By Lewis Diuguid, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Who would have thought that the view of the new president of the United States would have turned so icky so fast.
A Washington Post story this week by Craig Whitlock explained that some European officials and journalists have made off-color comments about President-elect Barack Obama. Whitlock wrote:
"The day after Obama's victory, a leading Austrian television journalist said on camera that he 'wouldn't want the Western world to be directed by a black man.' A Polish lawmaker stood up in Parliament and called the election result 'the end of the white man's civilization.' One of the milder gaffes came from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. During a visit to Moscow, he praised Obama for being 'young, handsome and even suntanned.'"
A headline on the Web site of the National Democratic Party Germany, which sympathizes with neo-Nazis, said "Africa conquers the White House."
Whitlock added: "Offensive opinions have also originated from the other end of the political spectrum. Die Tageszeitung, a Berlin newspaper that supports socialist and leftist causes, predicted Obama's election in June when it published a large front-page photo of the White House under the headline, 'Uncle Barack's Cabin.'
"The reference was to 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' an anti-slavery book written by 19th-century author Harriet Beecher Stowe.
But editors of the paper insisted they did not mean to imply that Obama would be an Uncle Tom, or a submissive slave. Rainer Metzger, a deputy editor, said the headline was satirical."
Amazing. Let's hope such comments and thoughts of the new U.S. president-elect end soon.
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Thank God for racism, chazzy!
Otherwise how on Earth would race-baiters like Lewis, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton make a living???
By the way, that includes that large group of racists known as 'imaginary', which are quite a big group in the race-baiters minds.
He's baaaaack
Looie is at it again.......looking through those racist lenses for all things that do not conform to his vision of the perfect world. The peoples of the world are full of prejudices. Most of those prejudices have root in either personal experiences which get broadened into vastly general categorizations or just plain poor educations. Live with it rather than perpetuate prejudices by displaying yours continuously.
What is far more important than unimportant folks "spewing hate" is that many of the leaders of European countries are mortified by Obama's arrogance, naivete, and lack of experience. Those apprehensions could actually affect us.
Lewis Diuguid: keeping racism alive in KC for 21 years and counting.
You cite a small number
of commentators who spew their own particular brand of hate or thinly disguised racism. I would simply cite in rebuttal the thousands of Europeans who turned out to see Obama when he was merely a candidate. They are the majority.
Naive.
I find it naive to think any of this material is "amazing," or that it will "end soon."
This type of reaction from certain regions and groups is predictable..ugly, unfortunate and disquieting, to be sure, but predictable. Wow, the neo-Nazis said something bad about our mixed-race President-Elect--surprised?
Racism exists in our world, as does general hatred, based upon all kinds of factors, both relevant and otherwise. I believe our new President has been preparing for this.
darbyhunt, I'm not sure I understand what you are saying, exactly, regarding racial issues vs. ethical issues--I don't want to misinterpret you.
uncle tom puns in aussie?
Well, I hate to say it but more people think it than will ever write it. And it will not end anytime soon on either side of the scale.
No one wants to admit they have racial issues.
I believe, without the shadow of a doubt that every person has an "ethics" issue.
However, it is with the narrowest of minds that one confuses one for the other.