Mika Brzezinski: unless Perry "ran around screaming" the n-word, "Niggerhead" not "real news"

[Empowerer]

I never thought I'd see the day where Joe Scarborough would have to explain to Mika Brzezinski why a presidential candidate's tolerance of this term is relevant to his fitness to be president. And, to his credit, Scarborough told her that this should disqualify him.

Wonders never cease.

[blueclown]

1. Mika, this is what we like to call "white privledge".

[Empowerer]

9. This highlights a reality for many African Americans

Imagine you're an African American member of the state legislature or the Governor's staff and are invited on a hunting trip with the Governor.

You get to his hunting camp and see that rock.

What do you do? Do you say anything to Governor about it? Or keep quiet?

If you say something, there's a good chance that you'll be labeled a troublemaker who made the Governor and the rest of his guests uncomfortable - just look at the "STOP CALLING ME RACIST!" hysteria among liberal Democrats at the mere mention that some Dems might be racially insensitive - imagine how Rick Perry and some of the legislators would react.

If you DONT say anything, you feel like a sellout.

If you're invited back, would you go again? And if you don't go, won't you miss out on the benefits that the other legislators gain by hanging out with the Governor and each other? Staying away could hurt your career.

And, when word gets around to the other minorities on the staff or in the legislature, they're likely to decline to go, as well. But since they were invited, it's easy for the Governor and others to claim that they treated everyone the same and TRIED to include minorities, but for some reason, they didn't accept - meaning that they just aren't collegial team players but would rather stay to themselves.

This is the kind of thing that minorities have to deal with all of the time - how to deal with insults, insensitivities and slights in ways that allow us to maintain our dignity and careers.

And people like Rick Perry just march ahead stepping on people, knowing that even well-meaning people will give him a pass because he didn't "run around screaming" the n-word at anyone.

White privilege indeed.

[blueclown]

19. I'm white and I certainly understand the concept.

I think this is what Dr. Harris-Perry was attempting to convey in her The Nation column. While white liberals may not be outwardly racist, as teabaggers are, there are some innate thoughts that have been grown over decades of life experience as a white person that can be seen as prejudiced. I'm sure Mika had no intention to be prejudiced by any means, the mere fact that she cannot understand how this could be so offensive to a big part of the American population shows her white privledge. But invariably what these discussions turn into is are: "you called me racist! Prove it". And we never advance a meaningful discussion on race.

[treestar]

22. +1

That sign on Perry's property should not be acceptable to anyone, including white people, even the conservatives.

[blueclown]

27. I dont think its just that

Obviously, the rock still being there reportedly until the 2000s is reprehensible and shows a severe lack of judgment and sensitivity. But the mere fact that Mika thinks that there is nothing to be offended about, as if she is the sole arbiter of what is a true story and annoying the thoughts of a large majority of blacks who feel otherwise, is the most offending aspect of this all. It really shows the true height of white privledge, just a complete arrogance and indifference to the entire situation.

[treestar]

38. Yep. She's never had to deal with anything like that

And it's too easy for her to dismiss.

[whathehell]

23. I'm white and I certainly "get it" too,

it's hardly subtle, for God's sake..:eyes:

Mika is being so idiotic here, I don't believe it's real

[Syrinx]

2. what's the real deal with that?

Didn't the WP article say that Perry's father ended all that thirty years ago? I think Perry is horrible, but is it fair to blame him for what somebody named that property years and years ago before he was even born? Did Perry ever refer to the place as N*****head?

[Empowerer]

4. No, he didn't end it 30 years ago . . .

Perry CLAIMS that his father painted it over in 1983, but his account is contradicted by many people, including some of his supporters:

Perry’s version of events differs in many respects from the recollections of seven people, interviewed by The Washington Post, who spoke in detail of their memories of seeing the rock with the name at various points during the years that Perry was associated with the property through his father, partners or his signature on a lease.

Some who had watched Perry’s political ascent recalled their reaction to the name on the rock and their worry that it could become a political liability for Perry.

“I remember the first time I went through that pasture and saw that,” said Ronnie Brooks, a retired game warden who began working in the region in 1981 and who said he guided three or four turkey shoots for Rick Perry when Perry was a state legislator between 1985 and 1990. “. . . It kind of offended me, truthfully.”

Brooks, who said he holds Perry “in the highest esteem,” said that at some point after Perry began bringing lawmakers to the camp, the rock was turned over. Brooks could not recall exactly when. He said he did not know who turned the rock over.

Another local who visited the property with Perry and the legislators in those years recalled seeing the rock with the name clearly visible.

“I thought, ‘This is going to embarrass Rick some day,’ ” said this person, who did not want to be named, fearing negative consequences from speaking on the subject.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/rick-perry-familys-hunting-camp-still-known-to-many-by-old-racially-charged-name/2011/10/01/gIQAOhY5DL_story_1.html

[Syrinx]

7. I stand corrected.

[JCMach1]

3. Them 'not' saying the word just reinforces why it's a problem

LOL

[Empowerer]

5. Interesting point

They don't even say it when referencing it for news or analysis purposes - yet she thinks that having it painted on a rock is no big deal.

[JCMach1]

6. Makes me want to bang against a wall!

[tularetom]

8. I'm not surprised - she's as dumb as a tree stump

Although Scarborough is a horse's ass he has a lot more on the ball than she does.

[Gman]

10. (Dead Intern) Scarborough was a Texas Congressman and

Like many other politicians in TX, has mo love lost for Perry. I'm not surprised to see him throw Perry under the bus.

[Syrinx]

11. He was a Florida congressman

Pensacola. And I don't believe he killed anyone. (But I ain't defending the asshole.)

[Gman]

48. Seems to me he was from Houston

and they found a dead intern in his office too about the same time as the Gary Condit thing. I'm thinking of someone else then.

[glowing]

53. Nope, he's from Pensacola area.. He's all ours in FL.. Dumb ass.

The dead intern was in his office in FL. She was young and I believe recently married or to become married... An avid runner... and somehow she died from natural causes. Yeah, right!

[bigdarryl]

12. Mika JUST DOESN'T GET IT!! to me and other African Americans this is offensive

[Empowerer]

14. You don't even have to be African American to be offended

You just have to have a brain and a clue.

[Ikonoklast]

28. I'm Whiter than Wonder Bread and it pisses me off.

And if you are running around squawking that no one should be offended, you need a swift kick in the ass.

[polmaven]

13. I nearly fell off my chair

when I heard her say that! What a ridiculous question that was! Even JOE could barely believe it!

Mika...Isnt the fact that neither he nor his father ever destroyed that rock, but only painted it over, and then not until the mid 1980s indicative of anything? Please, Mika...don not try to claim no one there knew what that word represents, or that is is harmless in that form.....WOW!

[Empowerer]

15. She not only defended it, but was snarky and snotty about it

It was really quite stunning.

[Empowerer]

16. Does anyone have Mika B's email address?

She needs to hear from people about this.

[Pirate Smile]

18. She's on twitter. She is @morningmika

[eShirl]

17. It's not news when a Republican is racist, it's news when they're not.

[valerief]

20. Mika the Racist. No surprise there. nt

[Enrique]

21. so "Morning Joe" educated everyone

maybe it was scripted, maybe Mika was playing the role of the clueless white person and Joe had to educate her, and educate the audience at the same time. Just kidding about the scripting, but maybe it had that effect. I didn't see it... :shrug:

[WI_DEM]

24. Of course the establishment are very happy about this because they saw Perry

as a walking time bomb. They knew to nominate him would be a disaster as it would have been. I'm doubting Perry will even make it to Iowa.

[Pisces]

25. This will not disqualify him with his base. They will ignore this news.

[AlinPA]

26. It should help him in the primaries. The base will love him for it.

[Hawkowl]

29. Fucking stupid ass-clown

I really can't understand how anyone can stand watching this piece of shit. :puke:

[fishwax]

30. Just saw a guy on MSNBC say that it will only really hurt Perry if his *white* opponents object

and make an issue of it. I'm pretty sure it was a Washington Post reporter, but not the one who broke the original story. He didn't say it exactly as I put it in my subject line; rather, he said that right now Herman Cain was the only of GOP opponents talking about it, and as long as it stays that way he'll probably be fine. But if a Romney or a Bachman were to say something about it, that would really give the story legs.

While, as political analysis, his assessment is probably accurate, it reveals that troubling dynamic which so often appears in discussions of racism, where the judgment of insensitivity by people of color is insufficient and instead requires some confirmation by white voices.

[Pirate Smile]

33. Bingo. This was part of the discussion when Sonia Sotomayer was confirmed to as a SC Justice.

Republicans were freaking out that she would be biased for Hispanics or women or poor people or people of color or whatever.

Their problem was that viewing everything from a White Man's point of view is the norm and to view things from a different perspective is a problem to them. Anyone doing that needs to go out of their ways to say that - no, they will take the white guy POV as the norm. They view anything deviating from THAT Norm as being biased. That is how they get off calling people with other POV's racist or biased, etc.

The White Guy viewpoint is the Point Of View of "Real Americans". That is why Barack Obama can NEVER actually BE a "Real American". He will always be viewed with suspicion.

[CitizenLeft]

34. thank you

While, as political analysis, his assessment is probably accurate, it reveals that troubling dynamic which so often appears in discussions of racism, where the judgment of insensitivity by people of color is insufficient and instead requires some confirmation by white voices.

So true.

[Number23]

44. Exactly

it reveals that troubling dynamic which so often appears in discussions of racism, where the judgment of insensitivity by people of color is insufficient and instead requires some confirmation by white voices.

So glad that more and more people are noticing this racist double standard (among others) and calling it exactly what it is.

[EffieBlack]

45. Bingo!!!

[CakeGrrl]

31. She's raising the bar for what's "intolerable".

It's no problem if the offensive rock is there.

It's only offensive if he's ridiculously, comically overt.

The subtle stuff you see and hear every day? Not real news.

:puke:

[JoePhilly]

32. I'm going to start calling stupid people "Mika-heads". nt.

[steve2470]

35. Just amazes me she said that in public

and I'm a white guy. She's very clueless.

on edit: To be very clear, she should not even say that in private. She needs a good course on white privilege.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

36. Some people are too sensitive. We all know that the only way a person can be prejudiced or

even racist is if they set a person of a different race on fire while shouting racial epithets as they bang on a metal pot in their underwear.

:eyes:


.

[Dawson Leery]

37. Mika is a bimbo who lives off of her father's name.

[EffieBlack]

39. I wonder if she would think it was no big deal if

instead of the word "Niggerhead" the rock instead graphically depicted a woman being sexually degraded.

Would she insist that, unless Perry ran around screaming wildly that women should be sexually abused, it was "not real news" that he took years to do anything about what was on that rock?

I think not.

[Major Hogwash]

40. Clueless.

Her and Joe are a perfect match. One has no brains, the other no conscience.

[alphafemale]

41. You don't sorta paint over a rock like that...so the words are still visible.

You smash the fuck out of a rock like that with a sledgehammer. Publicly. The day you buy the place.

[BigDemVoter]

42. Yikes

I do hate seeing the "n" word written out. . . Whenever I see it, I'm reminded of what a hateful & violent word it is. It's really a shame that certain words can't be "retired"!

Nonetheless, I'm having fun seeing that Perry reptile squirm!

[EffieBlack]

43. I understand how you feel, but I think it's sometimes important to spell it out and to say it

Constantly brushing it over with "n-word" tends to make it seem more innocuous than it is. Sometimes people just need to hear it so that they can feel the visceral reaction that results.

[Hippo_Tron]

46. That's kinda like saying George Allen's noose wasn't real news unless he lynched somebody

:eyes:

[EffieBlack]

47. Excellent analogy!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

49. She's an idiot. For someone who comes from such a brilliant father,

she's is 100% useless. Just shut up, Mika!!!

[stranger81]

50. Our bobblehead national media in action.

Not good for much these days other than documenting the atrocities. Ridiculously out-of-touch people.

[Tom Ripley]

51. Must not make Polish joke. Must not make Polish joke. Must not make Polish joke.

[Honeycombe8]

52. She's wrong on this one. Joe is pushing for Christie, so he pounds Perry every chance he gets.

It's good what he said about this incident, but no matter what it is or would be, you can count on Joe to be anti-Perry, so I'm not sure his statement was objective.

[Major Hogwash]

54. Well, between the racist, the Mormon, and the bat shit crazy lady, the GOP don't have must to offer.

I'm kind of thinking the fat guy is going to jump into the race pretty soon.

And if any of you have ever seen a fat kid bounce on a trampoline, you already know how funny this is going to get if he does.

:)

[Cosmocat]

55. To his CREDIT??

Joe only piled on because he is in line with the establishment Rs in wanting to take Perry down. And, Mike only played the willing foil to associate Perry negatively with the "liberal."

Make no mistake - if/when something similar pops up with an R who the establishment is behind, Joe will FURIOUSLY defend it ...