Plum Crazy

What's the matter with Barack Obama? According to Fox News personalities, it's a couple of things:

He went to a madrassa. Except, you know, he didn't. After being faced with their complete lack of anything resembling fact-checking, Fox News kind of withdrew the claim. Kind of, because Doocy basically said "Obama says it's not true, so we're just putting that out there." Not quite a resounding "We were wrong." "Fair and balanced" doesn't mean "presenting two sides of the story, even when one side is demonstrably false." This is, of course, now an old story, but I reiterate it, because it shows the kind of crap Obama is up against.

Now the ongoing story is how Obama belongs to a "black separatist" church. One that may not even be really, truly Christian! At least not an acceptable sect of Christianity. What's all the brouhaha* about? The Black Value System the church adheres to. So, what are these values? A sampling (you can read them in their entirety at the link provided):

Commitment to the Black Family
The Black family circle must generate strength, stability, and love despite the uncertainty of externals, because these characteristics are required if the developing person is to withstand warping by our racist competitive society. Those Blacks who are blessed with membership in a strong family unit must reach out and expand that blessing to the less fortunate, especially to the children.

Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
We must forswear anti-intellectualism. Continued survival demands that each Black Person be developed to the utmost of his/her mental potential despite the inadequacies of the formal education process. “Real education” fosters understanding of ourselves as well as every aspect of our environment. Also it develops within us the ability to fashion concepts and tools for better utilization of our resources, and more effective solutions to our problems. Since the majority of Blacks have been denied such learning, Black Education must include elements that provide high school graduates with marketable skills, a trade or qualifications for apprenticeships, or proper preparation for college.

Adherence to the Black Work Ethic
“It is becoming harder to find qualified people to work in Chicago” Whether this is true or not, it represents one of the many reasons given by businesses and industries for deserting the Chicago area. We must realize that a location with good facilities, adequate transportation and reputation for producing skilled workers will attract industry. We are in competition with other cities, states, and nations for jobs. High productivity must be a goal of the Black workforce.

Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
To accomplish anything worthwhile requires self-discipline. We must be a community of self-disciplined persons, if we are to actualize and utilize our own human resources instead of perpetually submitting to exploitation by others. Self discipline coupled with a respect for self, will enable each of us to be an instrument of Black Progress, and a model for Black Youth.

Damn, those are some pretty frightening principles! So frightening that they remind me of the advice given to the black community by conservative white columnist Burt Prelutsky.

The real shame should be that millions of black kids are fatherless; that their taste in music is for anything that’s crude, lewd and loud; that their role models are too often basketball players who make more babies than baskets; whose language skills are embarrassingly abysmal; and that, although most of the street punks are peddling drugs for roughly the minimum wage, they regard it as a worthier, more manly pursuit than working at a 7/11 or, God forbid, going to church, school or a library.

While I think the column overall is pretty bad, let's see nonetheless. Fatherlessness. Huh, covered by Commitment to the Black Family, no? "Abysmal language skills"? Covered by Dedication to the Pursuit of Education. "Regarding drug pushing as better than working, going to church, school, or a library?" Adherence to the Black Worth Ethic and Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect. Looks like Obama's church is attempting to take accountability and not rely on whites. You would think this would be applauded by conservatives. Instead, Fox News pulls out the "scary black separatist!" card.

This is racism. Damned if you do. Damned if you don't. If you get criticized no matter what you do, that's driven by privilege. By people who fear that if you actually "pull yourselves up by your bootstraps," they'll lose their privilege and be forced to treat you like an equal. I wish that this surprised me. It doesn't. It should be attacked as the pernicious bull it is, though. Loudly and regularly.

Via Shakes

*Brouhaha? Ha ha ha! Kudos to those who get the reference.