Thursday, June 4, 2009

The absurdities of US politics



Reading the pronouncements of Newt Gingrich and other Republicans on the new nominee for the US Supreme Court prompts several reactions from me. I suppose the dominant reaction is incredulity. The whole "reverse racism" claim is so absurd that it's hard for me believe that anyone takes such bullshit seriously. I belong to the privileged class in this society - white and male. Just like Newt Gingrich and Rush. For anyone in this class to claim there is some sort of "bias" against him is just crazy. But those claims are aired in utmost seriousness on much of the nation's corporate news media.

This prompts another reaction: anger. I'm angry that this country has a media system that is so ready to defend the status quo and to ignore the serious problems that afflict this country. Racism is a huge problem in the United States, and when clowns like Newt claim that white men are the victims of racism, they distract attention from the real victims of racism. Hint: those victims aren't white males.

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