It’s been amazing to follow these historic Presidential Primaries in the United States as they prepare to elect the first woman, the first black, or the oldest person ever elected to a first term. We live in historic times. But it’s also amazing to watch the relentless media coverage, and wonder if democracy can possibly survive the freedom of the press. All of the candidates, abused in the battle, cling to the hope that, through a barrage of petulance and ignorance, thoughtful, fair-minded journalism will eventually prevail.
For weeks the world has been treated to a blizzard of sound bites from old sermons by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. No, he is not running for office, but he’s the pastor of someone who is. And if, in these enlightened times, you can’t quite get away with calling Barack Obama too black to be President, perhaps you can associate him with someone who is, or who at least can be blackened to order.
This tactic is fearmongering, of course, and it’s ignorant, intemperate and sad. And perhaps the saddest thing of all is that the journalists in question are not even the old, barefaced racists from the 1960s. They’re just sensationalists, looking for a shock bite to grab some attention. So, a preacher’s entire ministry of more than 40 years is summed up in 30 seconds worth of carefully selected images and sound. Most of these journalists have not even taken the time to listen to the sermons, let alone investigate the ministry of Wright’s church. In fact, I heard one of them proudly declare that a patriotic American needs no more information than the sound bites in question.
And the sound bites, of course, are startling and upsetting. But if you take the time to learn the context they are nothing short of amazing. Once you’ve heard a preacher say, “God damn America”, what more do you need to hear? Once you’ve heard him declare that the murderous attacks of 9/11 were “America’s chickens coming home to roost”, what more do you need to know? Well, you need to hear where this man is coming from and what he is about. You need know a little bit about the black church and its wonderful tradition of prophetic preaching. In short, you need to take the time to listen to Bill Moyers' interview with Jeremiah Wright, part 1 and part 2. Just click on the links, sit back and be astounded.
We seldom hear sermons like these in white, middle class churches, mainly because we don’t identify with the poor and the oppressed. But it’s encouraging to think that the most powerful nation in the world might one day be led by someone who, for 20 years, has sat under preaching like this. I just hope Mr. Obama has been paying attention.
4 comments:
I couldn't agree more. I've been disappointed in how quickly and thoroughly Obama has attempted to distance himself from Wright and his comments. It seems that getting elected is more important to him than actually encouraging America (and the rest of us in the West) from dealing with the message Wright brings. And the incomprehension at why he can't just stay quiet is also amusing. I'm sure the other Jeremiah faced the same accusations of 'selfishness.'
Nathan
It was interesting to read the intereview with Jeremiah Wright. The thing with the press is that its easy to tell that they're editing the sound bites. What's harder, is finding out what they have left out.
Judy
Responding to Nathan: I'm also disappointed to see Obama distancing himself from Wright, but that's democracy. To gain supreme office you must appeal to a very broad base so you can't be too Catholic, Jewish, Christian, Black, White, male, female or whatever. In short, you can't be what you are. So, in the end, politicians, especially the supreme politicians, are weathervanes. And Perhaps that's what you really want in a President or Prime Minister, one who will do the people's will. Perhaps a Gandhi, a Martin Luther King, a Wilberforce, a Jeremiah Wright, or even a Tommy Douglas - all religious leaders incidentally - can never be President or Prime Minister. But these are the people who determine who can hold these offices in future because they are the ones who change the direction that the wind is blowing. - Dan
In response to the response:
But is this really democracy. An important element of democracy is a free and open discussion of the issues. An essential aspect of this is a free press which means a press free of state interference. But this freedom isn't a good in itself, it's a good because it allows the press to be what it ought to be, a forum for free and open discussion. If the press either can't or won't fulfill this role for reasons other than state interference, this undermines and damages the possibilities of democracy. What's disappointing about Obama is that, instead of pressuring the press to do its job, he caved in to its simplistic account and provided an easy headline for them. In this way, it seems to me, he also helped undermine a genuine democracy.
Nathan
Post a Comment