We're not in the post-racial period," Paterson said."The reality is the next victim on the list - and you can see it coming - is President Barack Obama, who did nothing more than trying to reform a health care system."
Paterson said the campaign against him is being "orchestrated" by reporters who would rather make the news than report it.
Well, let me just go take my racist self off to that dinner tonight... for an organization comprised of and honoring the first blacks in the Marine Corps.... at the invitation of my volunteer "boss" and friend... who just happens to be black.
Could be the 2nd straight day of overcast skies (it's raining!) here in sunny SoCal that is doing the talking here but I'm thinking in regards to Paterson: Go take a flying leap. And that's putting it nicely.
Seriously, I've been doing a lot of talking and thinking about this lately. CDR Salamander and his commenters had some great thoughts: What it comes down to is that those of us around 35 years old or so came to social awareness around/after 1980 and had a very different experience of race than our predecessors. And we get very tired of the older generation trying to paste their pathologies onto us in an attempt to feel better about the fact that they grew up racist. Watch the media: all the discussion about the "code language" of dissenters, the idea that resistance to Obama's agenda stems from suppressed racist tendencies, etc... it all comes from people over 35. The rest of us either roll their eyes at them or get angry for their slander.
When someone asked me what I expected from the dinner tonight, I told her I honestly didn't know. The options are either a celebration of the courageous people who stood up to withering and dehumanizing racism as they attempted to serve in wartime the very country abusing them, thus proving the error and repugnance of that racism... or a discussion of "how much must still be done to counter the racist institutional barriers." Knowing the Corps (and that the warrior tradition celebrates the courage in overcoming more than the tragedy of victimhood), I'm guessing it will be the former.
And I'm oh so proud to know the strong, honorable, smart and generous 30-year Marine who invited me, who looks beyond skin color and apparently finds in my case someone worth knowing simply for who she is. The feeling is certainly mutual.
So sad that Paterson and the other racialists apparently don't allow themselves the same experience...
