Friday, March 21, 2008

An Excuse to Hate

Sarah Vowell in her book Assassination Vacation opined about those people who could place their souvenir Confederate dishware on their American flag placemats. The two together seem inherently out of place but these people were openminded and could hate both blacks and Muslims.

Some people have latched passionately onto Rev. Jeremiah Wright because they have been searching for a reason to hate Barack Obama. Not just hate his politics, not even just hate him as a human being, but hate him for his skin. Some are Democrats, most are Republicans. They all have been searching for a way to justify their innate racism. They had first wanted the Muslim charge to stick but they realized that accusation just made them look stupid. Now they are taking a few out-of-context words by someone else and blaming Barack for them. It makes sense within their twisted social view.

These are people who would have never voted for Obama. They believe pasty-face is one of the Constitutional requirements for office. (Natural born citizen, 35 years-old, sunburns easily) These are the same people who would convert from Christianity to Odinism if they ever discovered that Jesus was swarthy (Secret Fact: He was).

In logic this is a form of ad hominem fallacy. A belongs to C. B also belongs to C. Ergo both A and B are the same. It is illogical and irrational. But, since when have racists ever been either logical or rational?

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