RECONCILIATION, NOT
Tutu and Mandela understood that the task of rooting out and punishing all of the wrongdoers from the apartheid era would consume the new government and drown the country in blood.
Somehow former perps and former victims have to live side by side. Whatever the success of Tutu’s commission, the mere attempt is occasion for some deep hope.
Simply ignoring historic wrongs disses the most recently oppressed, like, someone has to eat it, and that someone is you.
[Click on the picture of Tempie Cummins to read some of her testimony.]
That’s the situation we have in the United States regarding slavery and its social aftermath.
It’s awkward.
There’s been some truth, but there’s been very little reconciliation in the United States, so it’s considered rude to talk about it.
Barack’s pastor talks about it, apparently, all the time.
An early question about Obama was, “Is he black enough.” [Not my question, I’m just reporting this shit.]
Now, with the preacher video clips the insinuation is that Obama is way too black.
Which raises an interesting question: can an African American national candidate these days be both black enough and not too black?
I’m thinking that “black enough for black voters” might still be a little “too black for white voters.”
BTW: Watching the clips of Barack’s pastor, I find myself agreeing with almost everything he says. Hold the 9-11 crap. Hold the goddamn America crap.
Parts of this clip have appeared on TV, with white commentators, and some new African American commentators clucking their disapproval. In this clip, at least, I think Reverend Wright it right-on.
Reverend Wright is definitely too black for white folk.
Obama’s response so far is that of a kid who’s been caught. “Not me,” he pleads. Poor baby!
With so much time before the national election Obama seems to be in a rope-a-dope mode. Barack should remember that toward the end of each rope-a-dope round Ali threw a flurry of punches that kept the scoring close.
Or maybe he’s just on the ropes.
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