A' any better. It doesn't make his statements suddenly and magically "clean of all bigotry". The man is a bigot.
Please. I can almost sense your feet pounding on the floor, demanding that we acknowledge that Pastor Wright is a racist and a bigot. I feel you've invested a lot of hope in this issue being electoral gold for republicans. I understand why: Iraq, the economy, and healthcare aren't winning issues for McCain.
Like WRL, I seriously doubt you have either read the entire Wright eulogy, nor watched the full youtube videos in context. Frankly, I'm really amused by priviledged white guys whining about alleged black racism.
First, you're assertion about him being a racist or a bigot is wholly without merit. We already debunked your previous attempt at posting the mission statement of the church being proudly african as a complete and disingenous diversion.
Second, to be a racist or a bigot requires one, by definition, is to believe that the group you belong to is collectively superior to other groups. This is clearly that case with stormfront, and the newletter writing of ron paul's buddies. There's no doubt, that they thought blacks were inferior. There isn't a shred of evidence that Pastor Wright considers whites, italians, mexicans, or jews to be inferior to africans or african-americans. You just want to imagine that he is. Either that, or you know he doesn't believe that, but yet you see electoral gold by swiftboat tactics. I've never even heard the term "garlic noses" used as a word to reinforce institutionalized racism or bias. And, he was talking about the romans at any rate. Two thousand years ago. They did look down their noses at the christians and jesus. I have no idea if "garlic noses" was a silly and inelegant insult on Jesus' roman oppressors, or whether there is any theological or historical context. Doesn't matter. You don't know either. At worst, it's an inelegant insult to the of the roman oppressors of jesus 2000 year ago. It wasn't a reference to italian americans.
I really think priviledged white men don't need to piss their diapers about alleged reverse racism, or reverse sexism. It simply isn't an issue that has ever detrimentally affected us, like it has affected minorities and women. It makes us look like crybaby's to even whine about it. In wright's case, I don't smell a whiff of racism. At worst, I see some inelegant comments, which some sensitive and/or frightened white men could take to be divisive.
Lastly, if you want to bring up this board, I find it very telling that a broad spectrum of libertarians and center-right posters here have not been offended by pastor wrights comments. In fact, many of those posters find themselves in agreement with Pastor wright broadly speaking.
