Bert’s Racist Rant
I’ve met Bert (who writes on Folkbum’s site). Nice guy. I guess I didn’t realize he was such a fervent racist, but his post seems to indicate such.
Harris is a black with an asterisk. Like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Harris reaps personal benefits from his black status for himself by perpetrating the structural disadvantages for fellow blacks. This gets James T. paid and publicized because it is soothing to many whites to hear blacks deny those structural problems are real, or to attack those black leaders who are trying to fix them.
Harris also sounds like a phony black, trying a little too hard to speak the way suburbanites think blacks should sound, as in the quotation above when he throws out “that’s just the way I roll” or “my brother” to a fellow black.
Harris is a conservative with an asterisk. He takes the position all the way down the boilerplate of a conservative for fiduciary reasons. Harris wants pub. That’s why he was doing the video thing at WMCS, and that’s why he grandstanded for the news cameras in a phony rant during the campaign stop for McCain.
If Harris were a dog, he would walk around on two legs. If he were a woman with unusually large breasts, he would show them off in skimpy clothes. Harris sports phony conservative implants because they are unusual on a black man and thereby attract the leering attention of conservatives and their media outlet managers.
Ummm…. yeah. OK… So if a black man speaks or has opinions contrary to Bert’s liberal orthodoxy then he’s “black with an asterisk?” Wow. I was unaware that the color of one’s skin dictated a certain political view. Now I know.
Yet another shining example of liberal tolerance.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 20, 2010 at 1524 hrs
This is always such a fascinating topic because it sort of straddles the fence of individuality versus awareness of group preference, and the degree to which one can mask the other.
The reason this discussion is difficult is because judging sincerity is difficult. For all we know, James T. Harris is 100% sincere about everything he says. Or perhaps it’s just a character that the real James T. Harris plays for the public because he makes a killing doing it, knowing full well that conservatives will eat up anything conservative said by a black man because the GOP is still desperate for anything that allows it to showcase some semblance of diversity.
But at the same time, one can say the same about guys like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Both are intelligent, charismatic guys who also have found a clear path to benefit from their skin color.
It’s certainly racist to suggest that minorities aren’t entitled to the same freedom of thought that we would assign to a cultural/racial majority. But we also have to recognize that intelligent minorities are well aware that their skin color can also be a remarkable asset in terms of self-promotion, whether it’s getting into a college or advancing one’s political/professional career. And that’s something that can be exploited regardless of one’s political ideology.
Does James T. Harris benefit from being a black conservative? Yes. Does he know that he benefits from being a black conservative? Yes. Does that delegitimize what he has to say? No. Does it give him extra credibility? No. Does it mean we should be careful about assigning more value to his comments than we would if he were a white conservative? Probably.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on July 20, 2010 at 1529 hrs
The reason this discussion is difficult is because judging sincerity is difficult.
RS, I think Bert’s point in his post—and I haven’t spoken to him about it, so this is based on what I know of Bert and the text that he wrote here—is that we can judge Harris’s sincerity, based on the way he always needs a spotlight following him.
Remarkably, no one anywhere that I’ve seen is even bothering to discuss the actual incident in question—including Harris himself, who refuses to comment on it—that he was all set to exploit an appearance on WMCS where, undoubtedly, he would be the “victim” of liberal intolerance. He wanted to film it for future self-serving use, and the station rightly said no, because they saw right through his act there.
So if Bert sees the opening to make that judgment call, he’s now a racist? I would love to dig through the archives of Wisconsin’s righty blogs during the 2004 Dem primary to see how many of them judged Al Sharpton as a self-aggrandizing professional victim, too.
Posted by folkbum on July 20, 2010 at 1540 hrs
The only reason that black conservatives are given such a special status is that they deviate from the liberal template that says all black people must think alike in order to be truly black. If you don’t buy into all the propaganda, then you get the asterisk, or are labeled and Oreo or an Uncle Tom by the well meaning diverse folks from the left.
It’s almost an intellectual slavery that they seek to impose upon the special groups that they have created to serve the liberal machine. Deviate from what you are told to do, and you will be punished… severely.
It’s laughable that the same folks that come up with this institutional group think then label the conservative movement as racist, when it is they who insist that people of a certain color must all act in the same way.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 20, 2010 at 1545 hrs
I don’t disagree with his underlying premises in that regard. I think he’s especially dead on in his last paragraph, where he points out that people exploit physiological and cultural advantages to their benefit all the time. Exploiting one’s blackness is no different than a woman exploiting her beauty or a rich man exploiting his wealth. People, being people, tend to use whatever they have at hand to get whatever it is they are seeking, whether that’s wealth or sex or fame or attention.
Perhaps this one of those instances we all discover in discussing politics where one has to be extra careful about how the argument is posited lest it be swallowed in rhetoric that is more inflammatory than it needs to be.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on July 20, 2010 at 1547 hrs
James is a friend of mine and he’s not getting rich by being a “sell out.”
What he has gotten is death threats because he doesn’t toe the liberal line.
I honestly can’t discuss this rationally. It literally makes me so angry I want to hit someone.
Posted by elliot on July 20, 2010 at 1552 hrs
Owen is right on on this one. Bert is unable to separate various ideas and cultural tendencies from a particular race. That’ the definition of racism. And that does seem like a bigger deal to me than whatever happened with Harris.
Also, the part about Clarence Thomas perpetrating the structural disadvantages for fellow blacks is just weird.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 20, 2010 at 1620 hrs
Owen,
While I agree this has a racist twinge to it and is generally just an ugly post, I think it brings to light one of the major problems with American politics.
If you are a certain type of person, people assume you belong to one political party or another. Very religious people are expected to be Republicans, as are gun owners/people who attend Nascar events/etc…. If you are black, a college student, or an employee in a union-dominated field/industry, you are expected to be a Democrat. These assumptions shouldn’t shock anyone and true more often than not, but they still represent a major problem with our political system.
If Democrats are in power, hunters, gun collectors, church-goers, etc… are pretty much written off because they are “Republicans”. Likewise if Republicans are in power, minorities, the working poor, etc… are largely ignored. There is a distinct lack of willingness to serve everyone in a community or district, largely because political advisers, media types, and activists will loudly question any actions seen in favor of a group that doesn’t fit with their ideal party makeup.
This is one of the reasons I stopped working on political campaigns. There’s way too much black and white (no pun intended) in our political world, and the above rant is a perfect example. Black people can be Republicans and still be black people. Wealthy business owners can still be Democrats and be a part of the local business community. If anything positive is going to happen in this country for several years in a row, this microtargeting, political stereotyping, and pandering to individuals needs to stop.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 20, 2010 at 1822 hrs
Bert is a racist and a cancer. And his train of thought is what is keeping racism alive and the gap between the races what it is. I grew up in a mostly black neighborhood in Milwaukee and went to mixed elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. And somewhere in middle school or late elementary school, the black friends that I grew up playing with, started being pressured to act “black”. School was no longer “cool”, and my friends, including some really brilliant kids slowly slipped away from school. At 12, when my friends all bought paper routes, in a mostly black neighborhood, it was all white kids. When i ran a station from 14-20, I had dozens of employees, and not one black applicant.
Same thing in college, my best friend was black, and he got so much crap from his black friends for hanging out with me. Never got any crap from my white friends for having a black friend. I think one of the biggest problems in the black community is the pressure to conform to some “black” ideal, which seems to have to include some hatred of the other races.
I
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 20, 2010 at 2357 hrs
Apparently that pressure to behave “black” is not only applied by the black community. Some white liberals have the same expectation.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 0716 hrs
Apparently that pressure to behave “black” is not only applied by the black community. Some white liberals have the same expectation.
I certainly do not agree with how he wrote it, but he brought up an interesting point. But instead of stating an opinion on the author of this post you decide to write a nice little hyperbole regarding “some white liberals”.
If conservatives don’t want people calling the tea party movement racist, then they should put up with people who do the same thing to liberals. I could also bring up the recent creative “video editing” by a conservative site to get a usda employee fired.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 0905 hrs
He wanted to film it for future self-serving use
And you KNOW that it will be “self-serving” exactly how, Jay?
This is another unambiguous case of the psychological disorder called ‘projection’.
About 20 or 30 years ago, the “60 Minutes” ambush-interview technique was countered by tape-recordings of ALL of the interviews—a condition imposed by victims of such “journalism.”
Harris’ request fits precisely into that mold. He expected an attack and wanted to make certain that the entire conversation was on tape—not just the parts WMCS would like to edit and publicize.
IOW, since the Left lives only by virtue of its lying, the Left objects to a complete record. Harris is simply too smart to leave liars to their own devices.
Posted by dad29 on July 21, 2010 at 0917 hrs
I could also bring up the recent creative “video editing” by a conservative site to get a usda employee fired.
Your point is well-taken, but there are some nuances:
1) We don’t KNOW who edited the tape, and
2) The point was to demonstrate that the NAACP audience approved her racist remarks, which they did.
Posted by dad29 on July 21, 2010 at 0922 hrs
Video editing? Really LSTW, the left invented it and using it every day.
I do find it amazing the Folkbum allows this to stand and defends his racist poster.
Posted by Fred on July 21, 2010 at 0932 hrs
@ dad29: 1). It appears to have been FOX News who edited the tape. I’ll also concede that the following clip has since been further edited by MSNBC, but I think it shows a more complete picture.
2). It would appear that the NAACP audience “approved” Seddon’s remarks as she expressed her mistake in feeling she only needed to help black people. Please keep in mind that she states that she formulated her thoughts at 17 years of age. Haven’t your views of the world changed since then?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8SPPl-N39E&feature=player_embedded
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 0939 hrs
I have a lot of problems with “Bert’s” post. It IS inherently racist. I’ve always believed in the saying that “unless you’ve walked in my shoes, you don’t know the path I’ve travelled”. For Bert, as a white man, to define “blackness” on behalf of a black man is patronizing and insulting. I further question “Jay’s” defense of his friend’s remarks. Bert’s post is SO OUT OF ORDER ON SO MANY LEVELS!!!
Yet, Owen, I do find it interesting that you feel the necessity to create your own post about Bert’s post on folkbum’s blog regarding Mr. Harris, even though you know Bert and think he’s a “good guy”. Yet, your silence on Mike Williams’ clearly racist and inflammatory comments on his blog, from Tea party Express, a man I assume you don’t know, goes unnoticed and ignored on Boots & Sabers!?!?!? Your muteness is DEAFENING!!!
It would appear that you are throwing Bert “under the bus” to score political points against liberalism rather than truly speak out against racism. You then further prove your point by your next post entitled “Racism in Wisconsin”, a basic “fluff” piece. You state, “I reflect on my experience with racism…”, yet you really don’t talk about racism at all. You speak about your experience with race and other cultures, but not RACISM! But it appears that because you had to “endure” other cultures that somehow you equate it to racism??? Puh-leeeese.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 1002 hrs
If conservatives don’t want people calling the tea party movement racist, then they should put up with people who do the same thing to liberals.
Actually, in this case, I agree with Barack Obama’s policy. If they hit us, we hit back twice as hard. When they lie about the Tea Party being racist, we tell the truth about the left wing racism.
Sitting back and letting your opponent tell lies about you does not work. A cold dose of the truth has a far greater impact.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 1006 hrs
HOLY SHIT!!!
MARK Williams! (I have a good friend named Mike…)
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 1010 hrs
Um, did you consider that perhaps no one has any idea who Mike/Mark Williams is?
Owen, Joe Schmoe made some comment about something awhile back and you haven’t written about it. Why not?! My life will not be complete unless you read every blog and comment on every statement, no matter how obscure. Even though you have never attended a so-called Tea Party, surely you are responsible for every statement ever made at one.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 1047 hrs
Oh Wendy, STOP!!! Owen seemed to know who Malik Shabazz of the New Black Panther Party was, right??? Mark Williams’ comments are well known and were documented on the news for several days. Reactions to his comments, the denouncement by the NAACP, and his ultimate “firing” were reported by many news outlets.
Do you mean to tell me that you were ignorant of these stories??? And you really mean to equate Mark Williams as just another “Joe Schmoe”??? He was a “so-called” leader of the Tea Party Federation, wasn’t he?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/20/AR2010072004429.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/18/tea-party-expels-mark-williams_n_650445.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/20/AR2010072004429.html
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/07/18/tea.party.imbroglio/index.html
But I get it. Stand by your man.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 1122 hrs
Seriously? No, I’ve never heard of the guy. I don’t follow the “Tea Party” movement. Too many people have latched onto it to advance their own agendas.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 1135 hrs
Yes, how dare Owen write about a local blogger who criticized a friend but not about some stranger who belonged to some group to which Owen doesn’t care about.
I will never stop laughing at people who get mad at Owen for not writing about things they think he should write about.
How silly.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 1152 hrs
James T. self promoting? He’s in the talk radio biz. If he’s not documenting, for the record, what is being said in an interview, how can he defend himself when things said are taken out of context?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 1231 hrs
Video editing? Really LSTW, the left invented it and using it every day.
Right, because I brought it up means that I encourage it. That would make sense to someone who routinely posts videos edited to take comments out of context. Not to mention linking to articles written about recently based legislation that do not have links to the legislation and are outright lies. Couldn’t find anything on newsbusters today so you went with another right wing blog to quote about liberal bias? Go post crap over at your outrage brigade, where reality is suspended.
We don’t KNOW who edited the tape
I think it was written about today that the guy who broke the story did it intentionally to make the NAACP look bad.Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 1341 hrs
The point LSTW (that you missed as usual). Is that the link I pointed to showed a leftist group that completely misrepresented their story and no one cares.
Exact same scenario handled in very different ways.
Yet your pal and allower of racist posts Folkbum claims there is no bais in the media.
Posted by Fred on July 21, 2010 at 1358 hrs
Fred, you misrepresent stories all the time you hypocrite.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 1626 hrs
Jesusisjustalrightwithme,
Go fuck yourself.
Fred
Posted by Fred on July 21, 2010 at 1724 hrs
No I don’t JIJARWM, not even in the same ballpark.
For the record, the F comment was not from me.
Posted by Fred on July 21, 2010 at 1826 hrs
LSTW, I re-read my statement and I agree that I didn’t word it quite right. The problem for me is people who see race in everybody before they see character.
So; Apparently that pressure to behave “black” is not only applied by the black community. Many whites have the same expectation. Bert is one of them.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 1826 hrs
Unless of course you are speaking of Monday Random Quotes, the entire point of that is take things out of context, with humor.
Humor, something the left lacks.
Posted by Fred on July 21, 2010 at 1827 hrs
Yeah, the left and right are a bit humorless. That’s true. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re just like them with your gotcha games, you hack,
There’s a reason one of Folkbum’s assistants (Keith, not Bert, but it might as well be Bert) is known as Liberal Fred Dooley.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2010 at 2030 hrs
Amazing, Bert makes the racist attack and nutbag that you are you turn it into an attack on me.
You stay classy.
Posted by Fred on July 21, 2010 at 2159 hrs
@ Wendy: Good point. I did not consider Owen’s personal relationship/friendship with Mr. Harris when I posted.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 22, 2010 at 0728 hrs
The point LSTW (that you missed as usual). Is that the link I pointed to showed a leftist group that completely misrepresented their story and no one cares.
Good for you fred, you found a website that shows a left leaning site wrong. BUT, at the same time, the website you linked to is still claiming that the woman from the usda is racist. Which by the way since you are not paying attention, was proven wrong. So, yet again, it shows that both sides of the aisle are liars. BIG SHOCK!!! To you at least. This is your schtick fred, you point out when the left is wrong, but plug your ears like a five year old child and pretend the right doesn’t do it.
And yes, you misrepresent stories all the time.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 22, 2010 at 0908 hrs
And I hope your wife dies soon, Fred.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 22, 2010 at 0920 hrs
Comment 35 was not made by liberalssavetheworld. Whoever wrote it should be ashamed of himself.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 22, 2010 at 0934 hrs
Comment #35 just demonstrates the blind hate that’s out there - and since Wendy says it wasn’t posted by LSTW, then it’s as cowardly as it is hateful.
Posted by Chris from Racine on July 22, 2010 at 1023 hrs
Owen, please look at who post #35 and #27.
Correct, I did not post #35. If I had to guess, the same troll posted #27.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 22, 2010 at 1319 hrs
I’ve met and talked with Bert as well, albeit a while ago. I agree, nice guy. His post doesn’t surprise me in the least, though.
Posted by Jib on July 23, 2010 at 0022 hrs
“Amazing, Bert makes the racist attack and nutbag that you are you turn it into an attack on me.”
Earlier I stated that Bert is definitely a racist. That isn’t about you, Fred. The fact that you and Bert are both myopic, bumbling idiots is a seperate discussion topic.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 23, 2010 at 1641 hrs
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