So awhile back I was wondering why women seem to have such a visceral hatred of Sarah Palin. Then I got to thinking that if Sarah Palin was a brother, I'd might never leave my apartment. I would never blog because all my posts would overflow with venom. Then yesterday I saw Palin has the highest negative rating for a VP candidate in recorded history. And yet, fools are still talking that "Palin for president in 2012." You know me. Totally obsessed with race, so let's say it. A brother in that position not only would not be considered for 2012, he would be impeached when he returned to governorship for embarrassing the state, and then have his ghetto card revoked for embarrassing the local Negrocracy. This country would never allow a black person to be in Sarah Palin's position, and for that I have only two words for white folks everywhere--Thank you.
Here is the thing. We've all noticed that the public persona of black folks has taken a tumble over the past few decades. We went from Otis Redding and the Four Tops, to 50 Cent and Dip Set. We went from Jesse Owens and Joe Louis to Pacman Jones and Mike Tyson. Are today's Negroes of a lesser breed? Nope. What's changed is that white folks are now letting anybody through the gate. White racists have taken a lot of heat on this blog. But the truth of the matter is that they may be the single biggest promoters of black excellence in this country's history. There is a reason Tony Dungy was the first winning coach in Tampa Bay's history--he had to be.
Think about this whole Joe The Plumber foolishness. There's no way in the world Barack Obama could pull off the same trick with, say, Rashid The Barber. Rashid would be laughed off the stage--as he should be--and Barack's campaign would be dead. Joe The Plumber is stupid and it isn't working. A little bit of bigotry would have prevented all of this. So to all the Ferraros out there I have one request--more racism please. It improves our stock. It makes black people, a better people.
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LOL @ Negrocracy.
But before you start sending everyone over to Paris, Texas for tips on lynching - maybe less racism would be better for us all.
Anyone who does not make use of the irony-detector before commenting will be flogged.
Coates has been on fire recently.
"White racists have taken a lot of heat on this blog. But the truth of the matter is that they may be the single biggest promoters of black excellence in this country's history."
Somewhat true but generally false. Whites are the biggest promoters of black exceptionalism, not excellence. From Thomas Sowell to Clarence Thomas to other conservative blacks, the gate keepers promote these exceptionalists beyond their level of competence (which very high indeed) and into level of exceptional performance. Glen Lowery (spelling may be inaccurate) the black economist ran into this issue.
White racists did not make black people better they just rewarded the ones they approved of and shunned all but the undeniably great ones (e.g. Joe Louis and Jack Johnson).
Wanna take bets on how quickly a right wing blog with no irony detector, quotes this post wildly out of context? My over/under is 18 hours, only because it's already late in the day on the East Coast.
Just bringing shine to the Paris Texas incident. (James Byrd Jr Part Deux) It's not really making the blog rounds amongst the progressives/liberal/dems/Obamaniacs
Which is typical I guess.
It is what it is
Huge Dipset fan here. And it's one word. As for Rashid the Barber, it would've hurt Obama, but he'd still win.
What's changed is that white folks are now letting anybody through the gate.
Just now? Hello!? We went from the Beatles and Zeppelin to Vanilla Ice to Britney Spears.
If Palin runs for prez in 2012, I will re-register as a Republican so I can vote for her in the primary. I encourage every other Dem to do the same. If she wins the nomination, the destruction of the Republican Party will be complete.
Ta-Nehisi, you are a hilarious man. And spot on.
I can just imagine some dude with a white sheet over his head saying "Don't mind if I do, good Sir!" to this post. it gave me a laugh at work and I think I'll keep him in my thoughts for when day gets dull.
"Somewhat true but generally false. Whites are the biggest promoters of black exceptionalism, not excellence."
TJ is pretty much on it.
Ta-Nehisi, I am glad you recognize that women are pissed by how she makes us look, and not because we're jealous of her looks.
I don't know. I mean Marion Barry or say a Ray Nagin didn't have their ghetto cards revoked after thouroughly embarrassing themselves and their cities They got reelected. I hear similar arguments often, but I'm just not sure if I really buy that our overall standing, Black folk that is, is really on the wane. I mean there might not have been as many Kwame Kilpatricks a few decades ago, but there weren't any Deval Particks or Barack Obamas either.
Trust that the singer's, athelete's et al have struggled with drug addiction, and a whole host of other personal and personailty probelms/disorders, for as long as well, always. We have our 50's and our dip sets, but we also have our Jay Z's, Rus Simmons's, CEO's, multi multi millionaries. As black folk move forward, more into the mainstream for lack of a better description, we will have more than our share of Sarah Palins, and hopefully, our share of Baracks as well.
I'd like to see a debate between Rashid The Barber and Joe The Plumber.
Yeah, Green, and Cynthia McKinney didn't get her ghetto card revoked after she attacked the police officer, said the Department of Defense shot 5000 Katrina folks in the head and dumped them in a swamp, blamed her '02 loss on the "J-E-W-S" (okay, her dad did that), said Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks, proposed a Tupac Shakur Records Act in Congress... now, you might say, how do I know she didn't get her ghetto card revoked? Well I'm looking at the precinct data from when she lost in '06, and in the blackest precincts of her district, she beat the other candidate (who was also black) by 7:3 margins. So there you have it, no ghetto card revokage for Cynthia McKinney.
The Dungy / Obama parallel strikes again!
If Palin runs for prez in 2012, I will re-register as a Republican so I can vote for her in the primary. I encourage every other Dem to do the same.
This is why I love living in a state with an open primary. Palin '12: Incompetence for all!
I agree--no ghetto card revoking.
Palin may face a strong challenge to her re-election as governor in 2010, but she won't have her--to use another crude stereotype--"trailer park card" revoked anytime soon. (Not that the now well-to-do Palin would ever set foot in one, other than to solicit votes...)
Folks who live in abject poverty and miserable circumstances, as discussed in other threads today, tend to gravitate towards those who blame others for their misery. The same circumstances that give rise to Cynthia McKinney's in downtrodden black communities, give rise to the Sarah Palin's and Michele Bachmann's and Bill Sali's of the world.
The difference is that the extremists on the left, in particular the black ones, are swiftly marginalized. The ones on the right, on the other hand, are supported by a rather powerful infrastructure which has found pandering to lower-class-white fears to be an excellent way to get elected and promote its agenda.
This election is all about smashing that infrastructure.
Palin for president in 2012? We should be so lucky.
The Repoublicans probably won't commit ritual suicide. My guess is that Palin will be out of Alaska politics with a program on Fox and by 2012.
As a Democrat I want the Republican freak show to go on and on, but Palin is likely to be the high water mark.
Gotta put sports in the mix, too: we went from Babe Ruth (still far and away the king of positive American excess) to Hank Aaron (the epitome of showing up every day and getting it done: consistency incarnate), to... Barry Bonds?
Does ANYBODY think that a 25 year old Oscar Robertson wouldn't have schooled Michael at any age? That MJ could even have started for the Celtics, say around 1964?
Joe Louis to Ali to Mike Tyson to... well, somebody must have the title these days: anybody know?
But don't credit white racists too much. Just remember: half the folks in ANY group are below median.
Yikes. We also went from Otis Redding and the Four Tops to Black Star, Gift of Gab, and Tunde Adebimpe. From Jesse Owens and Joe Louis to Tiger Woods and Ryan Howard.
But I take your point. As Chris Rock said "that's was civil rights is. the right to suck".
"A brother in that position not only would not be considered for 2012, he would be impeached when he returned to governorship for embarrassing the state, and then have his ghetto card revoked for embarrassing the local Negrocracy."
You made me belly laugh after a lousy day. Thank you.
What's wrong with Barry Bonds? And going from Otis Redding and the Four Tops to Black Star is a HUGEEEEEE dropoff. If you said De La Soul or something, I could see your point. And Ryan Howard's a whiff machine with an OBP of .320 or so this season.
I understand "da ironical"(as we say in Chi Caw Gah) nature of TNC's post. There is also a strange bit of truth to it.
Something that I find "Ironical" is that the first black Prez, and I assume Obama is gonna triumph over McCain and the "light of the North", has no black American relatives beyond the one he married and his daughters.
Perhaps this was the only way it could come about.
The first black President was raised in Hawaii by white midwesterners. The Lord has a sense of humor.
Although I think Colin Powell could have kicked Clinton's booty in 1996. Then again his parents were from Jamaica and his accent is more "New Yawk" than stereotypical Urban black. Perhaps the influence of Yiddish?
Oh well. Thanks for the laugh TNC.
The Devil Rays are going to go down, hard. I'm still pissed the Sox didn't nail Crawford in the ribs or something like that. How many batters can be hit with impunity? This wouldn't have happened if Izzy Alcantara were around.
What a brilliant and hilarious post (love Rashid the barber!). Thank you!
Unnnn, look! Hilarious, but imagine Palin as 'NeNe' from Detroit off E Grand. Six kids. Versace glasses. A 46 year old great grandma and a pop warner mom for the people. A VPOTUS you can believe in!!
It could happen. If she can, we can. Now that's some audacity to hope. Problem is Palin's numbers are where they are because women and minorities have to be twice as good and better than older white males to get ahead. She doesn't even hit threshold. An unfortunate truth.
Does ANYBODY think that a 25 year old Oscar Robertson wouldn't have schooled Michael at any age? That MJ could even have started for the Celtics, say around 1964?
Um, yes. Everybody thinks that, or at least everybody who knows anything about basketball.
MJ would've been the best player on that 64 Celtics team. Maybe second best after Russell, but I don't really believe that.
I'm pretty sure he could have started over KC Jones at the 2-guard. Unless we're talking Wizards-era Jordan. Let's just agree that never happened, like Willie Mays falling down in the outfield playing for the Mets. Or John McCain right now.
On the other hand, MJ was born in 1963, so maybe he couldn't have started for the 64 Celtics.
This falls into the damn-funny-because-it's-damn true, category, my brother.
You know what our mothers and fathers always told us: you need to be twice as good to get half the credit.
What's interesting is that I find myself struggling not to preach this message to my own (biracial to some; to me just plain black) kids. Then wondering if I shouldn't go ahead.
Has the day passed when this Negro Dictum is true? Or not?
EngineerScotty: Is Sali really a running joke, ala Bachmann? I'm an expatriate Idahoan, now stuck in the District, and the thought of my home district's congressman being a national joke is really disconcerting. We should ALL go give $5 or (hopefully) more to Walter Minnick, who is now within the MoE in his campaign against Sali.
Sali is only the latest in a long line of running jokes from that particular district--see Helen Chenoweth or however-you-spell-it for another example.
This reminds me of my dear-departed great aunt (who passed on a few years ago at the age of 99). While a staunch Republican, she had principles--she lived most of her life in Orange County, CA--and never once voted for Robert "B-1 Bob" Dornan; yet another no-nothing demagogue of the same mold (albeit a more polished one than the laughingly-incompetent Bill Sali).
But still--expect to see the Sarah Palin show on ClearChannel Real Soon Now. Wait--we already have it; Ann Coulter.
"You know what our mothers and fathers always told us: you need to be twice as good to get half the credit.
What's interesting is that I find myself struggling not to preach this message to my own (biracial to some; to me just plain black) kids. Then wondering if I shouldn't go ahead.
Has the day passed when this Negro Dictum is true? Or not?"
Lisa, sad to say, it is still true (I speak as one who all too often sees the "white side" that is hidden)(do not kid yourself, it is always there). BO's present success, is merely a foot in the door.
My real fear, is that in 4 yrs, the economy is going to remain so f'd up (NOBODY could fix it at this pt) that he will get the blame anyway...
Preach the message, if you are wrong your children will be twice as successful. If you are right, they still have a chance.
TNC, my brother. I often come here and just enjoy the conversation. But this post was so excellent, that I had to log on a post a comment. Thing about great writing is that I don't have to agree w/ every sentiment, I just get off on the word-smithery, lol.
Yeah, you heard, I'm a word nerd.
I am glad you recognize that women are pissed by how she makes us look, and not because we're jealous of her looks. --metricpenny
Now I'm wondering: is there a subset of lesbians who watch Palin speak, get a Rich Lowry, and see sparkles zooming out of their tv screens? Or is this strictly a right wing Republican guy fantasy?
I'm frankly not about to google "lesbian political fanfic, Palin, Lowry."
I hope the folks who run the magazine know how lucky they are to have you writing for them. I look forward to reading your stuff, both in print and here on the blog. Thank you for what you do.
Oscar was as awesome in his day as Michael was in his. But much as it hurts to say (because Oscar is a better person) I think MJ eclipsed the Big O. Partly because Michael was longer and much more acrobatic. Also, sports achievements tend to be cumulative - today’s luminaries are standing on the shoulders of giants.
You speak the truth. I've been saying for awhile that nobody as obviously incompetent and unqualified as Palin -WHO WAS BLACK - would remotely be taken seriously.
five or six colleges?
married to a high school graduate?
son on dope, who enlists to get out of going to jail (IF you believe the National Enquirer - and I DO, in this case)
underaged pregnant daughter with shotgun wedding to a high-school dropout?
G-T-F-O-H
Nobody Black would be taken seriously. If someone Black had done those interviews with Gibson and Couric?
COME ON!!
TrooperGate?
Refusal to release medical records?
Gave an address - AS GOVERNOR- to a Black Militant Secessionist Organization?
MARRIED to someone who belonged to said above organization for SEVEN YEARS? I mean, this would have to be beyond the NOI, because they aren't a secessionist organization, and that's about as ' radical' as Black folks get in America.
This is some funny shit, Mr. Coates. It reminds me of the guys in Dune who thought God had had given them a desert to toughen them up.
But, like a lot of good humor, there is a core of uncomfortable truth at the core. It's a little bit of the "credit to his race" thing. You are probably too young to remember Sidney Poitier saying that he wouldn't portray a villain "until his people had heroes". I think most of the pioneer entertainers and athletes were very conscious of their role as gate-crashers and this probably why in so many ways their bearing, manners and conduct were so superior to most of their white competitors (I'm thinking of really elegant personae like Paul Robeson and Duke Ellington). Some of these guys even got unfairly labeled "Uncle Toms" (like Sammy Davis or Hattle McCaniel).
This was on my mind due to the contremps regarding Governor Palin's wardrobe costs. If Michelle Obama had been this stupid I have no doubt that cable news would be on it 24/7. But she didn't....instead she went on "The View" with a nice low-budget number. This what makes Michelle and Barack such a good small-ball team. Keep errors to a minimum, and do all of the little things right. Maybe in few decades there could be a black candidate for Pres who could demonstrate great talents side by side with great failings....a Bill Clinton/Adam Clayton Powell/ Daryll Strawberry type. For right now though, the Obama's are the first ands they have to be perfect. Game after game, everyday. And so far so good.
"You know what our mothers and fathers always told us: you need to be twice as good to get half the credit."
Props.
I heard the same thing about how "you'll have to work twice as hard to get half the credit because you didn't come from a rich family."
Good parents will always tell their kids to work harder than the other guy.
I'm still not sure about the whole "What if Sarah Palin were black" question. Is it a fair question? . I think the question should rather be "What if she were ugly? or Fat?"
Hey- you bringing up the Four Tops reminded me of some sad news- had you seen that Levi Stubbs died a few days ago?
http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx/?news=335151
What a great singer. And the fact that they were together for 40+ years is bananas.
I love u TN but this time u are wrong. I watched a fabulous doc about STAX records tonight on PBS and two things in particular stuck out--the integrated band Booker T and the MGs and the Staple Singers. The music created by Booker T (who his White band members always said, gratefully, was the real musician of the group) was a wonderful amalgamation of soul, jazz, hillbilly and pop. And "Respect Yourself" should be our national anthem. It all reminded me of what Barack is trying to doing thirty years later. Please, no more racism.
A funny and positive spin on the black tax and white privilege.
"Keep errors to a minimum, and do all of the little things right."
Yes. They also do the little things right because they are not trying to change their image (have you seen the old pictures of Sarah Palin's wardrobe choices?): the Obamas are living they way they always have--financially modest (one car, one house, down-market clothes).
Dude, my irony detector don't go that high... It broke. Now, you owe me a new one. Spread the wealth, is what I say.
I also do plumbing on the side. Ya heard.
The Devil Rays are going to go down, hard. I'm still pissed the Sox didn't nail Crawford in the ribs or something like that. How many batters can be hit with impunity? This wouldn't have happened if Izzy Alcantara were around.
In case anyone is wondering, This is Izzy Alcantara
I was going to say that what we really need here is just more sexism, but I suppose that would not really help. We couldn't ask her to have more kids, be more attractive or wink at us any more than she does. It also wouldn't do any good to try and require her to consult more often with her husband on how she should do her job. Bring on the white racism.
Chris Rock said it best when he observed that (I am paraphrasing) true equality will have arrived when Black people are allowed to be mediocre.
There is a reason Tony Dungy was the first winning coach in Tampa Bay's history--he had to be.
Chris Rock said it best when he observed that (I am paraphrasing) true equality will have arrived when Black people are allowed to be mediocre.
Two words - Herm Edwards. Are we there yet?
I never looked at it from this angle .....very insightful.
I get the attempt at irony.
It doesn't work. But I understand what you're trying to say; Whites have lowered the Culture Bar to where Blacks are no longer required to be exceptional just to be accepted.
The new racism is every Black person is Will Smith, Oprah, Tony Dungy, etc... perfect... and therefore an elitist snob.
Ta Nehisi, you seem to be a person who seems to prefer "I don't know" rather than making up statements without evidence. You simply do not have any evidence for a lot of the speculations that you make in your post.
And people, please don't immediately call me a troll. A troll is someone who causes chaos for lulz. I respect Ta Nehisi, but am trying to make a point.
someone, what are you trying to say? Evidence? Get real.
You ever watch "The Untouchables"?
De Niro playing Al Capone at one point asks "Why do we laugh? We laugh because it's funny and we laugh because it's true." That's exactly the case here.
Even as we continue to struggle against racism, many in our society have drawn battle lines and refuse to budge. Of course TNC is not calling for more racism in that his request will be granted. But we will get more racism nonetheless and his overall point is spot on, nothing helps to breakdown racism and challenge people to think, than a stupid loud-mouthed person (Ferraro springs to mind) trying to use race to their advantage.
p.s. TNC, Dungy won the superbowl with the Colts.
This post may amuse some out there but this is the thinking of so many white liberals. They think, 'yeah, racism is horrible but some Blacks almost deserve what they get'. Another, less nuanced manifestation that racism improves the stock of the oppressed by making them work harder, longer, better.
Coates' inner elitist coming out.
Still, there is a lot to be said for the 'talented tenth.'