If Barack Obama sounds cautious when he talks about issues of racial justice, it’s because he really doesn’t have much of a choice.
During the annual nation prayer breakfast last Thursday Barack Obama pointed out, in a speech largely about the need to address the monstrous crimes of ISIS, religion has often been used as an excuse for terrible crimes and we in the United States are no exception. As the president put it:
Lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ.
This is a pretty obvious historical point, and one would think that the proper response to this observation would be something along the lines of, “yes that is correct.” Or perhaps, as Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig did, by pointing out that one not need go back 1000 years to find Christianity associated with awfulness as recent history in Ireland, Bosnia, and Rwanda can attest to.
But of course we didn’t get such as response. Instead we got a raging backlash probably best summed up by former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore who bellowed, “The president’s comments this morning at the prayer breakfast are the most offensive I’ve ever heard a president make in my lifetime,” and went on to add the president, “has offended every believing Christian in the United States. This goes further to the point that Mr. Obama does not believe in America or the values we all share.”
The best response this round of predictable outrage was probably made by Ta-Nehisi Coates who pointed out:
The “all too often” could just as well be “almost always.” There were a fair number of pretexts given for slavery and Jim Crow, but Christianity provided the moral justification…
…[Confederate Vice President Alexander] Stephens went on to argue that the “Christianization of the barbarous tribes of Africa” could only be accomplished through enslavement. And enslavement was not made possible through Robert’s Rules of Order, but through a 250-year reign of mass torture, industrialized murder, and normalized rape—tactics which ISIS would find familiar. Its moral justification was not “because I said so,” it was “Providence,” “the curse against Canaan,” “the Creator,” “and Christianization.” In just five years, 750,000 Americans died because of this peculiar mission of “Christianization.” Many more died before, and many more died after. In his “Segregation Now” speech, George Wallace invokes God 27 times and calls the federal government opposing him “a system that is the very opposite of Christ.”
Coates is of course completely correct. But that doesn’t change the fact that our national discourse was still dominated by ahistorical nonsense, rather than owing up to the fact that all sorts of ideologies and beliefs (including Christianity and Islam) have been used to justify all sorts horrible deeds throughout history.
As I see it this whole thing is a great reminder of the incredibly difficult position Obama is in when it comes to talking about issues surround racial justice in American.
Lots of liberal and left-wing types, including Coates, have criticized Obama over the years for his approach to these issues. And these complaints are not made without good reason. After all embracing so called “respectability politics” by telling cousin Pookie to go vote, or telling black high school students to be, “twice as good” as their white peers really has it limits. The cousin Pookies of the world did go vote in in 2008 and 2012 and it didn’t end the racial wealth gap. Likewise in many ways telling people to be twice as good, is really just another way of telling someone to accept half as much as everyone else.
But then again when you look at the political reality, either in the case “The Great Conservative Crusades Freakout of 2015” or in the reaction to “if I had a son he’d look like Trayvon”, you can understand why Obama seems so constrained in how he talks about about issues surround racial justice. If even criticizing the Sack of Jerusalem results in searing criticism and hyper-polarization then staying out of the fray, as Obama largely did surround the events in Ferguson last summer, makes a lot of political sense.
It’s frustrating, but well that’s politics.
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Really. John. Deleted one of my comments. I was not racist, nor attacked the person of a commentor. Attack it john. Tell me what’s your point. But do not delete a valid , or even perhaps a not so valid argument. That’s chicken poop. The
L me why I should expect more from the left.
Really gemgirl? If you think i’m going to bat for the republicans then you’re very very wrong. How in the world, when faced with the sheer amount of lies and ineptitude that obama is correct? I meam, seriously, and noy a comparison of administrations, just looking at this one objectively, can you say obama is correct? In what? Socializing this country is the right path? Not that many americans were without healthcare and if they were the poor they got medicaid. You paid for it anyway. Aca is not better. Taxing the rich? Sounds nice. But they’re already funding and… Read more »
Mark — Your lack of objectivity is astounding.
Obama is correct.
Thank you for this article.
Thanks!
You feel good because someone else validates you. With nothing more than a platitude? You’re intelligent john, and thats what maked it sad.
The headline is about race, the article is about religion…
This is a confusing piece that is all over the place…
And by gosh, let’s not forget speaking on 60 minutes about absolutely no truth, not a smidgeon, about the irs doing the dirty under his watch. Nosiree, bob. What? 80,000 emails found that were irretrievably lost, says his administrator that took the 5th? And plenty of direct contact with who on this issue? What you day, the holder justice department? ?? Say it ain’t so, joe. Uh, i mean john I’ll stop now as i’m sure everyone is sick of me posting, as so am i by the sheer diengenuine nature of our political system. Especially how one side and… Read more »
Oh and lets just add two more things reported mainly on faux news vs anywhere else. Obama wants approval for limited engagement with isis, and aw shucks forgot his admin met, in the freaking white house, where isis publically declared they would behead him, with reps from the muslim brotherhood. Jeez louise john, you may not like my harangue but how can the left stand this??? Limited engagement with isis??? The only way it will be limited is if a tactical nuclear weapon is used. And my bet if it is it won’t be by us. But what y’all been… Read more »
Oops meant they are NOT causing the 3rd world. Militants.
Actually I agree with the author. I think Christians are just tired of the double standard of media/popular culture representation. Media fall all over themselves to show Muslims as normal good people, where we are always the secretly evil psycho or obviously two-faced hypocrite. Not that we don’t have problematic issues too as the author correctly points out. Obama is correct, but people always point those things out instead of also showing the good as well. Massive charity, the red cross, etc. I think its a knee jerk reaction. I do think the vehemence is uncalled for. We have our… Read more »
Btw. Let’s look at Bryan Williams and NBC. NBC is a liberal newscast network. Since 2003 the network listened to his stories and said nothing, nor did they dissuade anyone from harbinger against faux news, which has never been accused of falsehood but the left has been vitriolic in its hatred. Is it because they know it’s telling the slanted but basic Truth? This is deeper than one thinks John. And a network that silently supports falsehood, and supports all this president says, does say a lot wouldn’t you think?
Made a typo. Devisive-ness, not decisiveness. He’s the least deciviness individual I’ve ever heard. Hell, even axelrod told the truth that Obama lied about his change of heart on same sex marriage. Now that’s going some.
What happens is the same as when he speaks on just about any topic- we know he’s lied again. This man is incapable of telling the truth about anything. He just keeps making stuff up as he goes along that fits the story in his head. Even if the dude makes a mistake I have never ever heard him say he was incorrect. John you must think I’m a racist because I dislike him so much. That I’m a hater because of something so ridiculous as race. I will proclaim categorically that this is not true. I dislike him because… Read more »
Religions are not all equal, they are not just different flavours of the same food. History of the Crusades is not equivalent to history of Jihad. Regardless of your political biases, here are some facts presented by someone who studies real history:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_To-cV94Bo