Jack & Jill Politics

I find it so interesting that Alec Baldwin got so much static for publishing this piece. I actually sort of enjoyed it. It’s like a surreal, funhouse of mirrors walk inside a tightened, frightened mind. I’ve heard friends with racist parents, particularly their dads, describe their backwards-thinking parent affectionately as an “Archie Bunker“.

Most white people in my experience — conservative or liberal — seem to respond positively to Barack Obama, even if they preferred another candidate. He’s almost like the Lenny Kravitz or Darius Rucker (from Hootie and the Blowfish) or Wayne Brady of politics. I don’t mean that in a bad way, either. Those men all broke down social barriers in their own way.

So it’s fascinating to see what a white person who really doesn’t like Obama is actually thinking. This piece is the naked truth of the savage racist mind. There’s no filter from this “Archie Bunker”. For those of you with Archie Bunkers for parents, only you can decide what level of ignorance and hatred you personally can tolerate from those in your life. And what you plan to do about it.

I also find it interesting that Baldwin had to explain (though probably not to his minority readers) why he posted it after the paper’s weak apology.

I don’t see how anyone can ask, “Why reprint this? They pulled it from their website.” So, essentially, leave it alone? Well, why bother doing anything worthwhile? Why vote? Why go to church or school? Why learn the violin or read a book? We expose racism, real racism, because it is a worthwhile thing to do.

To those who believe hatred should be ignored, I give you the sad facts of what bigotry unconfronted tends to become over time. Violence, discrimination, ethnic cleansing, genocide. Whether it’s religious intolerance or racism, we turn away or wink at society’s grave peril. Thank you, Alec for publishing this.

I’m tempted to go line-by-line and analyze this opinion piece. It’s so rich with history, information, mis-information, confusion and ignorance. It’s also pretty shake-your-head hilarious. Still, like any “work of art”, perhaps the final impression is best left in the eye of the beholder. For the unenlightened though, I refer you to the Nobel Prize winners bio page for Dr. Martin Luther King which explains that he earned his doctorate from Boston University, completing his studies in 1955.

Let me know your favorite part….You can find the original here.