Spike Lee plays race card to promote book and new film

[Pangloss]

Apparently Spike Lee is making a new movie about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He also has a new autobiography out. He had a few choice words about Katrina on CNN the other day:

 

"It's not too far-fetched ... I don't put anything past the United States government," Lee said. "I don't find it too far-fetched that they tried to displace all the black people out of New Orleans."

 

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/10/12/Artsandentertainment/Spike_Lee_plans_film_.shtml

 

I'm really disappointed in this personally, because I'm a huge fan of Lee's work. He's one of those directors whose movies tend to be hit-and-miss, in the sense that they often don't work all that well as a whole, but individual scenes and sequences can be incredibly powerful and effective. He's a rare talent.

 

But I think it's wrong for him to fan these particular flames. Not only does his assertion make no sense whatsoever, but these assumptions that Bush hates black people just because he's a Republican are infantile to the point of embarassment.

 

Aren't we bigger than this?

[Douglas]

I don't put anything past the United States government," Lee said. "I don't find it too far-fetched that they tried to displace all the black people out of New Orleans."

I guess that means a Republican United States government.

[bascule]

In other news, today scientists reported that a multi-decadal study has confirmed the sky is blue.

[Pangloss]

Which a UN commission immediately declared to be the United States' fault.

[john5746]

Aren't we bigger than this?

 

Some of us are, some are not. Even the First Lady resorts to this kind of rhetoric, although she was baited into it.

 

I like the example of the man beaten in NO. He said from the get-go that it wasn't race related. The activists are crying wolf so much that it falls on deaf ears now.

 

I am no fan of Spike. He is overrated IMO.

[Douglas]

I like the example of the man beaten in NO. He said from the get-go that it wasn't race related.

.

He must be mistaken, every incident of that nature is race related, just ask Sharpton and Jackson....

 

Back to Spike Lee........

[budullewraagh]

but these assumptions that Bush hates black people just because he's a Republican are infantile to the point of embarassment.

these assumptions may have been infantile had they actually been made

[Douglas]

these assumptions may have been infantile had they actually been made

C'mon Bud, Kanye West said, "George Bush doesn't care about black people, they've been given permission to go down there and shoot us".

 

Charlie Rangel claims that George Bush is the modern day Bull Connor.

 

CNSNews.com) - In an open letter to President Bush posted on his Web site, liberal filmmaker and anti-war activist Michael Moore suggests that a delay in rescuing stranded residents of New Orleans was based on race and class.

 

Howard Dean says......"The truth is the president of the United States used the same device that Slobodan Milosevic used in Serbia. When you appeal to homophobia, when you appeal to sexism, when you appeal to racism, that is extraordinarily damaging to the country,"

 

Add to that the thousands of blogs that claim Bush is a racist.

[bascule]

The US has had two black Secretaries of State. Both were appointed under Bush. This is the highest position any black person has ever held in US government. Given that, how can anyone call Bush a racist?

[budullewraagh]

C'mon Bud' date=' Kanye West said, "George Bush doesn't care about black people, they've been given permission to go down there and shoot us".

 

Charlie Rangel claims that George Bush is the modern day Bull Connor.

 

CNSNews.com) - In an open letter to President Bush posted on his Web site, liberal filmmaker and anti-war activist Michael Moore suggests that a delay in rescuing stranded residents of New Orleans was based on race and class.

 

Howard Dean says......"The truth is the president of the United States used the same device that Slobodan Milosevic used in Serbia. When you appeal to homophobia, when you appeal to sexism, when you appeal to racism, that is extraordinarily damaging to the country,"

 

Add to that the thousands of blogs that claim Bush is a racist.[/quote']

unfortunately, neither my post nor the previous post i was responding to involved the people mentioned above. in addition, the key words are: "because he's a Republican"

[Pangloss]

That part's my contribution of opinion.

 

You know, The Thing We Do here.

[Nevermore]

I'm sorry, but I have to agree that bush hates, ot atleast dislikes black people. He tipped his hat when he asked Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso "Do you have blacks too?"

I don't dislike all republicans, but the bible whipped neo-cons really bother me.

[Pangloss]

So... how exactly is he different from you?

 

Aren't you just accusing him of making a different set of prejudicial assumptions than the ones you just made?

[Nevermore]

I dislike a political group, I dislike them because of the people they are on the inside. And before you say this is a generalization; I created my own sub cat, in which are the people I clash with.. So anyone who doesn't fit my criteria of dislike is not included in the group I dislike.

He dislikes blacks. He dislikes them for skin color. Not the people inside.

This makes us very different.

[budullewraagh]

"That part's my contribution of opinion.

 

You know, The Thing We Do here."

 

a short chronology of posts i have made/responded to in this thread:

-you made the statement that spike lee made assertions that bush hates black people because he's republican

-i disagreed with your statement

-douglas said that because kanye west and a host of others say that bush hates black people, spike lee must also believe that bush hates black people

-i said that what spike lee believes doesn't necessarily depend on what kanye west and a bunch of internet bloggers believe

 

does this not sound ridiculous to anybody?

[Douglas]

unfortunately, neither my post nor the previous post i was responding to involved the people mentioned above. in addition, the key words are: "because he's a Republican"

Okey dokey.

[Douglas]

He tipped his hat when he asked Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso "Do you have blacks too?"

Another Bushism....That story has been debunked by Snopes' Urban legend. I can't believe people believe this stuff....unless they *really* want to believe it.

 

I don't dislike all republicans, but the bible whipped neo-cons really bother me.

Hmmm, I didn't know the bible whippers were neocons. For some reason, I thought they were always conservative.

[In My Memory]

Pangloss,

 

But I think it's wrong for him to fan these particular flames. Not only does his assertion make no sense whatsoever' date=' but these assumptions that Bush hates black people [i']just because he's a Republican[/i] are infantile to the point of embarassment.

 

Aren't we bigger than this?

Bigger than taking advantage the suffering of thousands to our own political ends? No.

 

 

Budullewraagh,

 

but these assumptions that Bush hates black people just because he's a Republican are infantile to the point of embarassment.

these assumptions may have been infantile had they actually been made

It probably isnt so much that "he's a Republican"' date=' but it has much more to do with Lee's words "[i']I don't find it too far-fetched that they tried to displace all the black people out of New Orleans.[/i]". According to rumors, Lee's movie is supposed to document the governments engineered disaster to destroy black homes (what else is implied by the words "displace black people out of New Orleans"?).

 

Even if "just because he's a Republican" isnt necessarily the case, it certainly wouldnt be a step up (if the rumors are true) to claim that Bush and Co. deliberately planned the destruction of black homes.

[Nevermore]

Another Bushism....That story has been debunked by Snopes' Urban legend. I can't believe people believe this stuff....unless they *really* want to believe it.

 

Hmmm' date=' I didn't know the bible whippers were neocons. For some reason, I thought they were always conservative.[/quote']

1st of all do a cnn news search on the Brazil thing. It's true.

2nd, snopes is frequently wrong.

3rd, neo cons are conservatives. Neo con stands for neo conservative.

[Pangloss]

Would they feel that way about Bush if he were a Democrat? Of course not. I don't see them marching on Washington because the leader of Senate Democrats is a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. But if a Republican even hints at the slightest bit of praise for anyone who used to be a segregationist, it is Judgement Day. The list goes on and on and on.

 

Therefore they feel that way about Bush because he's a Republican. The word is "stereotype". Why is it that we're so easily able to use that term when it applies to conservatives, but find it so difficult to apply to liberals? Is it, oh I don't know, possibly because we've had those very same stereotypes drummed into us 24/7 for decades? People love to laugh at bible-thumping conservatives. What they forget is that ACLU-card-waving liberals are no different. They just like to think that they are.

 

The Katrina event has exposed something in this country alright. It's just not what some people want you to think it is. What it's showing us is that stereotypes exist in BOTH extremes. Democrats/Liberals are no more immune to the very worst kind of profiling/stereotyping/prejudging that they accuse Republicans/conservatives of.

 

In short, they are the very thing that they most hate.

 

And the sooner we wake up and realize that in this country, the better off we will all be.

[Douglas]

-douglas said that because kanye west and a host of others say that Bush hates black people, spike lee must also believe that bush hates black people[/u']

Whoa, whoa, whoa Bud. Methinks you just stuffed the bold words in my mouth.

 

I was merely pointing out a few people who think Bush dislikes Blacks. not realizing that you were talking specifically about Spike Lee. I agree, Lee didn't say "republican gov't" and he didn't say Bush dislikes Blacks.

[Douglas]

1st of all do a cnn news search on the Brazil thing. It's true.

2nd' date=' snopes is frequently wrong.

3rd, neo cons are conservatives. Neo con stands for neo conservative.[/quote']

1...The original canard was printed by the Brazilian left wing press. The story hit the leftie blogs, and was mentioned by Carville on crossfire (CNN), to my knowledge it never hit the MSN.

 

2... I'm sure, but not this time.

 

3...Yes, neocons *are* conservative. Neocon means "new conservative" The religious right are christian conservatives, which are probably closer to paleo conservatives than they are to neo conservatives.....the point being, the bible whippers are not neocons.

[budullewraagh]

Methinks you just stuffed the bold words in my mouth.

methinks you put words in pangloss' mouth.

 

remember my quote: "these assumptions may have been infantile had they actually been made"? then you mentioned the fact that a bunch of people think bush hates black people. meanwhile, i had only said that the assumptions pointed out by pangloss could have been infantile had they been made (by spike lee, the guy we were talking about)

 

now that you admit you weren't actually responding to anything, i guess we can move on

[john5746]

Even if "just because he's a Republican" isnt necessarily the case, it certainly wouldnt be a step up (if the rumors are true) to claim that Bush and Co. deliberately planned the destruction of black homes.

 

And it wouldn't be a step up for me to think that Spike is a racist biggot who thinks all of the problems the African community have are due to whites. Maybe I could make a documentary showing all the hate caused by some of his movies.

[Nevermore]

Would they feel that way about Bush if he were a Democrat? Of course not. I

You, my good sir, are sorly mistaken. Being a democrat does not excuse racism. Just because som crazy right wing survivalist can put words in our mouths, doesn't mean we excuse racism. Ever. Even for democrats.