The link, for Anderson Cooper 360, describes the entire 9/11 sermon by Pastor Wright, and puts one of the few-second clips we have all seen numerous times into its context. I think that if you read this, you will understand how Barack Obama felt some degree of comfort attending Wright's sermons.
Reading this description in Cooper's blog made me realize once again how sad it is that our society uses sound bites and snippets to define people and ideas and that these snippets serve as our political and social discourse. Surely your experiences covering a couple of legal cases that you have written about extensively have shown you how the depiction of a single statement or action out of context can distort the perception of a person or a situation into a false caricature. While I detest the statements and tone of Pastor Wright in the snippets we have seen and heard, I have no doubt that there are other aspects to him that are positive and admirable (as you can see in Cooper's blog), and that those attributes drew Obama to him and kept him there.
Let me add that I think that Obama's speech last Tuesday was probably the most interesting and thought-provoking major speech from a public figure in at least forty years. I voted for Hillary in the primary, but have since switched my allegiance to Obama. I switched because I have seen how inspiring he is, especially to young people, and because I am so hopeful at the thought of a leader who speaks frankly, is not always looking for the politically expedient sound bite, and who will move us to do things simply because they are right. I am inspired by a leader who urges us to understand all viewpoints, including those with which we disagree.
Last, let me note that, like Obama and many others, I too have had several relatives whom I loved and respected deeply, whom I thought to be wonderful people, but who sometimes made terrible and bigoted statements. While I disagreed greatly with some of the things they said or thought, I never disowned or rejected them as people, and never would. We are all shades of gray, good and bad. I admire Obama for sticking with a pastor he loves and not dumping him because it is the politically expedient thing to do. Obama is right, it is time to stop labeling one another as black or white, good or bad, and time to start trying to understand one another, even though it means talking to and accepting people with prejudices.
I beg you to read the story at the link I provided.
January 8, 2009
Posted on March 21 at 1:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Carl,
Please copy this link, paste it in an internet address slot, and take a look: http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/21/th....
The link, for Anderson Cooper 360, describes the entire 9/11 sermon by Pastor Wright, and puts one of the few-second clips we have all seen numerous times into its context. I think that if you read this, you will understand how Barack Obama felt some degree of comfort attending Wright's sermons.
Reading this description in Cooper's blog made me realize once again how sad it is that our society uses sound bites and snippets to define people and ideas and that these snippets serve as our political and social discourse. Surely your experiences covering a couple of legal cases that you have written about extensively have shown you how the depiction of a single statement or action out of context can distort the perception of a person or a situation into a false caricature. While I detest the statements and tone of Pastor Wright in the snippets we have seen and heard, I have no doubt that there are other aspects to him that are positive and admirable (as you can see in Cooper's blog), and that those attributes drew Obama to him and kept him there.
Let me add that I think that Obama's speech last Tuesday was probably the most interesting and thought-provoking major speech from a public figure in at least forty years. I voted for Hillary in the primary, but have since switched my allegiance to Obama. I switched because I have seen how inspiring he is, especially to young people, and because I am so hopeful at the thought of a leader who speaks frankly, is not always looking for the politically expedient sound bite, and who will move us to do things simply because they are right. I am inspired by a leader who urges us to understand all viewpoints, including those with which we disagree.
Last, let me note that, like Obama and many others, I too have had several relatives whom I loved and respected deeply, whom I thought to be wonderful people, but who sometimes made terrible and bigoted statements. While I disagreed greatly with some of the things they said or thought, I never disowned or rejected them as people, and never would. We are all shades of gray, good and bad. I admire Obama for sticking with a pastor he loves and not dumping him because it is the politically expedient thing to do. Obama is right, it is time to stop labeling one another as black or white, good or bad, and time to start trying to understand one another, even though it means talking to and accepting people with prejudices.
I beg you to read the story at the link I provided.
On Obama transcends nothing