40 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 48 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
OpEdNews Op Eds    H4'ed 11/17/12

"Smart-Ass White Boys"

By       (Page 1 of 2 pages)   35 comments
Message Anthony Barnes
Become a Fan
  (17 fans)


(Image by Unknown Owner)   Details   DMCA

Prophetic: Andrew Young was clearly on to something

 

 

 

I honestly can't remember when or where I first heard it , but when I did, it provoked a somewhat knowing chuckle.   Someone had said something about a concept he'd heard about called the J.A.C.K.A.S.S. theory with "jackass" being an acronym for Just Acting Caucasian Kills A Simple Solution.

 

So, earlier this week, not long after having to listen to former Mitt Romney wingman Paul Ryan blame voters from "urban" (read: "black") areas for getting in the way of his putative boss's Presidential Victory Parade , I'm reading a post-mortem story about the Romney debacle where I took note of a quote attributed to a Romney aide concerning the campaign's belief that in 2012, fewer "minorities" (read: "blacks") would show up to vote than did in 2008.   A higher turnout, this unnamed aide insisted "just defied logic."

 

Okay.   But whose logic?    Perhaps it's the same logic used to construct a long-standing stereotype about blacks being lazy. This logically, would translate into laziness by black voters when it comes to getting up off our lazy asses to go vote for Obama again.    

 

Perhaps this logic has roots in another long-standing perception attached to "urbanites" about how this trait of laziness engenders a tendency to avoid carrying out civic duties -- like voting. I was once ignorant enough to believe that myself.   But that was a quite a long time ago when that perception was closer to reality.   Today, any fool knows that the steady uptick in black voter participation began long before the 2008 emergence of Barack Obama.    

 

I have difficulty getting around a presumption that there was an assumption (or hope) among the virtually all Caucasian Romney campaign "brain trust" that our innate laziness would kick into overdrive on November 6, 2012.   If so, how would that stereotypical perception square with the prediction that blacks would put our laziness on temporary hiatus in order to get up off our asses to vote for the man who'll give us four more years of "free stuff?"     Wasn't that the concern that sparked all those GOP efforts to suppress our vote ?  

 

Who knows?   But the way the Romney campaign handled its "urban" problem did little more than provide an illustration of former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young's  infamous characterization of the folks running Walter Mondale's presidential campaign back in the 80s: "smart-ass white boys" he called them.

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Funny 2   Well Said 1   Valuable 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Anthony Barnes Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Anthony Barnes, of Boston, Massachusetts, is a left-handed leftist. "When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Death of the Republican Party

SURPRISE! Chris Christie's 2016 Gambit

Starlight and Shadows

ERRORS AND NO FACTS: Business as Usual at Fox News

ISRAEL'S SHAME

PIG TALES

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend