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[RockRaven]

20. Sorry, but your post seems to be based on the premise that this woman was just misinformed...

But the issue is not whether or not Obama was an Arab -- or a Muslim -- or whether she believed he was either of those things, or whether she had been lied to by someone about either of those things.

The thing people are criticizing about her is that she takes this bad data and interprets it through a bigoted thought process. The idea that him being Arab (or Muslim) is something to be concerned about categorically is what bothers people. It's the bigotry, not the misinformation, which causes offense. Even if she never had heard this "incorrect news" about Obama, her reaction to some similar "correct news" about some other person would have resulted in the same reaction in her, no? That reaction is the problem. That's what everyone is bothered by. Does anyone really expect her to learn/grow/change/etc? Of course not. But that doesn't mean we can't point to that reaction/behavior as something which is not good and should not be passed on to new generations.


If I'm going to think someone who appeared in that video clip is being criticized too harshly, I'd be more likely to choose McCain. The first few seconds of his sound-bite "he's not A, he's B" can be portrayed as saying that A's cannot be B's. I think it's fair to say it sure seems that way when viewed only up to that point; but listening to the clip in full makes it seem to me that he's just trying to shut this lady's misinformation and bigoted premise down, and keep the debate/contrast on the level of policy choices. Could he have done it better? Certainly.