In a recent interview with the BBC, Oprah Winfrey waxed philosophical on racism.
“As long as people can be judged by the color of their skin, problem’s not solved,” she said. “There are still generations of people, older people, who were born and bred and marinated in it, in that prejudice and racism, and they just have to die.”
Imagine the smugness and arrogance, the pseudo-self-esteem, it takes to feel comfortable making such a statement.
Contemplate the cries of “hate speech” if somebody said the same things, but about a different type of group. For example, if Tea Party members said something like, “These old relic Senators like John McCain and Harry Reid are marinating in Big Government. They will just have to die, before we see any difference in Congress.”
When asked if some of the challenges faced by Obama were due to the color of his skin, Winfrey, who had been a high-profile backer of his presidential campaign, said: “There’s no question.”
She highlighted an incident in 2009 when Republican congressman Joe Wilson called out, “You lie,” as Obama gave a speech to Congress.
“I think there’s a level of disrespect for the office that occurs,” she said. “And that occurs in some cases … because he’s African American. There’s no question about that. And it’s the kind of thing no one ever says, but everybody’s thinking.” [Source: U.K. Daily Mail Online, 11/17/13]
What proof does she offer? None. Nor does she expect her listeners and admirers to require any. They will just blindly agree.
In fact, it’s Obama’s policies that cause most people who hate him to feel that way. Oprah cannot comprehend that anyone would dislike or oppose these policies, such as wealth redistribution, government nationalization of private industry, or government takeovers of important fields such as medicine. To her, nothing but racism could explain a dislike of Obama. Certainly not his policies.
Earth to Oprah: Socialism fails whether it’s attempted by whites, blacks or anyone of any race or national background. It failed when the Germans tried it; it was called National Socialism (Nazi for short). It failed when the Soviets, Cubans, North Koreans and Chinese attempted it; it was called Communism. And it will fail in the United States, whether executed by a black, white, Hispanic, male or female President and Congress.
Obama’s challenge is not that he’s black in a white man’s world. His challenge is that his policies and ideology are at war with reality.
It’s impossible to wrap one’s rational mind around the fact that Obama is unfairly criticized because of his race. If anything, Obama has gotten away with things that no prior President could have.
The economy has not appreciably improved on his watch. Taxes went up, medicine was nationalized, and regulations are passed on to the consumers in the form of higher prices with no significant reduction in unemployment. The national debt grew beyond anything conceived of just a year before Obama took office. America’s credit rating was downgraded, for the first time in history. No matter; he was easily reelected.
Obama attempted to start a war with Syria, merely because he could and with no justification, all in complete contradiction of the principles he claimed to uphold when he opposed President Bush’s interventions in Iraq. Now, it’s like it never happened. Remember 9/11? Republicans were blamed, even though appeasement of Islamic terrorists has always been bipartisan policy. Benghazi, which happened under Obama’s watch? Like it never happened.
Obama obviously lied about Americans being able to retain their current health insurance under Obamacare. No apologies will be forthcoming, especially the best apology of all: Repealing the law.
“I was wrong.” These are words you will never hear from Barack Obama. Any other President I can think of has said these words, at least once. To challenge Obama for his failure to own his errors is apparently racist, according to what Oprah and other Obama apologists imply.
There are many other examples. The point is: Obama is never held accountable, not by the voters and certainly not by his mealy-mouthed Republican “opponents” in Congress.
What does Oprah want for Obama? An end to all dissension and criticism? Is that the only way to prove you’re not racist? I suppose this means that people who previously were against things that Obama supports now must support them, lest they be considered racist.
Emotional charges of racism? What a convenient way to escape defense of your own flawed convictions or viewpoints. Really, Oprah. Is that the best you’ve got? Racism, properly defined, is an irrational and terrible thing. Racism is a primitive form of tribalism or collectivism. It elevates the group above the individual, and suggests that people must be judged by their skin color, rather than by their individual and objective merit.
Psychologically, when a person has no defense of his position—in politics, or anywhere else—he resorts to attacks. “Racism” is a pathetic and desperate attack when no defense of Obama’s morally and economically hollow policies can be found. It’s so absurd it has become laughable.
If you ask me, the real racism is to shield Obama from accountability for his terrible, destructive policies. To refuse debate on the substantive issues, so as not to appear racist, is anti-intellectual and cowardly.
Oprah, quite frankly, comes across as an arrogant and naïve fool. It’s the kind of thing nobody ever wants to say about her, but probably everybody’s thinking.
