2009: What I Learned, What’s Ahead in 2010
2009 was an interesting year in many ways, especially in the worlds of politics and entertainment (my two favorite subjects). We witnessed the passing of entertainment legends like Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Patrick Swayze and Les Paul; the resurgence of Jay-Z and dance music; the rise of Lady Gaga and the fall of Tiger Woods; iPhone, Facebook and Twitter mania; the rise of the internet as a primary news source coinciding with the rapid decline of newspapers and print publications. America witnessed it’s first year with a black president, followed by an unprecedented effort to discredit, demean and delegitimize him from the political right-wing. Revolution in Iran, pirates in Somalia, diplomacy at work in North Korea, a global recession and an escalation...
The American Far-Right: Guerilla Racism
Malcolm X once said, “I have more respect for a man who lets me know where he stands, than for one who comes to me as an angel, but is nothing but a devil.” Powerful words that best describe the current situation in 21st century America; a phenomenon that has been quietly built by the American far-right since the late 80’s and has come to a head with the election of Barack Obama, permeating not only the right-wing media but the mainstream media as well. This phenomenon is something I like to call “guerilla racism”. Guerilla racism is comprised of a number of tactics, all of which are currently being directed at President Obama, but have far-reaching implications in American race relations. From comparing Obama to Hitler (anecdotally, most Europeans I...
The GOP, racism and the “Birther” movement: circling the bowl?
There was a lot going on in the world of US politics that I could comment on; the health care debate, the ongoing Dick Cheney-CIA-torture saga, Sonia Sotomayor’s Supreme Court nomination, etc. However, two specific topics have seriously captured my attention in the last few weeks and have compelled me to comment on them; the so-called “birther” movement, and the notion that Barack Obama is a racist, two theories that are dominating the right-wing media machine and Republican politics, both started by the radical fringe of the Conservative movement. Has the GOP been taken over by the lunatics, and will this takeover kill this once great political institution? According to a recent poll, only 42% of Republicans believe that President Obama was born in the US,...
The American Conservative: I Like My Chicken Fried
As the battle for America’s political soul rages on, I’ve noticed one thing about the conservative movement (at least among those conservatives in the media) that really didn’t hit me until recently, with the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. From Rush Limbaugh’s declaration that he wants the President to fail, because of his fear of what Obama’s policies will do to the country; to their opposition of gay marriage, out of fear for the “sanctity of marriage”; to their fierce opposition to the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, out of fear that terror suspects will be released into the general population; to their fear of calling waterboarding what it is (torture), to their opposition to an assault weapons ban,...
