Political analysis
The Shame Of Hussein
- By Chronically Pissed
- February 29, 2008
I hate to dignify bigotry with my time, but the smear campaign that is just gearing up against Barack Obama must be dealt with head-on and immediately. Let’s first acknowledge that every aspect of these claims are rooted in racism, as they are all seeking to exploit the fact that Barack Obama is not white. The propagators of these myths are not interested in whether he is black, Muslim, African, or Chinese. They only know that large swaths of Americans are ignorant enough to believe whatever they’re told about a man who doesn’t look like all of our past presidents. I am writing this because I am astounded by the number of people I’ve met who have heard these claims and believe them until I am forced to lecture them at length about the dubious veracity of email forwards. (Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter recently reported that Ross Perot had even bought into the infamous email. Alter corrected him.)
I’m going to let Snopes do the heavy lifting on the low-hanging fruit, such as his alleged refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance, or to place his hand over his heart, or his swearing in on the Qu’ran. Suffice it to say that Barack Obama is not a secret radical Muslim, though I wish I could also say that he is not a Christian (or one who, at the very least, panders to the Christian majority). He was not sworn in on the Qu’ran – Keith Ellison, our first and only Muslim congressman, was. (Again, I wish that ancient books about magic sky gods were not involved in the first place, but if they must be, I don’t really see the relevance of this incorrect allegation, unless its target audience is tainted by profound bigotry…which it is). These lies are merely the groundwork for a broader, more subtle campaign against a non-white candidate for the Presidency of the United States. One could argue that racism is not the primary motive of this campaign, but it is certainly being used as weapon in the battle.
Let’s start with the current right-wing narrative, which is attempting to paint Barack and Michelle Obama as unpatriotic, ashamed Americans. Michelle Obama recently said “For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country.” Now let’s accept for a moment that she meant exactly what she said (rather than employ an ounce of common sense and honesty about what she probably intended). The inference that is being drawn by conservative pundits is that Michelle and, by extension, Barack have been ashamed of their country for some time. This leads the talking heads to the conclusion that the Obamas hate America (undoubtedly because they are radical Muslims). The individuals propagating this storyline know that their audiences aren’t sophisticated enough to understand or to care about the distinction between hatred and shame.
Shame, or the absence of pride where it once existed (or should, by rights, exist), occurs when an individual knows that they should have lived up to a higher standard. It is uniquely felt by individuals about themselves, or about communities (such as families) from which their identities are inextricable. I am disgusted by Putin’s recent actions, but I am not ashamed of him. I feel sorry for Britney Spears, but I am not ashamed of her. Pride in someone or something must first exist in order for shame to manifest itself. If Michelle Obama was ashamed of her country, one thing I can deduce is that she once felt proud of it. This strikes me as the valid, valuable experience of a patriot.
It also raises questions for those who are criticizing her: Are there any circumstances under which it would be acceptable to be ashamed of your country? Must a patriotic citizen always be proud, regardless of the actions of her leaders and fellow citizens? If so, what is the value of pride? Hitler criticized the German citizens who were ashamed of his actions. Were they unpatriotic Germans? Sure, that’s the most extreme example I could have cited, but the point remains the same. Pride is meaningless once it becomes obligatory.
This ties into the complaint that Barack doesn’t wear an American flag pin on his lapel. This is where Obama deeply impresses me. Instead of capitulating to this idiotic argument, which would be the easier path, he explains: “Shortly after 9/11, particularly because as we’re talking about the Iraq War, that became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security, I decided I won’t wear that pin on my chest. Instead, I’m going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism.”
Any knuckle-headed boob (except, apparently, Jack Kingston) can wear a pin on his jacket or slap a magnetic, yellow ribbon on the back of her Escalade. All this tells me about someone is that they’re probably not doing a God damned thing to improve their beloved country other than displaying those trifling gestures. I would like to propose that all true patriots pierce the tips of their penises (or clitorises) with American flag pins. Then we’ll see who really loves their country, won’t we?
I know it seems like I’ve digressed from the issue of racism, but I think if you look closely, you’ll see that these issues are interconnected. These surface charges would have no weight without the underlying tension about Obama’s race and religion. Once the collective consciousness has been tainted by fear-mongering rumors, people are more susceptible to suggestions that seem to confirm their own prejudices and fears.
One need only consider right-wing nutjob, Bill Cunningham, rallying the McCain troops with the repeated use of Obama’s middle name, Hussein. There is only one possible explanation for his decision to repeat the name “Barack Hussein Obama,” and it’s really one of the most stupefyingly cynical things I’ve ever witnessed. Cunningham, who may be a malevolent motherfucker, but who is no idiot, knows that his target audience is simpleminded enough and/or bigoted enough to make a connection, consciously or subconsciously, between Barack Obama and Saddam Hussein, or to Islamic culture generally. There is no other explanation, otherwise the American public might be more familiar with the middle names of Al Gore and John Kerry, neither of whom had middle names that would have raised red flags in the pathetically tiny brains of Cunningham’s xenophobic fans. (I wonder if Mr. Cunningham could even produce those names if asked.)
You see how this goes. These dark, twisted fuckers insinuate and raise their eyebrows and plant the seeds of fear in the the fertile soil of their empty-headed listeners. They create a web of confusion and distraction so that those who are higher up in the food chain can make broader, if equally inane, insinuations. Bill Cunningham chants the name “Hussein” so that the Stepford Republicans will wonder whether Obama is related to the late Saddam Hussein, who ended up hanging from the same sort of noose that Bill O’Reilly has decided not to lynch Michelle Obama from “unless there’s evidence.” This sets John McCain up to more effectively question Obama’s patriotism (after apologizing for Cunningham’s remarks) on the basis of a completely unrelated matter, which only seems significant in light of the confusion that has been sewn by loudmouthed underlings.
I’m still ashamed of my country and will continue to be until dickheads like Bill Cunningham, Bill O’Reilly, and Jack Kingston either cease to exist or cease to have an impact on the masses of ignorant citizens who are kept ignorant by their own reliance on dickheads like Bill Cunningham, Bill O’Reilly, and Jack Kingston for their information.
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What about that racist Nazi Glenn Beck?! He’ under fire just this week for his sick comments about obama. I cannot wait until these bastards are driven out of town.
255 days ago by Dr. Zero