Politicians get a lot of flack for their comments. Joe Biden made a joke about Delaware wanting to be part of the South because it used to be a slave state. But do we honestly believe that Joe Biden is advocating for slavery or supports the ideals of the Confederacy?
Trent Lott remarked that he wanted Strom Thurmond to have been President during Thurmond's 100th birthday party in 2002. He said we wouldn't have all these problems we have today if he were president. Thurmond ran on a campaign of segregation, now and forever. But do we really believe, even with Trent Lott's voting record on racial issues, that Lott actually supports continued segregation?
John Kerry made a botched joke and the media had a field day, but no one really believed that John Kerry was degrading our troops.
Howard Dean made plenty of gaffes in his presidential campaign and said in 2005 that the Republican Party is a party of rich, white men. He made a mistake, obviously exaggerating his point about the GOP's seeming lack of diversity.
The point is, we all make mistakes, we all say things we don't mean, we all exaggerate our point, and we all make sarcastic jokes that sometimes fall flat on their face and offend some.
Even Macaca Felix Allen, Jr. needs to be given an apology for the vicious attacks we laid on him for his Macaca comments. Yeah, it was hugely offensive, but do we really believe that George Allen is a raging racist who considers Indian-Americans lesser human beings, it's a real stretch.
We have to be honest; it's fun to attack politicians we disagree with when they say something stupid like this. But if we really want the media to stop being as lazy as they are when it comes to questioning authority on issues of war and peace, we have to stop feeding their appetite for gorging on the mistakes of politicians. Yes, politicians enter public life and must act responsibly, but they're not gods.
We all make mistakes, and when we do, we apologize, our friends forgive, we move on to more important things, and life goes on. Let's take that lesson to the voting booth.
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Tuesday, December 05, 2006
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1 comments:
No, I don't "believe that Joe Biden is advocating for slavery or supports the ideals of the Confederacy" and it is intellectually dishonest to imply otherwise. I think Biden's comments show a man campaigning for president and using stereotypes and poor taste. I think it is a shameful display, and that he deserves to be lightly mocked for it. "Worst Person in the World" is meant as hyperbole, not an actual title. You're right, the media is in a terrible state and we don't need to add to the feeding frenzy that can spring up around these things, but that doesn't mean we should ignore indications of a faulty candidacy, either.
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