I'm realizing that the thing that most has my stomach in knots about Rev. Jeremiah Wright is maybe less about the effect he might have on the campaigns and more about the fact that I, and probably all black people, know people like that. People who can be just fine in some areas, but they also have that freaky black-paranoid-rage streak. And from time to time they say this stuff that make you feel so queasy. And you get used to putting up with it, but you really, really hope that they never say it in front of non-black people, because you know that other people will think that black people are totally nuts. And now, here's our dirty laundry on the front pages of major newspapers. It's been a rough week.
LAmom - Thanks for sharing your thoughts. This controversy has propelled me to look more into Rev. Wright, and what I am finding is that Rev. Wright is not defined by what you called a "freaky black-paranoid-rage streak." Rather, on balance, he's coming across to me more as a Christian humanist with a radical liberation theology perspective that is expressed passionately. I don't see that as a bad thing necessarily. The few soundbites that have been making the rounds are aberrations to the man's overall thinking. The more I see of Rev. Wright, the more I am warming up to his broader theology actually, even if I'm not a fan of some of the specific things he says.
Posted by: Huck | Friday, March 21, 2008 at 01:46 PM
Hi, Huck!
Like I was saying before about the percentages, if you've looked more closely at him and found that he has a primarily positive message, that certainly is encouraging.
But I don't know how much that can settle my stomach (I'm perimenopausal and bad news really does give me nausea and hot flashes). Because if he's a positive influence most of the time and still any flaws he has could get him swift-boated so mercilessly, that would be a whole different reason to reach for the Pepto-Bismol. Sigh.
Posted by: LAmom | Friday, March 21, 2008 at 02:30 PM
HI LAmom:
Remember the political season is in full swing. At another time, his comments wouldn't get noticed. One question I have for you: How do you support Sen. Obama with his positions on abortion rights? I'm not challenging, but trying to figure that one out myself.
Next week will be better!
Posted by: Sara | Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 06:21 PM
The way I look at it is described in my old blog post Door #1 or Door #2.
In short, I figure that for the particular job of President, I care more about a candidate's position on war because a President can just about start a war single-handedly, while there are many more people (including us ordinary citizens) who can affect what happens on the abortion front, both in terms of legislation and just trying to foster an environment where fewer women want abortions.
Posted by: LAmom | Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 07:18 PM
Hi, LAmom - I just checked my hotmail account and noticed that you wrote me an email some two weeks ago. Sorry I didn't respond then! I just don't check that account all that often and only now saw it. I tried to respond but my email reply got bounced back to me. Just know that I read your email and appreciated very much your honest thoughts and I liked your perspective very much, too. Thanks, again, for taking the time to write to me! Good luck and hope all is well.
Posted by: Huck | Tuesday, April 01, 2008 at 07:45 PM