# \*sigh\* Obama is not a "racist" (and neither is Rev. Wright, really) **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 1, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547 "2008-04-01T16:38:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/241 "2008-04-29T01:36:20Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] To start with the whole right brain/left brain thing: > **[Left brain Right brain](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg16321934-600-left-brain-right-brain/)** > > Many a myth has grown up around the brain's asymmetry. The left cerebral hemisphere is supposed to be the coldly logical, verbal and dominant half of the brain, while the right developed a reputation as the imaginative side, emotional, spatially... Has Dr. Hale’s research been confirmed? Her results go against the general consensus that there is not not a fundamental difference in neurological function between white people and black people (which is an imprecise and arbitrary biological classification for humans.) [/QUOTE] Even if you don’t agree with the research it’s hardly racially insensitive is it? He may be right or wrong to accept it as a fact but how is it racially insensitive? ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/242 "2008-04-29T01:37:46Z")
[QUOTE=cosmosdan] Even if you don’t agree with the research it’s hardly racially insensitive is it? He may be right or wrong to accept it as a fact but how is it racially insensitive? [/QUOTE] It is racist, not racially insensitive. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/243 "2008-04-29T01:41:15Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] It is racist, not racially insensitive. [/QUOTE] How? It does not imply any belief in the superiority of one over another. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/244 "2008-04-29T01:42:48Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Has it been refuted? What qualifies you to say that it’s bullshit? Even if her conclusions prove inaccurate, how does it make Wright a racist for believing it? [/QUOTE] It goes against the general consensus there is no fundamental difference in neurological function between white people and black people. You can look at all the research that has been presented to refute the racist _The Bell Curve_ by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/245 "2008-04-29T01:45:06Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] How? It does not imply any belief in the superiority of one over another. [/QUOTE] It says that white people are superior at logic—black people at creativity. ---
**Author:** ![RachelW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@RachelW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelW)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/246 "2008-04-29T01:46:40Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] How? It does not imply any belief in the superiority of one over another. [/QUOTE] Engaging in racial stereotypes - maybe? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/247 "2008-04-29T01:49:45Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] There is apparently scientific evidence backing it up. [/quote] There is? I suspect that Wright is mischaracterizing Hale’s research, which appears to have examined cultural differences, not biological differences. > [@](#): > > Neither one of us is a neurologist or an expert on brain physiology, so neither one of us is in a position to say the study is “bullshit.” And neither is Hale. She’s a sociologist. > [@](#): > > It actually makes a lot of sense to me. It explains why black people are better at music, for instance. Give me that shovel right now!! I’m not going to let you dig any deeper. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/248 "2008-04-29T01:50:01Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] It goes against the general consensus there is no fundamental difference in neurological function between white people and black people. You can look at all the research that has been presented to refute the racist _The Bell Curve_ by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray. [/QUOTE] It looks to me like she’s saying the differences are cultural, not physiological, but she knows more tham either one of us so neither of us is qualified to assert that it’s “bullshit,” and even if itwere, there’s nothing racist about Wright believing it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/249 "2008-04-29T01:54:23Z")
Actually, re-reading the quote from Wright, I think he is talking about cultural differences. Throwing in the right brain/left brain stuff makes it sound biological, and I think he is out of his area of expertise in talking about that subject. I saw some more clips of him on the news tonight. Man, Hillary couldn’t have dreamed up a better way of damaging Obama… ---
**Author:** ![RachelW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@RachelW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelW)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/250 "2008-04-29T01:54:43Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Give me that shovel right now!! I’m not going to let you dig any deeper. [/QUOTE] Please don’t - I have my roommates reading this and we’re looking forward to the next response. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/251 "2008-04-29T01:57:00Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] It says that white people are superior at logic—black people at creativity. [/QUOTE] Not inherently, just as a cultural artifact of different learning styles. ---
**Author:** ![RachelW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@RachelW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelW)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/252 "2008-04-29T02:18:14Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] I saw some more clips of him on the news tonight. Man, Hillary couldn’t have dreamed up a better way of damaging Obama… [/QUOTE] The one where Wright actually did the white and black voices of the different brains? I have to agree. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/253 "2008-04-29T02:25:27Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] It is racist, not racially insensitive. [/QUOTE] I fail to see how it’s racist. The research may be or may not be faulty but it’s an opinion based on research. ---
**Author:** ![pantom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/34f0e0/32.png) [@pantom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pantom)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/254 "2008-04-29T02:41:23Z")
It’s so obviously racist it’s not even funny. As in literally, not funny. And, if you can’t see that, as well as see DTC’s hilarious statement that it might explain why blacks are better at music as so thoroughly to-the-bone racist it’s also not funny, at all, well, there’s no hope. I knew that before I rejoined this place, but I’m pretty shocked at just how bad it’s gotten around here. Yeesh. ---
**Author:** ![Ocean\_Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8797f3/32.png) [@Ocean\_Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ocean_Annie)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/255 "2008-04-29T02:46:35Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] I haven’t seen that at all. Well, the “issue” would’ve died down if the Reverend himself hadn’t put himself back in the spotlight. But I’d also add that folks here seem to be more interested in discussing this than the press does. [/QUOTE] Maybe the issue would have died, maybe not. I am not sure if you watch much cable news, **John** , but the Reverend Wright controversy has dominated the news cycles for approximatley seven weeks now. We are talking about it on the board because it is a continuous topic in the media. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/256 "2008-04-29T02:53:16Z")
I’m still waiting for an explanation as to why it’s racist. Just declaring it to be racist, over and over again, is not a persuasive argument. I guess a lot of white people just desperately need to feel persecuted, though, so there’s no talking to some of them. And black people ARE better at music than white people. That’s just a fact. If it wasn’t for Black Americans, white Americans would still have nothing but their imbecillic jug music. ---
**Author:** ![RachelW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@RachelW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelW)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/257 "2008-04-29T02:55:23Z")
Hot off the press – \<\\> Obama’s response to Wright’s comments from yesterday and today [http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2008/04/obama\_judge\_me\_by\_my\_words\_not.html](http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2008/04/obama_judge_me_by_my_words_not.html) > [@](#): > > \*\*The Illinois senator spoke at a hastily arranged press conference on the airport tarmac in Wilmington, N.C., as media traveling with him were about to board his campaign plane. Airplane engines roared in the background and a plane taking off interrupted the brief media availability, which lasted less than six minutes and permitted only three questions. > > Obama sought anew to distance himself from the incendiary remarks of Wright after his former pastor spoke Monday at the National Press Club. Wright delivered a high-profile speech the night before at a NAACP dinner in Detroit and also appeared on a PBS program hosted by Bill Moyers for a lengthy interview. > > “Some of the comments that Rev. Wright has made offend me, and I understand why they offend the American people. He does not speak for me. He does not speak for the campaign,” Obama said. > > “Many of the statements that he’s made, both that triggered this initial controversy and that he’s made over the last several days, are not statements that I have heard him make previously. They don’t represent my views,” the senator added.\*\* ---
**Author:** ![pantom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/34f0e0/32.png) [@pantom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pantom)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/258 "2008-04-29T03:03:35Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] I’m still waiting for an explanation as to why it’s racist. Just declaring it to be racist, over and over again, is not a persuasive argument. I guess a lot of white people just desperately need to feel persecuted, though, so there’s no talking to some of them. And black people ARE better at music than white people. That’s just a fact. If it wasn’t for Black Americans, white Americans would still have nothing but their imbecillic jug music. [/QUOTE] Well, as long as we’re on the subject, think of it the way Louie Armstrong referred to jazz: “If you don’t know, I can’t explain it to you.” Really, you’re old enough to know better. Or so I thought. Also, I’m not white. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/259 "2008-04-29T03:14:10Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] I’m still waiting for an explanation as to why it’s racist. Just declaring it to be racist, over and over again, is not a persuasive argument. [/QUOTE] > [@American Heritage Dictionary](#): > > racism - 1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others. Wright is saying that white people are superior at logical thinking and that blacks are superior at creative thinking. He is making claims about the superiority of people on the basis of racial classification. ---
**Author:** ![Ocean\_Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8797f3/32.png) [@Ocean\_Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ocean_Annie)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547/260 "2008-04-29T03:25:18Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Not buying that, however. If “Black” can be an ethnic group, then “White” can, too. I think I represent a lot of White people who aren’t particularly associated with any Old World ethnic group. I’m a White American guy, and I probably share a lot in common with other White American guys. If Blacks from NYC, the rural south, and LA are connected in some meaningful way, then White are, too. We all are connected in various levels of subcultures. [/QUOTE] Well, I think it is easy to get hung up on semantics. Black is used interchangeably with African American. Clearly, there is an African American ethnicity. The white American culture is a blend of multiple European ethnicities, and the greater American culture is a blend of all ethnic groups. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-obama-is-not-a-racist-and-neither-is-rev-wright-really/443547.md?page=14)