'Negro' on Census Form Offends Some.....

It's all fun and games until someone of a different color says the nasty name.
 
MLK’s Niece Calls Reid’s Racist Comments “Sadly Outrageous”

The Rev. Al Sharpton, the Congressional Black Caucus and the NAACP all jumped to the defense of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid after his controversial remarks about President Obama, but the niece of Martin Luther King Jr. is calling Reid’s comments “sadly outrageous.”

“If Michael Steele or any other conservative had said anything like it, the remarks would be labeled racist and plastered over every available news outlet,” Alveda King said in a statement released Tuesday.

“What would my uncle and my father think, to hear such things from one of the most powerful leaders in the country? Their ‘beloved community’ is sorely threatened when racism rears its ugly head once again.”

Sen. Russ Fiengold did his own soul searching after Reid was quoted in a book saying candidate Barack Obama in 2008 could benefit from being light-skinned and not having a “Negro dialect” unless he wants one. Feingold told a local television station late Monday that he’s still mulling whether Reid should stay or step down as majority leader.

“I’m thinking about that and we’re going to be getting together as a caucus next week, and that topic will come up. I have not decided whether these comments merit that or not,” Feingold told ABC affiliate WISN. “They’re very unfortunate. They should have never been said. So I need to think about it.”
Click to expand...

FOXNews.com - MLK Jr.'s Niece Doesn't See Compliment in Reid's 'Negro Dialect' Comment
 
Actually, the color black is the result of all of the colors in the visible spectrum "absorbed" with none of reflected light from that spectrum reach our eyes. It's an absence of any visible light color we're seeing.
 
Lucky the census is infrequent. Maybe everyone will be happy next time.
 
Yeah, Obama's "cool" with it just as he was "cool" with Ferraro by asking her to leave the campaign. It's the double standard if you hadn't noticed.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6812236.html

How funny it was that people tried to so hard to paint other people as racists because they dared to criticize Obama but when it came down to Reid's "negro dialect" comment they look the other way and say it was nothing (a la Al Sharpton) and everything's cool.

Yeah. Sure. Cool.

Btw, again, exactly what is a "negro dialect" and why would it disqualify that person from running office?
 
kokonut said:
Btw, again, exactly what is a "negro dialect" and why would it disqualify that person from running office?
Click to expand...

It wouldn't disqualify anyone but it would sure make it harder for them to run for office.

Anyone with a non-standard dialect has a harder time when running for office. Look at Sarah Palin. She was white but she had a non-standard dialect which caused people to question her intelligence more readily than they would if she had a standard dialect.

Enter race. It's a fact that racism runs rampant, even if it's more subtle nowadays than it was back in the lynching days.

Now where dialects and race meet. There are certain dialects of English that most people associate with African-Americans. It doesn't matter who actually speaks what, if black people speak a dialect associated with their race or not, or if other races speak the same dialect, what matters is that the associations are there for many people.

So combine all these factors, and you get people questioning the intelligence of someone who speaks a dialect associated with black people, especially if the speaker happens to be black.
 
CJB said:
It wouldn't disqualify anyone but it would sure make it harder for them to run for office.

Anyone with a non-standard dialect has a harder time when running for office. Look at Sarah Palin. She was white but she had a non-standard dialect which caused people to question her intelligence more readily than they would if she had a standard dialect.

Enter race. It's a fact that racism runs rampant, even if it's more subtle nowadays than it was back in the lynching days.

Now where dialects and race meet. There are certain dialects of English that most people associate with African-Americans. It doesn't matter who actually speaks what, if black people speak a dialect associated with their race or not, or if other races speak the same dialect, what matters is that the associations are there for many people.

So combine all these factors, and you get people questioning the intelligence of someone who speaks a dialect associated with black people, especially if the speaker happens to be black.
Click to expand...

Do you have examples or proof that politicians or people running for office has a hard time getting elected because of their "negro dialect" which can also be a "negro accent"? Do you realize just how many black politicians there are/were as committee members, mayors, governors, senators, representatives, and so on? I have listened to some of those black politicians before and many certainly do have that particular voice.

Black / African American Politicians At Blackrefer.com
 
kokonut said:
Do you have examples or proof that politicians or people running for office has a hard time getting elected because of their "negro dialect" which can also be a "negro accent"? Do you realize just how many black politicians there are/were as committee members, mayors, governors, senators, representatives, and so on? I have listened to some of those black politicians before and many certainly do have that particular voice.

Black / African American Politicians At Blackrefer.com
Click to expand...

kokonut, nowhere in my post did I ever say anything about politicians not getting elected cause of their dialect. I just said it works against them in an election. Of course there are always many factors and if they are strong politicians, charismatic, and a number of other things, that works in their favor.
 
CJB said:
kokonut, nowhere in my post did I ever say anything about politicians not getting elected cause of their dialect. I just said it works against them in an election. Of course there are always many factors and if they are strong politicians, charismatic, and a number of other things, that works in their favor.
Click to expand...

I asked you for an example. I know you said it would make it harder for them to run for office. With so many black politicians today I seriously doubt any dialect or "accent" was a factor in making it harder for them to get elected. I think it would turn some people off, others may find it appealing. It was unfortunate that Reid said that. I think more are offended for him using the word "negro" rather than the words "negro dialect" or a combination of both.
 
CJB said:
It wouldn't disqualify anyone but it would sure make it harder for them to run for office.

Anyone with a non-standard dialect has a harder time when running for office. Look at Sarah Palin. She was white but she had a non-standard dialect which caused people to question her intelligence more readily than they would if she had a standard dialect.

Enter race. It's a fact that racism runs rampant, even if it's more subtle nowadays than it was back in the lynching days.

Now where dialects and race meet. There are certain dialects of English that most people associate with African-Americans. It doesn't matter who actually speaks what, if black people speak a dialect associated with their race or not, or if other races speak the same tialect, what matters is that the associations are there for many people.

So combine all these factors, and you get people questioning the intelligence of someone who speaks a dialect associated with black people, especially if the speaker happens to be black.
Click to expand...

Kinda like how the history books cite that the reason why Nixon lost to Kennedy was because Kennedy was a better speaker on live TV, even though Nixon is well-revered for his radio personality?
 
Do you think a sissy man would be elected for president if he was competing against a masculine man on same platform? Get real. Same with race and everything. Everything matters.
 
netrox said:
Do you think a sissy man would be elected for president if he was competing against a masculine man on same platform? Get real. Same with race and everything. Everything matters.
Click to expand...

well.... Abraham Lincoln got elected..... he was a sissy scrawny man with a silly-ass hat.... and he was mocked as a hilly-billy poor boy. I mean.... this man was against a seasoned fat cat so....
 
Jiro said:
well.... Abraham Lincoln got elected..... he was a sissy scrawny man with a silly-ass hat.... and he was mocked as a hilly-billy poor boy. I mean.... this man was against a seasoned fat cat so....
Click to expand...

They didn't know - damn lack of access! :giggle:
 
I don't think a dialect or accent thing would be a major stumbling block in an election for any office or seat.
 
Back
Top