Whoa.
Did I just say that?
Yep.
Though it pains me greatly, I have to say ol' Whiney Harry is gettin' a bum rap on this deal about the Negro comment.
Seems Nevada's national embarrassment made some somments about then-candidate Obama that included references to his "light skin" and optional "Negro dialect".
Obviously, those comments are now the center of a media and political firestorm.
One that has many calling on Reid to resign, or worse.
Now, I'm sure no fan of Whiney Harry.
I can think of a coupla hundred reasons why he should step down and return to Searchlight to count rocks.
But this ain't one of 'em.
The big issue for his critics seems to be the term "Negro".
I don't buy it.
Whiney Harry was making that comment in an endorsement of Obama, not in any kinda desparaging way.
Harry's been on this rock for over 70 years.
He's seen the American experiment evolve, change, grow, and reverse itself on many issues in his time.
He's seen African-Americans called everything from tar babies and Negroes to blacks and African Americans.
And that includes some even less acceptable terms.
But the fact is that there is still a large number of older blacks who refer to themselves as Negroes even today.
And, there are numerous black organizations who openly call themselves "Negro" organizations, including The United Negro College Fund, The National Council of Negro Women, The Council of Affilliated Negro Organizations, and others.
Now the media is screaming hypocrisy about Harry's comments, comparing them to those of Trent Lott and others.
But that's not where the hypocrisy lies.
The hypocrisy lies with the African American community.
Those who openly call themselves black, colored, nigger, negro, as well as African American.
And use those terms in official titles of their organizations as well as in everyday colloquial conversations with other blacks.
When you have (and openly promote) the United Negro College Fund, the Congressional Black Caucus, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People --- organizations you named and continue to maintain as so named --- those can't be considered racist terms.
When you and your youth openly refer to other blacks as "niggers" in open conversations, in films, and in the media, you don't get to claim it as a racist term.
I personally find many of these terms for blacks offensive.
Some more than others.
As an American, I especially find the term African-American offensive.
If you are an American, you're an American.
Without regard to race, creed, or color.
Whiney Harry knows that, and has the record to support that contention.
Harry's a lot of things, but racist he's not.
"Black reporters are as capable of racism as anyone else." --- Julian Bond
“At the heart of racism is the religious assertion that God made a creative mistake when He brought some people into being." --- Friedrich Otto Hertz
