Common and "controversy "

The level of acceptable (and increasingly blatant) racism in this country, particularly in this country's media, is really making me queasy today.

Common was invited to a poetry reading at the White House. You can read or watch coverage of the ensuing and COMPLETELY RACIST "controversy" from FOX, Palin and other cartoons. I encourage you to watch the whole Daily Show coverage (I think I linked only to the first half.) My favorite part is when Karl Rove says (sarcastically) "Yeah, let's invite a misogynist to the White House." As though the legislative agenda he (and President Bush) and his party have been advancing for decades isn't both more misogynist and more likely to negatively affect people's lives than Common's lyrics.

The level of mental acrobatics required for this kind of cognitive dissonance is olympic-medal-worthy.

Side note: I met Common once, in DC. He came to my Borders for an event I helped organize. People had camped out for hours before the store opened, the line was amazing for a weekday afternoon. I remember more about the running of the event itself (this was probably the largest event that I had any kind of significant role in, outside of the HP7 release) than I do about Common, but what I recollect about him was a genuine kindness toward the staff and toward his fans. He's one of those people you can't help but feel a little intimidated by- he could run intellectual circles around me at my most intelligent- but he's approachable and  friendly and not at all demanding like some of the other authors/artists I organized events for.

Truth be told I'm a fan of Common's music, (though I probably wouldn't line up overnight to get his autograph) and I enjoyed meeting him. But while I was proud of the event, I basically didn't give it much thought after that. So, yes,  I am defending him and the First Lady's decision to invite such an important creative mind to the White House but I don't think it's because of my personally positive experience.

I think the Daily Show's comparison to Johnny Cash is an apt one. Violent, anti-establishment or "controversial" lyrics from a white man never elicited an objection (tweeted or otherwise) from Rove, FOX or Palin. This is racism, pure and simple. This is why, while I do not believe all Republicans are racist, I do have a difficult time understanding how any one not wishing to be painted with the same brush can stand so close to party leaders/figureheads/mouthpieces when they spout this kind of bullshit.

(Particularly when so many Republicans believe every American Muslim or Arab ought to denounce terror with every other word or be called a terrorist supporter/sympathizer.)

And, yes, the White House's choice of guests is really not that significant of an issue. However, I think that any one willing to be so brashly racist about trivial stuff is probably not keeping their racist views out of news they report (or comment on) or the policies they promote. No one should need to have heard this to know that Rove, Palin and FOX are completely racist, but I don't see how any one could possibly continue denying it after this.