We’re still a nation in denial - to a large extent we’ve accepted the sins of our past but continue to be wilfully blind about how that past continues to shape the present and constrains all our futures.I also repeated what I said in a post here - that some people may understand the experiences that might lead Pastor Wright to use such fiery anti-American rhetoric in his speeches.
Judging by some of the views expressed by other commenters, I got the impression that I might have been misunderstood. So I want to set out my thoughts here, as much to explore my own thinking on the matter as to clarify my position to anyone who might be reading.
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We can condemn Jeremiah Wright for his views and equally we can question Obama’s relationship with the man and what that means in terms of Obama’s views and/or his integrity. Personally, I think he’s damaged his credibility and compromised what, for many of his supporters, seems to have been the promise of his candidacy.
In speaking of understanding, I wasn’t trying to defend the actions and opinions of either Wright or Obama, nor was I seeking to offer some historical justification for what one commenter called “black rage”. I’m pleased to see that people are able to recognize and condemn racist attitudes, wherever they come from.
And yet there is, I believe, a need for understanding, an understanding that the views Wright expressed (wrong as they are) are not uncommon in certain sections of American society – some people I know well hold views (on AIDS, on drugs, and on black redemption) that are not dissimilar to Wright’s. I don’t think anyone has a duty to understand or tolerate such views. But I do think that issues around race distort our society and damage us as a nation. Wright’s preaching seems to have won over the hearts and minds of quite a large congregation. His views are not unique and the traction they have is not insignificant – understanding why that is so might go some way towards helping us win some of those people back.
If other people don’t think that’s a good thing then I guess we’re not on the same page.
