Wow, there sure are a lot of Obama/McClurkin diaries! You can see them here:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
and here:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
and here:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
And that's just in the last four HOURS. There have been countless more in the past few days.
(More on the flip.)
I understand emotions are running high, and people are upset, and other people are upset because people are upset. From my perspective as a long-time coalition participant, everyone would really benefit from a deep breath, and taking some time out.
Here's the thing about coalition-building:
You are NEVER going to build a successful coalition unless you trust your coalition partners to do their own policing.
What do you think will be more effective? White gay folks (and I am singling this community out only because it's relevant to the particular controversy of the moment) pointing their fingers at McClurkin, some of whose views are probably shared by a majority of the black community? Or perhaps letting progressive blacks and gay black folks take their own community to task?
Similarly, are the white gay folks who are upset about McClurkin similarly incensed and similarly vocal about racism in their own community? If not, how do you think communities of color might view the aforementioned finger-pointing at McClurkin?
Unless you trust a coalition partner to police its own community, you are never going to get anywhere. All you're going to get is a never-ending cycle of "oppression heirarchy" where each group feels it's the most oppressed. All you're going to get are constant demands that each group's own needs and interests are the most important. All you're going to get is a situation that is ripe for easy "divide and conquer" tactics from agents provacateur.
And that brings me to our wonderful website. You've got a blog that's predominantly white, and predominantly anonymous. There's no sense of readily identifiable identity, and as a result you get a cacophony of views that are being expressed, and also amplified as a result of the impersonal nature of Internet fora. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but other times, it can be a definite detriment. Anyone who's hung around any Internet forum for any time at all will immediately notice that gosh, people sure are a lot ruder here than in real life!
When you combine that phenomenon with the fact that you have people here with distinct agendas (whether it's supporting a Democratic candidate other than Obama, or perhaps as one of the aforementioned agents provacateur who wants to stir stuff up because s/he thinks it's fun and perhaps even benefits the opponents of the Democratic party) pushing a certain angle with particular vehemence, well, it becomes a complete and total mess.
I don't really hold out much hope that the sturm und drang associated with this latest controversy will die out any time soon. But wow, do I wish people would chill out and just let black folks figure out their own stuff, without lobbing a bunch of grenades into their midst while they're trying to do it.
It is so obvious this is a predominantly white blog. I don't mean that in an offensive way. I just mean that in a matter-of-fact way.
And if you decide you don't want to support Obama as a result of his decision to allow McClurkin to sing (as opposed to randomly spout off homophobic crap, which obviously is not what's going to happen at this event), then fine. That's your prerogative.
But if you never supported Obama to begin with, then please take a serious look at your own self, and how much standing you have to complain here. And maybe, just maybe, consider whether it might be better to give it a rest and move on.
And before someone trots out the straw man, I have zero power to shut you up. So by all means, continue shouting your head off all you want... no matter how silly, idiotic or counter-productive that might be.
DTH, Who Supports Chris Dodd for President