Sergeant James Crowley is in the White House as I write, dispatched there by the occupant of the Oval Office. The good sergeant will be joined by the man he arrested, Henry Louis Gates Jr.; both men will have beers with Mr. Obama.
Of course, this all strikes me as an incredible teachable moment -- in propaganda.
The facts of this entire story are rather plain, at least to me, and the great social ills allegedly highlighted by the arrest of Mr. Gates in Cambridge, Massachusetts have nothing to do with what is truly important. Racial profiling, racial tension, bigotry, systemic or institutionalized racism; whatever it is called, what brings these three men together -- alleged differences -- are all distractions. Red-herrings. The facts are not relevant; the story is not the story.
What is at issue here is simple.
What is the story is perfectly obvious.
The only thing that matters is that Barack Obama abused his power and his office to protect a friend, to insinuate racism where there was none, to denigrate a police department, to obfuscate the legal basis for his friend's arrest, and to refuse to accept responsibility for his reckless and shameful actions. This is a story about a president who behaved foolishly, without regard for law or decorum; who acted prejudiciously and arrogantly; who forsook his responsibility as chief law enforcement officer of the land. And he did this after admitting he did not have all the facts about the Cambridge affair.
What offends us most about racism? Is it that racism is based on superficiality? Is it that racism is the result of irrational prejudice? Indeed, this IS what offends us most: it is an unthinking, unreflective, loveless act of pre-judgment -- of prejudice -- based solely in surfaces. We loathe shallowness. (Oscar Wilde's epigram comes to mind -- "The supreme vice is shallowness.")
Many people have focused all their attention on the prejudice of Sgt. Crowley, that he pre-judged someone solely because he was black. Others have focused their attention on the prejudice of Mr. Gates, that he pre-judged a white policeman for talking to a black man.
But no one seems to care that the evidence for the prejudice of either Sgt. Crowley or Mr. Gates is rather scant and that the evidence for the prejudice of Mr. Obama is absolutely undeniable. Mr. Obama pre-judged an entire police department. He pre-judged how that department "acted" and why it acted the way it did. And this he did by his own admission on primetime TV before the press corps and the world.
Where is the outrage at Mr. Obama's obvious prejudice? Where is the outrage at his obvious abuse of power? Where is the outrage at his arrogance? Where is the outrage at his using his office to protect a friend and abuse a law enforcement agency? Where is the outrage at his obfuscation of law? Where's the outrage at his undeniable shallowness?
Here's hoping Sgt. Crowley will not allow himself to become a propaganda tool. Here's hoping that he will not be peer-pressured, or beer-pressured, into protecting Barack Obama's image. Here's hoping that he will stick to his convictions, defend his integrity, and uphold the laws he daily defends. Here's hoping that he is not swayed by star-power, or celebrity. That he is not swayed by craft or cunning. That he will not take one for the team, the Obama brand.
Here's hoping that he recognizes prejudice and speaks to it directly.
©2009/Contratimes. All Rights Reserved.
Of course, this all strikes me as an incredible teachable moment -- in propaganda.
The facts of this entire story are rather plain, at least to me, and the great social ills allegedly highlighted by the arrest of Mr. Gates in Cambridge, Massachusetts have nothing to do with what is truly important. Racial profiling, racial tension, bigotry, systemic or institutionalized racism; whatever it is called, what brings these three men together -- alleged differences -- are all distractions. Red-herrings. The facts are not relevant; the story is not the story.
What is at issue here is simple.
What is the story is perfectly obvious.
The only thing that matters is that Barack Obama abused his power and his office to protect a friend, to insinuate racism where there was none, to denigrate a police department, to obfuscate the legal basis for his friend's arrest, and to refuse to accept responsibility for his reckless and shameful actions. This is a story about a president who behaved foolishly, without regard for law or decorum; who acted prejudiciously and arrogantly; who forsook his responsibility as chief law enforcement officer of the land. And he did this after admitting he did not have all the facts about the Cambridge affair.
What offends us most about racism? Is it that racism is based on superficiality? Is it that racism is the result of irrational prejudice? Indeed, this IS what offends us most: it is an unthinking, unreflective, loveless act of pre-judgment -- of prejudice -- based solely in surfaces. We loathe shallowness. (Oscar Wilde's epigram comes to mind -- "The supreme vice is shallowness.")
Many people have focused all their attention on the prejudice of Sgt. Crowley, that he pre-judged someone solely because he was black. Others have focused their attention on the prejudice of Mr. Gates, that he pre-judged a white policeman for talking to a black man.
But no one seems to care that the evidence for the prejudice of either Sgt. Crowley or Mr. Gates is rather scant and that the evidence for the prejudice of Mr. Obama is absolutely undeniable. Mr. Obama pre-judged an entire police department. He pre-judged how that department "acted" and why it acted the way it did. And this he did by his own admission on primetime TV before the press corps and the world.
Where is the outrage at Mr. Obama's obvious prejudice? Where is the outrage at his obvious abuse of power? Where is the outrage at his arrogance? Where is the outrage at his using his office to protect a friend and abuse a law enforcement agency? Where is the outrage at his obfuscation of law? Where's the outrage at his undeniable shallowness?
Here's hoping Sgt. Crowley will not allow himself to become a propaganda tool. Here's hoping that he will not be peer-pressured, or beer-pressured, into protecting Barack Obama's image. Here's hoping that he will stick to his convictions, defend his integrity, and uphold the laws he daily defends. Here's hoping that he is not swayed by star-power, or celebrity. That he is not swayed by craft or cunning. That he will not take one for the team, the Obama brand.
Here's hoping that he recognizes prejudice and speaks to it directly.
©2009/Contratimes. All Rights Reserved.
