I had a conversation with an older black man recently who no doubt lived through Jim Crow. We ended up talking about the election. He’s casting his vote for John Kerry and I’m voting for George Bush. I really didn’t want to get into a political discussion, but before I could object, he was already laying out a litany of charges against Republicans, namely the war in Iraq and the black-folks-are-too-dumb-to-vote routine.
Of course he didn’t put it that way. Sneaky white Republicans and their diabolical voter intimidation schemes. Grown, educated people are spreading rumors that Republicans are preventing blacks from voting. But the black person I happen to be talking to at a given moment never considers himself one of the disenfranchised voters. It’s always the other guy.
So I told him that unlike the white man he planned to vote for, I didn’t think blacks were dumb. I assume a certain level of intelligence from most people until proven otherwise. If anyone of any color can’t operate a voting machine, I expect him to open his mouth and ask for help. Others, like white liberals, presume that blacks just got their freedom papers yesterday and need all kinds of remedial help in every area of life. He backtracked and made clear he didn’t think blacks were dumb, either. Good. We agreed on something.
I stole the title of this post from Ann Coulter’s Townhall column. I think she sums up what white liberals think of black voters quite nicely:
Here are your crumbs, your scraps, your measly handouts. Too bad you’re so childish, incompetent and dependent, huh? Now run along and cast your vote for the guy with the “D” next to his name and we’ll see you in four years, ‘K? Buh-bye, now.
Read the whole column. It is vintage Ann Coulter and good for releasing stress.
White liberals can be very condescending and nasty, in person and online. Would it surprise you to know that the residual attacks from this week’s high-profile blogger controversy have come from white liberals who think they’ve been given license to throw racist-tinged invective in my face?
They are intimidated, in my opinion, by someone who isn’t grateful accepting the scraps of white paternalism, and their profanity-laced e-mail and comments show just how vacuous and hare-brained they can be. Hypocritical scoundrels, every last one. But pray for them I must.
Back to the older man. A conversation-stopping moment occurred when he asked what George Bush ever did for me. I can do for myself, I told him. Why are blacks looking to the government for what it can do for them?
I’m voting for Bush because as a Christian, I believe his policies and values are more in line with my own, unlike John Kerry’s. Following biblical principles trumps my skin color. I went down the list of issues, emphasizing child killing. After a few seconds of silence, hoping I’d made some headway, he started talking about the war in Iraq again.
Wake me up on November 3.
——–
Speaking of child killing, Captain Ed analyzes an interesting story from today’s Washington Post. Sheila O’Malley had an intriguing exchange with a woman taking responsibility for her own life. Refreshing.
Update (10/29): Michael King on Coulter’s column.
God bless you, Ms. Barber.
Comment by Joshua — 10.28.04 @ 9:00 am
You go girl
Comment by Andy — 10.28.04 @ 9:13 am
La Shawn,
I assume the gentleman you are talking about in this post is the same one you referred to in the preceding post. I have a few questions for him. Does he remember that the Democrats were the ones who devised and implemented the “Jim Crow laws”. Does he realize that the Democrats are the only party with an actual former KKK member serving in Congress? Does he remember that Republicans (the party of Lincoln) were the ones who produced the votes to pass the Civil Rights Act, with the majority of Democrats voting against it?
It has only been since the 60’s that Democrats sought to re-identify themselves as the liberal party, and that Republicans have become the party of conservatives. I also think that our concept of what constitutes liberal and conservative positions on issues has changed over the years.
I am not suprised at the reaction you get. Many Black Americans have gotten so used to “straight ticket” type thinking that it is almost bewildering to them for someone to show independence of thought. Even some Black conservatives who are friends of mine feel almost obligated to follow the herd and vote as is expected of them.
The questions I submitted for your friend are courtesy of one of my closest friends, a conservative Black female, who works in the local office of a Federal law enforcement agency. Coincidentally, she called me yestereday and we were talking about this very thing. She refuses to talk politics with any of her Black friends because some of them get so upset that she would dare to be a conservative Republican! She was telling me that it is worse this year than she ever remembers it being, and how relieved she will be after the election, when everybody will just relax and go on to other things. She said that then she won’t have to restrain herself from feeling the need to lecture some of her friends about their politics.
Comment by Montie — 10.28.04 @ 9:13 am
He’s indeed the same one, Montie. I think he expected me to hold my head down and mumble that I was voting for Bush. But I held my head up, projected my voice and said loudly and clearly, “I’m voting for Bush, and I won’t let anyone, black or white, intimidate me.”
Comment by La Shawn — 10.28.04 @ 9:41 am
La Shawn,
As a young black woman, you and those like you are directly on the “front line” of the movement for change to Black conservatism. As a White male member of an all Black church, I represent those on your “right” flank. Needless to say, the resistance and hits you take I also share, but with “both” hands tied behind my back. All of this of course represents the devisive “wiles” of satan who is “running to and fro” seeking who he can seperate from God. We follow our commander Jesus Christ who has already secured with His life the ultimate victory, our souls and salvation!
Comment by Dave in AZ — 10.28.04 @ 10:02 am
LOL Poor guy is so stuck in his ways, he’s got to ignore the truth he hears from La Shawn. Maybe it will sink in later, who knows.
Comment by RepJ — 10.28.04 @ 10:07 am
A conversation-stopping moment occurred when he asked what George Bush ever did for me.
This gentleman seems to have forgotten about the white liberal who once exhorted his country to “ask not what your country can do for you.”
Comment by Scott McClare — 10.28.04 @ 10:14 am
La Shawn,
George W. Bush has Dr. Rice as National Security Advisor and
Dr. Rod Paige as secretary of education. These people have given up money to serve in government. Paige was making over $200,000 as head of Houston Independent School District. He makes less as cabinet member. Rice could be college president of provost which as Stanford pays far higher than current job. GWB has lowered their pay to serve in government. So it is values that causes them to serve in government. The question “What has he done for me” means something different for different people.
The Washington Post, New York Times, etc are liberal and very biased. On a post on Yahoo about soldiers refusing to transport fuel with Clarion-Ledger byline, I see that it is owned by Gannett which also owns USA Today. Is that not headquartered in DC area?
Comment by James M. Barber — 10.28.04 @ 10:34 am
“I can do for myself”
Beautiful….that says it all.
Comment by Blake — 10.28.04 @ 11:12 am
I interrupt this thread to bring you the lite-side:
Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox “Rah-Rah”
GO RAVENS beat Philly ’nuff said’
Did you see that eclipse last night? I have a picture if anyone wants one.
Back to the thread . . .
Comment by John C James III — 10.28.04 @ 11:14 am
Only thing I need from my government is to keep the playing field level.
Make no laws that will hinder my ‘pursuit of happiness’ based on race, color, or religious affiliation.
Government, get out of my way and let me thrive!
Comment by John C James III — 10.28.04 @ 11:19 am
LaShawn,
Better than great job. I believe one of my comments on a different thread, I gave account of an experience I had on while riding on the bus here in Raleigh NC.
Blacks are to the point of being brain-washed with the Liberal message. I believe that all of the black conservatives that stand against this are 100% right. Ann Coulter is on the money with her remarks. My nemesis on the bus kept jumping around from excuse to excuse. I think over the next generation or two of blacks who have no allegiance TO the Civil Rights Movement, things will begin to really change.
Comment by Dominic — 10.28.04 @ 11:41 am
Sorry JcJ3, but the Eagles are going to put the hurt on the Ravens so bad, it will make the beating the Jaguars took look like a gentle love tap.
TO’s receptions for the Eagles thus far… 34. the entire Ravens recieving corp… 37.
We’ll see if Deion Sanders helps prevent a repeat of the 26-17 preseason drubbing.
Comment by SCSIwuzzy — 10.28.04 @ 12:02 pm
In Ann’s column she write “When Kerry’s strategy of being both for gay marriage and against it failed to fool blacks, he sent Jesse Jackson out to black churches to tell the parishioners to set aside their views on gay marriage and vote for Kerry anyway. What are blacks getting out of this deal again?”
I think a better question would be, what is Jesse Jackson getting out of all of this?
I watched him on CNN Sunday go up against Jerry Farewell, Jerry says, Jesse i have many great sermons you have written, you can really preach it, one of them is a sermon against abortion, Now you are with the Democrats and are for abortion and stem cell research, what happened?
Jesse- replied i have matured and when you mature your views change.
Dear Jesse- God is the same yesterday, today and forever! He never changes!
Standing for God sometimes comes at a price, so does compromising and following the ways of the world!
Comment by Brenda — 10.28.04 @ 12:06 pm
SCSI
Headlines will read: ‘TO KO’d by DS’
Comment by John C James III — 10.28.04 @ 12:06 pm
Check this out. I found this in an article in this link. What jumped out at me was this line.
‘After the Civil War, Forrest lent his name to a group of enforcers of the Democratic Party known as the Ku Klux Klan.’
The enforcers of the Democratic Party!!
here’s the link http://ngeorgia.com/people/forrest.html
Comment by John C James III — 10.28.04 @ 12:26 pm
More: “Most Klan action was designed to intimidate black voters and white supporters of the Republican Party.”
Hmmmm how many poll watchers did you say the Dems are sending to the polls to ‘make sure’ things go right?
Comment by John C James III — 10.28.04 @ 12:48 pm
Hey John C James III, have you ever watched “Birth Of A Nation” about the noble KKK’s attempts to purify the vote and country? Pretty interesting. I picked up a copy a while back, and when my kids get old enough, I’ll definitely show it to them.
Comment by Andy — 10.28.04 @ 6:41 pm
LaShawn,
You are right on the mark about the mentality of the white liberal. They are extremely condescending towards people of color. I’ve seen it first-hand, and it disgusts me. Throw a few handouts our way, and they think they own us.
Keep fighting back, and continue writing about your noble efforts. I’ll be listening to you for inspiration.
Thanks,
James C.
Comment by James C. — 10.28.04 @ 7:16 pm
Welcome to my blog, James C.
Comment by La Shawn — 10.28.04 @ 8:19 pm
I’m here to second Andy: you go, girl.
You know, it’s always bothered me that the Democrats describe themselves as “the party of the little guy.” The term “little guy” is inherently condescending (inaccurate, too, since the last time I checked, what I saw in the mirror was a “big woman”). I don’t have much money or gobs of power, but I have great faith in my own ability to make my dreams reality, and I don’t need the help of anyone who thinks of me as little and powerless. The only government I require is the kind that will a) keep out of my way, and b) when necessary, keep all of us out of harm’s way.
Comment by The Pirate King — 10.28.04 @ 8:20 pm
Pirate King, if only our government were truly that way! But we’ve been indoctrinated with socialistic ideology (yes, me too!) and cradle-to-grave care, if we choose it. We expect government to give us whatever we need instead of going out into the world and grabbing it ourselves. I hate it. I say this government is broken; it needs to be fixed.
Comment by La Shawn — 10.28.04 @ 8:29 pm
It looks to me that despite all this stuff about the end of slavery they are still the slaves of the democratic party i mean they still let the democrats lie to them and keep them voting democrat will they ever learn to just vote what every they like and stop letting themselves from being controled in a bit like from the 50 sci fi classic INVADERS FROM MARS
Comment by firebird — 10.28.04 @ 9:28 pm
I had a very similar conversation with a white co-worker a few days ago. My answer to her question, “What has Bush done for you?” was, “All that I need him to. He has gone after the terrorists where they live to keep them away from our kids.” She came back with Christians are supposed to be peace-loving. I told her that I do love peace, but that I understand that in an imperfect world peace only comes through strength. Oftentimes, my child only does what is right because I am strong enough to make him. (Literally, I have put my hands on his and made him put his toys away and then disciplined him for not listening to me.) One day, I believe that because I love him and pray for him, he will choose right on his own. For now, had I not been able to make him do the right thing, a loud, definitely not peaceful, shouting match would have ensued. As it was, he cried while he put teh toys away and over not being able to watch television and the next day, all was well and he put his toys up when he was done with them.
Government serves a similar purpose. There are people who will not choose to do right unless the government penalizes them when they don’t. In the U.S., our President has a strong influence over what our government promotes as right. I voted for George Bush because he believes in the same definition of “right” that I do. There are some policy details I have disagreements with, but our world view is the same.
I have found myself visiting your blog more and more frequently the past couple of weeks. Your Christian worldview is the same as mine and I thank you for spreading the Gospel along with your opinion. God bless you, LaShawn, you are a good and faithful servant.
Comment by MyssiAnn — 10.28.04 @ 11:52 pm
Outstanding, LaShawn. Well done.
Comment by Charles — 10.28.04 @ 11:56 pm
LaShawn, That anctedote is very close to my
heart, being an atheist and all. I KNOW what it
is like to confront blind faith. The eyes roll
up and glaze and KABOOM the curtain comes down
on reason. Like a closed storefront. This is to
be distinguished from faith. reasoned and well
thought of course. Then it is for me a agree/dis-
agree situation. But with blind faith … I just
wanna smack ‘em up side the head soundly and
praying for ‘em is the LAST thing that would to
my mind. Trolls, old black men and stupid whites
fat or thin … up ‘gainst the head BAM!!! It’s
a good thing there’s folks like you to mitigate
folks like me or there’d be a whole bunch of …
idiots walkin’ around holding their achin’ heads.
Comment by Steel Turman — 10.29.04 @ 1:59 am
That conversation you describe stirs a memory I have of the Louis Farrakhan’s Million Man March in DC about 10 years ago. I am white and I was at Andrews Air Force Base trying to hop a flight to San Diego for househunting leave from the Navy. In the terminal there were 4-5 older black men talking amongst themselves about the March. They were military retirees who had traveled to the March on a military flight.
I walked in the room, and they stopped talking and looked at me. One of men said to me, “Your’e white. What did you think of the March?” They were all waiting in rapt attention to what I would say.
I told them that the message that I took away from it was that black people have to take care of their own, and not wait around for white people to do it. I went on to say that I don’t give the welfare of black people a second thought in my life because I am too busy thinking about what is going on in my own family.
Somebody sold these men a bill of goods that says that white people want to take care of them or at least that they are supposed to. I can’t understand that mindset. I don’t think in terms of race about anything anyway, and besides I learned early on that nobody is going to take care of me if I don’t.
I really had not been all that politically aware at that point in my life and the reaction to my answer was unexpected. The men nodded and looked like they had never heard anybody tell them the straight dope like that before. They didn’t ask me any follow up questions and sort of turned away from me. There was nothing at all hostile about the whole interaction, but it sure was peculiar.
Anyway I thought I’d add that to the mix. Froggy
Comment by Froggy — 10.29.04 @ 1:59 am
(I’ve missed you LaShawn — hope your prayers have helped).
Steve Martin had an old routine that he would use, with the audience repeating the Non-Conformist Oath:
I promise to be different! I promise to be different
I promise to be unique! I promise to be unique
I promise not to repeat things other people say! I promise … applause & laughs
Comment by Tom Grey - Liberty Dad — 10.29.04 @ 7:43 am
It’s good to be back, Tom. I was very encouraged by all the e-mail and comments I received, even from people who disagree with me on most things. I guess they recognize the importance of having competing ideas in the marketplace.
Comment by La Shawn — 10.29.04 @ 8:39 am
Call Guinness
Talking to my dad last night, I had a revelation. The conversation consisted mostly of what’s happening this election cycle, around the country, and around the world in general. Dad, being an imposing but easy-going sort, often gets into exchanges
Trackback by baldilocks — 10.29.04 @ 4:00 pm
La Shawn,
I’ve been reading your blog regularly for a few months now, I guess. I just wanted to say that your courage and optimism inspire me. And I wanted to thank you for that.
Thank you.
Comment by fretless — 10.29.04 @ 7:40 pm
Thank you, fretless. I’m glad you decided to comment. It’s encouraging to know you’re out there!
Comment by La Shawn — 10.29.04 @ 7:52 pm
Perhaps it’s from working with the public so much, but I function exactly the opposite of you in one respect - I tend to believe that people are dumb until proven otherwise. That’s just my opinion, but I find I’m less disappointed in the average person that way.
In the context of people who have proven otherwise, though, you might want to look at the current “World Watch” article over at ornery.org. Orson Scott Card is a democrat, but he’s more of a Zell Miller Democrat, and he sounds like he’s ready to spew from all the crap that’s going on right now. It’s just the kind of ammunition for deflecting Liberal attacks.
Comment by WayneB — 10.30.04 @ 12:11 am
WayneB, thanks for the link to the ornery democrat. That was refreshing and pragmatic. People like him are keeping hope alive, but they’ll have to work really hard to retake the party from the moonbats
Comment by Andy — 10.30.04 @ 6:30 pm
James C..
Good post. The thing that sickens me about white liberals is that they hold blacks to a lower standard. I think that is bigoted. I would be so offended. They tell blacks they need help voting..they tell blacks it’s the white man pumping drugs into their community..that white teachers can’t teach them..that they are justified in running or resisting the police. None of my black friends need a step on me or anyone else. They are embarrassed by this liberal mindset. I’ve actually heard people say “Racism is the cause for black failure..and I’m saying that as a white man.” As if being white gave his opinion more credibility. It is wrong to treat people differently based on color..and that includes holding them to a lesser standard. And I’m a white man saying that!! hee hee.
Comment by Rainmaker — 10.30.04 @ 11:44 pm
LaShawn-Just happened onto you Sunday night before election. I am so glad to find someone who has an educated and common sense approach to the liberals out there. Thank you for being a breath of fresh air as I nervously wait and pray for the re-election of our wonderful Christian President!
Comment by Sue Kanney — 10.31.04 @ 9:00 pm
Ballots around the black blogosphere.
[…] Kerry is not flawless. I believe his faith in the current administration was misplaced on the eve of the war with Iraq, and I think his campaign has been pathetic in its indictment of the current regime’s treasonous conduct….
Trackback by Negrophile — 11.02.04 @ 4:33 am
Self-reliance is good for us. And I am pro-life, but too many other factors outweigh Bush’s stances on these issues. Bush’s abuses of power do not correspond with his so-called “Christian” values. As Gov of Texas, he put more people to death than any Gov in history. As Pres, he’s done nothing to stop corporate America and their abuses of the environment, which impact our people disproportionately. Not to mention the lack of concern for worker safety and rights to organize.
His indifference on food safety is also frightening. As rGBH growth hormone fills our milk supply and adversely affects our young, Bush ignores this danger, just as Clinton did before him. We deserve better than this.
And I’m greatly bothered by the lack of transparency in his government, a free people should be allowed full access to their government’s actions. Cheney’s refusal to release the minutes from Energy meetings illustrates the Bush attitude towards our rights to know what our tax dollars are doing.
All in all, we’re not welfare queens, and many white liberals need to learn that. But until the Republican party offers to stop corporate abuses, we’re just pawns in their game.
Comment by Tony Mendocino — 12.29.04 @ 2:19 pm