en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1466540 Comments by wwjdwsyd http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/edulis/2010/07/21/entertainers-who-spread-racism-rewarded-by-naacp/#IDComment88157261 I'm sorry that my ability to express myself is inadequate to get my central point across. I'm not a bounty hunter of racist people or actions, nor do I collect racist code words to ferret out people's intentions. I'm much more interested in acts that heal divisions rather than inflame them. Ms. Sherrod demonstrates a sensibility of moving beyond racial boundaries, with an intent to move her audience to do the same. That's a person and an action acting to overcome racism and racial divisions. What of someone who willfully misrepresented her, portraying her as the opposite of what she stood for, presenting her as a characature to millions of people, with no regard or feeling of responsibility for the personal repercussions to her. Commendation and respect? Not so much. Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:51:03 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/edulis/2010/07/21/entertainers-who-spread-racism-rewarded-by-naacp/#IDComment88157261 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/edulis/2010/07/21/entertainers-who-spread-racism-rewarded-by-naacp/#IDComment88156108 If you watched the entire tape, and still think that she's a racist, then we must have different definitions of racism. Meriem Webster says: Racism is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Ms. Sherrod grew up in a racist culture by that standard - one that constantly and sometimes brutally enforced the idea that she was an inferior person and had fewer righs because of her race. She spent her young adulthood in reaction to that environment, seeking to help black people living in that discriminatory culture prosper and reach a position of equality. This speech tells of her awakening to a calling beyond racial boundaries, that of helping people of any race who needed the assistance of her office to avoid being trodden under by more powerful people and institutions. Did she discriminate against a person of another race? Every instinct of her childhood and young adulthood tempted her to do just that - but she found that she couldn't follow through, that her compassion for people overcame her understandable proclivity to devote herself just to helping her own race. She deserves commendation and respect for that act. Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:41:22 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/edulis/2010/07/21/entertainers-who-spread-racism-rewarded-by-naacp/#IDComment88156108 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/edulis/2010/07/21/entertainers-who-spread-racism-rewarded-by-naacp/#IDComment88152969 Taviteh, your second two paragraphs show that you are a person who IS interested in moving past racism, recognizing that it's a human problem - we're all susceptible to pre-judgements and acting out of fear. And the key to moveing past it is indeed forgiveness - on a person to person basis - whites forgiving blacks and blacks forgiving whites and blacks forgiving blacks and whites forgiving whites. There's a very inspiring movie recently, Invictus', that shows a Nelson Mandella in South Africa, leading his black followers away from a path of revenge and retribution towards whites, and toward a path of reconciliation and forgiveness. That attitude moved South Africa from an international pariah to the host of the soccer World Cup this year. You are clearly not a person who seeks, invents, or celebrates evidence of grievances against another race. People who do that may have complex motivations, but one of them is not overcoming racism. Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:13:52 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/edulis/2010/07/21/entertainers-who-spread-racism-rewarded-by-naacp/#IDComment88152969 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/edulis/2010/07/21/entertainers-who-spread-racism-rewarded-by-naacp/#IDComment87999518 There is a fundamental flaw in any outrage about black racism. No, racism is never a good thing - it's based on hate, and that's something that can never be defended. But arguments decrying black racism, like the ones that led to Ms. Sherrod being so ill-used, are at core just a defense of white racism. The best defense is a good offense. Any wise parent knows the fallacy of giving credence to the 'She hit me first' or 'look what she did to me' cry of the bullying sibling. What we need in this country are people who can move beyond racial division, stereotypes and fears, and preach the common good, decency and brotherhood of all races. Ms. Sherrod is such a person. That she would be vilified for her public and courageous stance in support of the healing of racial animosities, is a powerful statement about the motives and interests of those who prepared, released, and celebrated the edited video clip. Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:45:48 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/edulis/2010/07/21/entertainers-who-spread-racism-rewarded-by-naacp/#IDComment87999518