Obama says US racism 'not cured,' makes point with epithet

[webfact]

Obama says US racism 'not cured,' makes point with epithet
By NEDRA PICKLER

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says the history of slavery and segregation is "still part of our DNA" in the United States, even if racial epithets no longer show up in polite conversation. He uttered the N-word in making his point.

In an interview, Obama talked about the debates over race and guns that have erupted after the arrest of a white man in the racially motivated shooting deaths of nine black church members in Charleston, South Carolina.

"Racism, we are not cured of it," Obama said. "And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say nigger in public. That's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It's not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior."

Obama's remarks came during an interview out Monday with comedian Marc Maron for his popular podcast, where coarse language is often part of the discussion. The president uttering a racial slur aloud stirred controversy, especially on social media, and White House spokesman Josh Earnest said later Monday that wasn't surprising.

Obama didn't plan in advance to use the word to be provocative, Earnest said, but was simply making a point during a casual, free-flowing interview. He said he didn't recall ever hearing the president say the racial slur aloud before, but noted that it did appear in his book, "Dreams from My Father."

The White House on Monday said Obama, would travel to Charleston on Friday to deliver the eulogy for the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, the pastor of the Emanuel AME Church and one of the victims of last week's shooting. First lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden also plan to attend. The Obamas knew the slain pastor, who also was a state senator and an early Obama supporter in the 2008 presidential campaign.

In the interview, Obama said while attitudes about race have improved significantly since he was born to a white mother and black father, the "legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination in almost every institution of our lives, that casts a long shadow and that's still part of our DNA that's passed on."

Obama also expressed frustration that "the grip of the NRA on Congress is extremely strong" and prevented gun control from advancing in Congress after 20 children and six educators were massacred in a Connecticut elementary school in 2012.

"I will tell you, right after Sandy Hook, Newtown, when 20 6-year-olds are gunned down, and Congress literally does nothing — yes, that's the closest I came to feeling disgusted," he said. "I was pretty disgusted."

He said it's important to respect that hunting and sportsmanship are important to a lot of gun-owning Americans. "The question is just is there a way of accommodating that legitimate set of traditions with some common-sense stuff that prevents a 21-year-old who is angry about something or confused about something, or is racist, or is deranged from going into a gun store and suddenly is packing, and can do enormous harm," Obama said in a reference to suspect Dylann Storm Roof, whose purported 2,500-word hate-filled manifesto talked about white supremacy. Roof faces nine counts of murder in connection with Wednesday's shooting.

Obama sat for the interview Friday in Maron's Los Angeles garage studio — close to where the president attended Occidental College — and seemed to marvel at the absurdity of it. "If I thought to myself that when I was in college that I'd be in a garage a couple miles away from where I was living, doing an interview as president, with a comedian ... it's not possible to imagine," he said. But he said he did the interview because he wants to reach a nontraditional audience and "break out of these old patterns that our politics has fallen into" where "it's not this battle in a steel cage between one side and another."

With the campaign to replace him heating up, Obama said he thinks he would be a better candidate if he were running again, because although he's slowed down a little bit, "I know what I'm doing and I'm fearless."

"I've screwed up. I've been in the barrel tumbling down Niagara Falls. And I emerged and I lived. And that's always such a liberating feeling," he said.
___

Associated Press writer Connie Cass contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-06-23

[Ulysses G.]

Good for Obama. Calling "nigger" the "n-word" is childish. It is an ugly word, but a word none the less.

[HeijoshinCool]

Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior

Well, no, not overnight. But 200-300 years ought to do it.

Hey, it did do it! As a society, we've made huge strides in the last few decades.

Sadly, it's the divisive comments of the "leader of the free world," again and again, that are destroying all that hard-earned progress.

[ezzra]

Racism will never be cured, it can be however well managed and take a back stage priority.

when you a well know actor, Samuel L. Jackson who sings about ' wanting to be free '

what do you expect from lesser people to understand?

free from what? from being a multi millioner? of free for the cotton fields of Hollywood?

so yes Mr Obama, not in this life time will racism disappear, we can try to live together

as people of all colors and creeds, or we can continue to hate....

[NeverSure]

"Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior."

No. It took it a little longer than that to elect. a. black. president.

[Basil B]

Good for Obama. Calling "nigger" the "n-word" is childish. It is an ugly word, but a word none the less.

There are many words banned for political correctness...

But in reality it is the sentiment behind the word... not the words.

In the UK...

How many of you are old enough to remember collecting the tokens from the Robinson's jars? funny how the trade mark had to be dropped for political correctness when at the time I recall a Tyre and Exhaust fitters garage (run and employing all west Indians) called G____ W__s, with a big GW painted on the side of the building.

And yet I see some of the best satire of the India sub continent on the BBC with a totally Asian cast as being a real laugh, but the same humour told by Jim Davison is racist.

[Chicog]

And yet I see some of the best satire of the India sub continent on the BBC with a totally Asian cast as being a real laugh, but the same humour told by Jim Davison is racist.

There is somewhat of a difference between satire and Jim Davidson's "white van man" humour.

Remember this is the twerp who got off a BA flight when he found out there was a woman on the flight deck.

[MaxYakov]

Good for Obama. Calling "nigger" the "n-word" is childish. It is an ugly word, but a word none the less.

There are many words banned for political correctness...

But in reality it is the sentiment behind the word... not the words.

In the UK...

How many of you are old enough to remember collecting the tokens from the Robinson's jars? funny how the trade mark had to be dropped for political correctness when at the time I recall a Tyre and Exhaust fitters garage (run and employing all west Indians) called G____ W__s, with a big GW painted on the side of the building.

And yet I see some of the best satire of the India sub continent on the BBC with a totally Asian cast as being a real laugh, but the same humour told by Jim Davison is racist.

Politically-correct Link Anchor Text

Edited June 23, 2015 by MaxYakov

[oneday]

"Racism, we are not cured of it," Obama said.

Nobody said it was cured Mr. Obama...and don't forget, it's a two-way street.

[anon467367354]

wonder why he says racism isn't cured, seems too me it's getting worse.

Obama also said that "I will tell you, right after Sandy Hook, Newtown, when 20 6-year-olds are gunned down, and Congress literally does nothing — yes, that's the closest I came to feeling disgusted," he said. "I was pretty disgusted."

but the FBI website says that no one was murdered in Newtown Conn that year, the school wasn't even open at that time and DHS supplied the portable toilets and the "everyone must check in" sign. The whole thing seems to be crap.

Here's the link https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/tables/8tabledatadecpdf/table-8-state-cuts/table_8_offenses_known_to_law_enforcement_by_connecticut_by_city_2012.xls

[arjunadawn]

Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior

Well, no, not overnight. But 200-300 years ought to do it.

Hey, it did do it! As a society, we've made huge strides in the last few decades.

Sadly, it's the divisive comments of the "leader of the free world," again and again, that are destroying all that hard-earned progress.

Of course, the US has made more progress than numerous other countries and untold capital and investment has been leveraged to atone, including a corruption of blood on peoples who never considered such vile acts of depravity as slavery, etc. There is nothing left to give as the US is bankrupt, patience is thin with more blood from stones and no evidence of fruit, therefore it is necessary to leverage ideas, guilt, monikers that exclude, isolate, label, and ostracize entire segments of the population to frack further blood where no long oil exists in the population. Therefore, enter, stage left, guilt, privilege, the assertion that now racism cant be measured, its subjective, and if a black declares it, it is valid. Previously data was used to strong arm remedies of atonement in human capital, monies, and manipulation of employment markets for atonement. Now the declaration of pejorative is enough to stimulate, provoke, renew the racism argument under the banner of subjectivity alone. Why? Because the data, which was once overwhelmingly clear that racism existed, now broadly supports black on white racism in near equally horrific ways, but the data is no longer convenient so now gaslighting racist narratives will have to suffice- subjective.

[Seastallion]

""I will tell you, right after Sandy Hook, Newtown, when 20 6-year-olds are gunned down, and Congress literally does nothing — yes, that's the closest I came to feeling disgusted," he said. "I was pretty disgusted.""

And so was most of the rest of the world. Unfortunately, not the Republicans.

"Don't let 'em take our guns!" Children can die, church congregants can be slaughtered, people gunned down every day, but keep the guns.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Seastallion

[uksomchai]

Why is it that every time slavery is brought up nothing is ever mentioned about the BLACK people who kidnapped other black people and sold them to the slave traders ? Without these black people kidnapping other black people the white slave traders would have had a very difficult job !

Racism today in America seems to be kept in the media by certain black people who have made a career / living from it.

I'm from the UK where years ago the Romans / Italians came to my country and enslaved many British people. Many were sent abroad to be worked to death and even made to fight in the great arena's of Rome against each other or wild animals for sport yet we have forgiven the Romans / Italians for these heinous crimes and got on with life so why do Americans and to some extent the British have to constantly keep apologising for the slave trade ? Nobody is alive today that was involved in it. It was like the Romans a dark period in history. History being the key word here

There will always be people who for one reason or another don't like other races but thankfully they are in the minority and actual racism is very rare indeed as is shown by the USA having elected a black president. In a truly racist country this would never have happened.

[ggt]

The word "nigger" has been all but stricken from the white man's vocabulary...it is considered politically incorrect and bad manners...provoking ill will between the races...however...a nigger can call another black a nigger with impunity...it is a black thing...and only niggers truly understand the full context of the nigger meaning between blacks...

Possibly Obama can use the word...but does not wish to be called the word...

[robblok]

I would say racism is not that big in the US you got a black president. There will be nutcases everywhere ofcourse and there will be racism going both ways but overall by just having a black president I think that shows racism is not a big thing.

[Jingthing]

Marc Maron rocks and Obama ain't so bad himself!

http://potus.wtfpod.com/

A black dude and a Jew had a talk in a garage and the rest is history ...

Edited June 23, 2015 by Jingthing

[sdanielmcev]

Why is it that every time slavery is brought up nothing is ever mentioned about the BLACK people who kidnapped other black people and sold them to the slave traders ? Without these black people kidnapping other black people the white slave traders would have had a very difficult job !

Racism today in America seems to be kept in the media by certain black people who have made a career / living from it.

I'm from the UK where years ago the Romans / Italians came to my country and enslaved many British people. Many were sent abroad to be worked to death and even made to fight in the great arena's of Rome against each other or wild animals for sport yet we have forgiven the Romans / Italians for these heinous crimes and got on with life so why do Americans and to some extent the British have to constantly keep apologising for the slave trade ? Nobody is alive today that was involved in it. It was like the Romans a dark period in history. History being the key word here

There will always be people who for one reason or another don't like other races but thankfully they are in the minority and actual racism is very rare indeed as is shown by the USA having elected a black president. In a truly racist country this would never have happened.

And don't forget the blacks that owned slaves. In the US and elsewhere.

[masquerade]

“Racism, we are not cured of it,” Obama said. Was it ever meant to be, or to put it another way, has there ever been a President or Government in the great democratic US of A, that ever allowed racism to be cured. In short, the answer is a resounding NO!, not even you Obama. So cut the condescending rhetoric and own your race divide.

[geriatrickid]

Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior

Well, no, not overnight. But 200-300 years ought to do it.

Hey, it did do it! As a society, we've made huge strides in the last few decades.

Sadly, it's the divisive comments of the "leader of the free world," again and again, that are destroying all that hard-earned progress.

Not really, and your comment demonstrates it. The POTUS was right. Read what he said again. It's not about just being PC. It's about being fair and doing the right thing.

[Seastallion]

The word "nigger" has been all but stricken from the white man's vocabulary...it is considered politically incorrect and bad manners...provoking ill will between the races...however...a nigger can call another black a nigger with impunity...it is a black thing...and only niggers truly understand the full context of the nigger meaning between blacks...

Possibly Obama can use the word...but does not wish to be called the word...

Yes, the word is just a word, and we can all say it when referring to it as a word, but we can't use it to talk about people....and here, you (deliberately, I suspect), use it to describe black people, twice.

Noted.

[Merzik]

When obama stops inviting Rev Al Sharpton to the White House; maybe he can be taken a bit more seriously when he speaks of racism. This administration has done more to harm race relations than any other in modern history.

[connda]

"Dirty Micks! Lower than low. Good for nothing lazy potato grubbers. The Brits should have sold the entire population of Ireland into slavery so it could be populated by civilized people."

Oh wait a minute, that's my family tree! Whoa, whoa.

'You're family's white, man. Only black folk were slaves.'

Wrong.
https://peoplestrusttoronto.wordpress.com/2014/12/27/irish-the-forgotten-white-slaves/

or Google: Irish: The Forgotten White Slaves

I'm beyond tired of the 'black = good / white = racist' hate mongering that is taking place at the upper levels of governments and in the new media. Especially by a president that has a black father and white mother. You'd think he'd be promoting unity instead of disparity.

Martin Luther King I'll have respect for until the day I die.
Obama, Sharpton, and Jackson? Why are they continuing to stoke the fires of racial discord.

Dr King linked people of all races together;

Obama, Sharpton, and Jackson are driving wedges of discontent into the heart of the US population.

What's the agenda?

Edited June 23, 2015 by connda

[Johpa]

When obama stops inviting Rev Al Sharpton to the White House; maybe he can be taken a bit more seriously when he speaks of racism. This administration has done more to harm race relations than any other in modern history.

Yes, but only in the sense that for about 30% of the white population in the United States, it was just way too soon to have an elected Black man sitting in the White House. So every day there is a large number of white folks who wake up with a knot in their stomachs, yes a true physical reaction, when they think about the Black president. Thus these people have moved even further to the right politically with their knee jerk responses such as declaring that Obama was the worst president in history, declaring this even before he took the oath of office, or that now we have to "take the country back", or in ridiculous claims such as seen above that Obama has done more to harm race relations than any other. His election sent this 30% over to the Tea Party, radicalizing the right wing as we have never seen before in recent affairs. Now look, I am no fan of Obama's rather tedious and mainstream politics and neither am I a major fan of that self-promoter Al Sharpton. But Obama's relatively rare comments upon race relations have been eloquent and spot on. But again, your claim above is as ridiculous as the attempts at FOX news to spin the recent event that the shootings at the church in Charlotte were an attack on Christianity and not an attack on Black people.

[Ulysses G.]

Another one that does not watch Fox News, but "knows" all about them. Fox News never tried to portray the shootings at the church in Charlotte as an attack on Christianity, although that might have been one of several possible theories mentioned, before anyone knew who the shooter was or anything about him. Once the shooter was known, racism was the agreed on reason by most commentators and guests.

[sgtsabai]

And again, the well known few racists slime out of the wood work. ggt, I've got a few black friends back in the states I'd just love for you to make that little racist statement to. Oh, but the result wouldn't be pretty...lol.

[Basil B]

I would say racism is not that big in the US you got a black president. There will be nutcases everywhere ofcourse and there will be racism going both ways but overall by just having a black president I think that shows racism is not a big thing.

Agree it is only a small number of people are real racists...

Still I think he would have more votes if he was white, but how many more I do not know.

[arjunadawn]

""I will tell you, right after Sandy Hook, Newtown, when 20 6-year-olds are gunned down, and Congress literally does nothing — yes, that's the closest I came to feeling disgusted," he said. "I was pretty disgusted.""

And so was most of the rest of the world. Unfortunately, not the Republicans.

"Don't let 'em take our guns!" Children can die, church congregants can be slaughtered, people gunned down every day, but keep the guns.

This statement is a brilliant example of the thinking of the framers of the Constitution regarding the separation of powers and the mechanism for enacting changes in law, and more importantly, the hurdles necessary to change the Constitution itself. The lower house was always designed to be closer to the people, more emotive, more immediate, where the senate, not having to wrestle constantly with elections and otherwise representing the states as originally designed, were meant to be more deliberative, thoughtful, and apply the breaks of reason to balance the emotional bills of the moment- vox populi. The examples you give clearly represent the point you seek to make as they garnered a great emotional response; they were very palpable examples of a problem in the US. This is what provoked the debate to solve the problem- the shootings.

I make no observation here about right or wrong, yes or no, only that the example you provide is a perfect example of a local/nation horror and the mechanics of legislation, as intended.

If there was no restraint regarding passing of laws in response to outrage or 51% of any population screaming for change we would have... Democracy, aka, Mob Rule. There was never intended any mechanism whereby the majority could vote away the Rights of the minority but the slow, incremental degradation of American intellect and knowledge of their own government has this Representative Republic behaving as a Democracy in any event. Why would smart responsive legislation to gun shootings stop there? Once the outrage or group voice grew so loud why would it only be guns? There are voices in the US calling for disarming only white people; why would that not be on the table if the screams were loud enough? Why not mandate that any family of 3 could have no more assets than $1,000.000? Why not? All the other monies could be redistributed. Indeed, the majority of the populace is way higher than the minority with all the money. Why would the race to change laws because of disgust or rage stop at guns? It would not.

The rage to make change based on crisis is a landmark provision of the progressive form of governing. It is not just Rahm Emmanuel who stated "Never let a serious crisis go to waste," from crisis comes the opportunity to pass legislation that would not otherwise be possible but Hillary Clinton asserted this as well. A basic truth? Perhaps but it is a governing principle for this current executive- to create problems then provide solutions, or race to provide partisan solutions to bipartisan problems.

Note: It is suggestive that it seems necessary to paint an entire group of people as not being disgusted at an event that is universally repugnant- mass murder. This is demonization, a fundamental manipulation of people to cultivate their primitive nature. This is illustrative of why there is division in the US.

[Chicog]

Another one that does not watch Fox News, but "knows" all about them. Fox News never tried to portray the shootings at the church in Charlotte as an attack on Christianity, although that might have been one of several possible theories mentioned, before anyone knew who the shooter was or anything about him. Once the shooter was known, racism was the agreed on reason by most commentators and guests.

You are having a laugh. One of the first people they had on was Rev. Robert Jeffress blaming it all on the godless evil and saying how Christians are being persecuted like pre-war Jews.

[JDGRUEN]

When obama stops inviting Rev Al Sharpton to the White House; maybe he can be taken a bit more seriously when he speaks of racism. This administration has done more to harm race relations than any other in modern history.

Over the last 6 and 1/2 years the most prolific racists in America has been none other than B.H. Obama and Eric Holder ... both racists on steroids...

[Merzik]

When obama stops inviting Rev Al Sharpton to the White House; maybe he can be taken a bit more seriously when he speaks of racism. This administration has done more to harm race relations than any other in modern history.

Yes, but only in the sense that for about 30% of the white population in the United States, it was just way too soon to have an elected Black man sitting in the White House. So every day there is a large number of white folks who wake up with a knot in their stomachs, yes a true physical reaction, when they think about the Black president. Thus these people have moved even further to the right politically with their knee jerk responses such as declaring that Obama was the worst president in history, declaring this even before he took the oath of office, or that now we have to "take the country back", or in ridiculous claims such as seen above that Obama has done more to harm race relations than any other. His election sent this 30% over to the Tea Party, radicalizing the right wing as we have never seen before in recent affairs. Now look, I am no fan of Obama's rather tedious and mainstream politics and neither am I a major fan of that self-promoter Al Sharpton. But Obama's relatively rare comments upon race relations have been eloquent and spot on. But again, your claim above is as ridiculous as the attempts at FOX news to spin the recent event that the shootings at the church in Charlotte were an attack on Christianity and not an attack on Black people.

So much nonsense I don't know where to begin. You even managed to slip in Fox News that I never watch.

The far-left policies and corruption of Bill Clinton aroused the ira of consevatives just as as much as obama's did.

The Tea Party was started by followers of Ron Paul in 07 and got a huge boost from the Wall Street bank bailouts. It was not in any way a reaction against the election of a black president; but focused on real policies that had nothing to do with race.

More people voted for Obama because of his race than against him for it.

"Taking the country back" is always used by the opposition party. It is not a racist statement .

Obama has made numerous mistakes and been less than impartial in many racially charged issues including the Skip Gates arrest, Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown affairs to name just a few. He also chose for his administration none other than Eric Holder; who also has a series of racist comments directed against European-Americans .

Al Sharpton is not just a questionable or flawed character like Jesse Jackson. He is the worst of the race hustlers with a long and sordid history of outrageous lies, false charges and racist remarks. His leading a march where protesters chanted for dead cops was disgusting. That a man like this could be a high-profile frequent visiter to the White House is beyond belief. Not only is he a liar, tax-cheat, and racist; he is a complete idiot that regularly makes a fool of himself .

Edited June 23, 2015 by Merzik