Albrechtsen’s column this morning (“is America a racist nation after all?”) is a sour piece, the heading tells you everything.
Colin Powell was moved to tears. Condoleezza Rice expressed her pride as an African-American, George Bush and John McCain were both gracious in acknowledging the ‘healing’ that Obama’s win will do for America’s centuries old racial wound and as Rice said it is great step towards that famed ‘perfect union’.
No matter how they cast their ballots, all Americans can be proud of the history that was made yesterday,” he said. “Across the country, citizens voted in large numbers. They showed a watching world the vitality of America’s democracy and the strides we have made towards a more perfect union. They chose a president whose journey represents a triumph of the American story, a testament to hard work, optimism, and faith in the enduring promise of our nation,” said President Bush.
the moment is particularly uplifting for those who lived through America’s turbulent civil rights era in the 1950s and 60s, when the vestiges of government-sponsored racial discrimination were overcome.
But not Albrechtsen, a pity she couldn’t take a lead, as she often does, from the Republicans and rise to the occasion. She writes:
This has been dubbed an historic, once in a generation, 21st century presidential election in large part because Obama is black. And so it is. It is an historic and grand shift that, after 219 years of white men ruling America, Americans have put a black man in the White House. And whatever your politics, Obama’s rise to become leader of the free world is nothing short of moving.
All good, you’d think, but she can’t help herself:
let me be the first to say – on behalf of the left-liberal media who won’t dare say it – that this election result confirms that the US is still, in part, a racist nation.
O, Janet, can’t these silly little culture wars ever be put aside, even for a day or two?
As a point of context America’s ABC television network reported that 80% of voters said race did not influence their vote.
15 Comments
The acknowledgment that the US is ‘in part’ a racist nation isn’t surprising. Australia is in part a racist nation as is any nation.
The problem with articles like this is that they seek to stop anyone from celebrating a victory for a black man. They can support his victory but must ignore he is black. Sort of pseudo-political correctness.
So unsurprising that it is pointless to say it, especially in the wake of Obama’s victory. She could have easily written the piece as well-done Barack big step forward but US has more to do?
But of course the racism she is referring too is the sort that sees a black man get elected as she says “Indeed, for those who voted for Obama because of his skin colour, electing Obama President is the ultimate act of affirmative action.” That is, racism against the white candidate.
Yuck, it all just sounds so mean and small
It is more than mean and small – it is the type of attitude that perpetuates racism in certain parts of the community.
Why is it that so many peope find it hard to believe that voters are capable of making informed decisions? Certainly the ability to blame a mindless, anonymous rump of voters is part of it.
It will be interesting (if emotionally and intellectually damaging to your health!) to see how some of these commentators track the progress of the Obama camp over coming years.
Speaking of affirmative action, the shameful Nebraska initiative #424 to end affirmative action was successful in a vote 58/42.
Trev,
There’s a real issue here for The Australian (disclosure: I am a former employee).
Albrechtsen gets a gig at the Oz because she appeals to a significant slab of its readership who want their prejudices affirmed or those who simply enjoy being challenged. She drives readership. Same as Adele Horin does at the SMH, Miranda Devine at same and so on.
But today’s column, which was on-line last night has the potential to seriously damage the paper’s brand. It’s an appaling and mean-spirited piece of fatuous nonsense and is popping up on blogs, Facebook and in conversations in this office.
I have marveled at the excitement expressed by friends and family from across the Australian political spectrum at Obama’s election. From my died-in-the-wool Liberal-voting mum (who has even read Obama’s autobiography) to hard core lefty mates in inner-city Sydney.
At least Greg Sheridan’s comments in the Oz offer a counter-point that is driven by solid analysis and not bitterness. He expresses concern about Obama’s position on free trade and his view of Australia’s place in the world. Important points to be made as the rest of us try not to get swept up in the moment.
But not Janet.
Thanks Ben. I wonder whether being a r-w commentator is quite so appealing to the newspaper’s audience now that Rudd has replaced Howard (remember JA’s ‘this is the hardest column I have had to write’ effort? yuck) and Obama has replaced Bush. Is there not a new mood a foot and I think maybe some of these outfits will be looking at refreshing their rosters otherwise they will be looking pretty dowdy and oh so ancient pretty soon
Ditto, Troye, it certainly will be interesting to follow their efforts to cope with Obama and a new political environment. Recent efforts by Janet A and Greg Sheridan indicates they got a long way to go in the adjustment process
They should put Albrechtsen, Bolt, Ackerman and all of that ilk in their own little paper somewhere where readers desiring such cultural porn can go without polluting the MSM.
A sense of bitterness or spite pervades most of what she writes, is it any wonder the ABC has become an utter disgrace.
Uh guys, before you get too carried away with how much the world is changing, I just had someone in my office say to me something like “you know, I can’t believe how much fuss is being made about Obama being black, like it’s such a big deal”.
The person who said this (a senior manager and successful businessman, and not an idiot) I would say is a typically aussie lazy semi-racist – would not (knowingly) say anything offensive in the presence of a minority, hires and deals with minorities in business without problems, and certainly wouldn’t condone violence or overt racism, but basically just doesn’t see why minorities in this country or the US should have too much to worry about. Perhaps not surprisingly, he’s a big fan of Noel Pearson – cause he’s “not afraid to bag Aborigines for being lazy and hopeless”, also in this afternoon’s conversation.
My point being that, notwithstanding Ben’s comments above, there are still a lot of people in this country who will agree with JA’s thoughts (if that’s an appropriate term). And all the fuss over Obama is not going to suddenly shine a light in their eyes… and in fact might just provoke a bit of a negative reaction, as did the apology earlier this year.
Is anybody really surprised?, this is what she’s paid to do. That king of hard right dribble is her bread and butter, unwholesome as it is.
Trevor, what an absolute load of nonsense. There is nothing inherently bitter about Janet’s article – she is posing a logical and well-supported line of argument. I don’t know which article you read, but it certainly wasn’t the one to which you referred.
Also, you can’t quote this:
without mentioning the preceding context:
Clearly, there is nothing bitter about that. Trevor, stop writing drivel pieces. You’re better than that.
yes generic person, where that preceding context clearly sets up her definition of “racist” as being willing to engage in a little positive discrimination to attempt to make up for many years of overt and systemic negative discrimination.
But of course, now that a black man has been elected to president everything is ok and people should just “move on”, get over it, that should keep them happy…
Generic, ’shake free of racial favours’ by which she means all those terrible affirmative action programs? Clearly she is bitter, she is bitter that the white candidate lost to all those people voting for the black candidate for what she sees as, affirmative action reasons. The paragraph you quote only emphasises her obsession with all this prejudice against the white race, Albrechtsen sees a moral equivalence between centuries of slavery, brutality, rape, persecution and more with a few decades of mild affirmative action. I reject that equivalence. I know it would be nice to just ‘move on’ but it aint that easy, you, and her, need to make a greater effort to understand history and social realities. A little effort at empathy wouldn’t hurt occasionally and that’s my main beef with J.A. she refused to understand how people like Powell and Rice, and so many millions, feel about these things. C’mon G.P. I know you can rise above the superficiality that Albrechtsen peddles.
News Ltd having troubles. Can they afford to continue offending by being anti-Labor and Liberal party flag wavers? Their credibility is falling in line with their share prices.
Of course, News Ltd’s problems are much greater than the irrelevance of some its columnists but they can’t be helping
Trevor, affirmative action is a nonsense policy and Obama’s victory is evidence that a black man can win on merit rather than on the back of a discriminatory policy that places skin colour above intellectual capacity for the job. People like Rice, Powell and Obama prove that you don’t need to fight discrimination with more discrimination; you fight it by being the better candidate.