dagblog - Comments for "Rush has a question for you... And I hope to hell, you have an answer"

Folks, you're all trying in

acanuck — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:48:49 +0000

In reply to Rush has a question for you... And I hope to hell, you have an answer

Folks, you're all trying in your liberal, leftist, PC way to avoid the perfectly valid point Rush raised: are not old, white males genetically superior to Latinas by virtue of the strength of their ankles?

The week's news suggests the answer is yes: the only person whose broken ankle I've read about is Judge Sotomayor. No old white men appear to have broken an ankle this past week. They've shown a propensity for rushing into churches and museums and shooting people, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't make perfectly acceptable Supreme Court justices.

The thing about Rush is

Bluesplashy — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:34:59 +0000

In reply to Deadman, sure he was mocking

The thing about Rush is people that listen to him don't get his jokes, they take what he says as fact. My brother and I have spent years trying to explain to his oldest son that Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer and that he gets paid according to the number of people that listen to him so he'll say anything to get ears. The boy just won't give it up. And I have heard at least one other person carry on about how smart Limbaugh is - "He knows everything!". I wish he would go away.

Evidently, you haven't gotten

Nebton — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:12:36 +0000

In reply to I'm one of those that

Evidently, you haven't gotten the memo. You see, it's us white men who are oppressed. ;)

I'm one of those that

Orlando — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:05:47 +0000

In reply to I won't dispute your point

I'm one of those that believes that racism has to have a power component. I can be a bigot. I can be biased against any group based on stupid random things like race. But I can't really be racist unless I am in a power position. So, as a white woman, if I have feelings of bigotry or prejudice against people of color, I am racist. If I think white men ought to get the hell out of the way of progress, I might be biased and I might be generalizing. But I'm not racist, because as a group, at this moment, white men still hold more power in our society than white women.

I won't dispute your point

Nebton — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:55:01 +0000

In reply to The way I see it, a wise

I won't dispute your point (mainly because I agree with it, not that would necessarily stop me from disputing it). Whether or not it's true, however, isn't it "racist"?

nice comment, o, and thats

Deadman — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:52:29 +0000

In reply to The way I see it, a wise

nice comment, o, and thats probably exactly what she meant. but the statement taken at face value was pretty stupid. is the white man shes comparing herself to 'wise' as well (cuz if so then he probably is able to better understand the experiences of others)- and what does she mean by 'better conclusion' - maybe 'more naunced' would have been a better way to say it. and personally, i think the generalizations suck. not all white men are born with privilege. im glad you at least recognized that society is changing, yes probably too slowly for all but white men, but plenty of progress has been made.

The way I see it, a wise

Orlando — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:44:45 +0000

In reply to I do believe that she meant

The way I see it, a wise Latina woman would more often than not reach a better decision than a white man, because a white man is more likely to be blinded by privilege.

By that I mean that our entire social structure is set up with white men at the top. It's been changing for decades, but it's been changing slowly. What that means is that a white man can be successful without paying a lick of attention to anybody else's experience.

I'm not suggesting that all white men choose this path. Of course, many don't. But many do, and some of those many are probably judges, just as they are teachers and businessmen and whatever else.

People who don't happen to be white men have to learn how to live in both worlds, which gives them better perspective.

Maybe that's what she meant.

I do believe that she meant

Nebton — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:07:57 +0000

In reply to Saying that she implied that

I do believe that she meant what you think she meant. However, to my ears her statement, if taken literally suggests that Latinas are wiser than white men - not inherently of course, but by virtue of their life experiences.

Saying that she implied that

Larry Jankens — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:04:27 +0000

In reply to All she was saying is that

Saying that she implied that Latinas would be better than white guys at being judges is a bit off base.

What she literally said: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

When she says that she hopes that a Latina women would reach a better conclusion than a white male because they have a "richness of her expereinces," I don't think she is saying that Latina's would inherently make better judges. She hopes that Latinas would not shirk their past and differences from a white guy and instead revel and utilize it to make better decisions on the bench.

I think it illustrates the idea that having a diversity of backgrounds is important and necessary in the judiciary.

All she was saying is that

Nebton — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:36:40 +0000

In reply to Deadman, sure he was mocking

All she was saying is that she hopes that educated latina women who find themselves empowered to enact change in the world do not do what certain white males have done while they are empowered (ie endorse a racist and sexist worldview). How is that stupid?

The problem is that she didn't say that. Her words suggested that she believed that a Latina judge would be superior to a white male judge - not merely that a Latina judge would do better than white male judges have done in the past, but that they make better judges overall. Taken literally, that does suggest a racist view point. I believe she meant what you're suggesting "she was saying". The problem is, that's not what she actually said. (When I say "problem", I don't mean "serious problem", I merely mean it's what has given fuel to the conservative fire.)