Cobb notes Dr. Rice's impressive resume and slyly critiques those who would mock her as a parrot.
I disagree strongly with both of my Vision Circle colleagues here. Dr. Rice does have an impressive resume--but so does every other person privileged to serve as the Secretary of State. You aren't going to find many people who cut their chops at McDonalds. The critiques of her are on point and she should be pilloried.
However there is a trick bag that we can't get out of. That Rice can't get out of.
Plainly put, she's black.
What this means is that every single editorial cartoon she appears in is going to look like a racist lampoon.
And that every attempt to praise/condemn her is going to fall victim to one of two stereotypes:
1. The Superwoman stereotype--look at this strong black woman who can do everything AND lift weights too!
2. The Black Aid stereotype--made famous by Thomas Jefferson's behind the back comments about Benjamin Banneker. Everything black people do cannot possibly be a product of their own agency--particularly if they go against the black grain. She's GOT to be somebody's agent.
Hell. I think Rice has a smile that lights up the room. But I think she's going to be the worst Secretary of State the modern world has seen. Her work up to this point engenders the very opposite of trust in me.
This is easy enough to say here. But how do you convey this in an editorial cartoon without playing into the long history of racial stereotypes? I don't know.
I'd like to see those editorial cartoons. I think Al deserves most of the critiques laid on him. And I laugh whenever I see him pilloried on the editorial page. But this doesn't mean that the black buffoon image that they use to critique him isn't racist at its base.
Posted by: Lester Spence at November 21, 2004 08:19 AMWhy is when a minority official, credentials worn with quiet (should I say conservative?) modesty, draws such racist flack from the Left when nominated for a higher position?
It's simply because the Left has run out of legitimate arguments why such candidates should be kept "in their place". They've clearly excelled in their lives, and are plainly deserving of high office. The only argument remaining is race.
Posted by: True_Liberal at November 21, 2004 09:16 AMBrookings studies the "Acting White" (race traitor) phenomenon, and concludes it's probably just anecdotal:
http://brookings.nap.edu/books/0815746091/html/377.html
...and yet we see NAACP (J. Bond) & friends dumping HEAPS of it on Condi.
(The above link covers only one page of pp.375-400 of the report, and I suggest you read enough to fathom where it's going, and why it contradicts current events)
Posted by: True_Liberal at November 24, 2004 09:40 PM
You can do editorials without drawing in a way that makes one wonder if there is racial motives behind it.
The radio show host who called her an A.J. was out of bounds.
Honestly, I can't tell if the woman was successful at her job or not. I've read a few opinions that rest on facts alone and give good reason to say she didn't do a good job.
On the other hand, I've seen cartoons of Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Al Sharpton, while nailing either one of them, not looking "racist" at all.
Posted by: EBrown at November 21, 2004 12:12 AM