What Do Clarence Thomas & Barack Obama Have in Common?
Besides the fact that both were wearing red ties when sworn in by white guys and have intimate connections to white women? This: I’ve seen/heard more angry words by black people for Clarence Thomas than for Antonin Scalia. More angry words for Barack Obama than for Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, or Bill Clinton (who filled the prisons with black men and turned off the heat for black babies). Few people know that Justice Thomas had to personally move all of the storage boxes out of his office when he finally made it onto the court 21 years ago; that Thomas was offered no help in getting any clerks to help get him up to speed after coming into the court’s term late following the long drama of confirmation after the allegations about his misconduct with Anita Hill. Justice Thomas was “the help.” He still is.
Thomas recently broke his record 7 YEAR silence during oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court. I’ve always thought that Thomas’ conspicuous silence is a deliberate acknowledgement and protest by him that, despite all the skinning and grinning any of us can do, under this system of global racism (white supremacy), we’ve got very little meaning–especially within any formal role in white folks’ structures. This is true despite the fact that Supreme Court Justices don’t get booted from office by elections nor, to my knowledge, has any ever been assassinated. So, why, given the much greater risk of harm to himself and his family, would one expect President Obama to be assertive on issues that affect black people?
I find Justice Thomas to be pitiful. And, I’m mostly full of pity for President Obama, too. Heck, I’m at least as pitiful myself. But, I direct my fury towards white folks when forced to confront our condition.
No, I’m not waiting on white folks to save us from them. Neither have I any words of condemnation for black people who participate in white folks’ vast enterprise. I don’t know any black person who can avoid doing that. But—I’d rather have 50 black family law judges or 5,000 city zoning commission members across this part of the world than 1 black president.
Sometimes, I think Mr. Obama was permitted to be elected just so black people could salve our self-esteem by either hailing him as the savior OR by playing a very stylish “dozens” on him instead of feeling better about ourselves because we’re actually significantly increasing our constructive activity.– Because, unfortunately, white folks still know us too well.
Cree7's Blog 
July 21, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Here is one white man that ain’t confused about Obama
*Note that at the 30 second mark he almost slips and says: “Im just trying to call a spade a spade*
LOL
February 1, 2013 at 8:10 pm
With regards to Barack Obama, we should not even waste our time and energy with regards to him doing anything constructive to neutralize The System of Racism / White Supremacy. If “Counter Racists” would only pay a little more attention to our history, which for some strange reason, many feel that it is irrelevant, then we would accept these two truths: An African cannot be produced from between the legs of a White Woman, and there have been “Mulatto,” Generals before that did not have the best interest of Non-White Black People, i.e. Haiti.
January 29, 2013 at 11:54 am
“bi-racial” as the new Black is indeed problematic.
January 28, 2013 at 3:20 pm
Dr. John Henrik Clark in a lecture “White Supremacy’s Mulatto Factor” discussed the use of non-white/non-black and mulattos as an intermediate group to sow confusion among black people. Chancellor Williams also addressed this issue in “The Destruction of Black Civilization”. The nonwhite/nonblack – black symbiotic relationship in an effort to replace R/WS with justice has yet to be evident. Pres. Obama may seek to expand access to the “Big House” ; Justice Thomas has sought to keep black folks out. He is consistent in arguing the original intent of the constitution. As Justice Taney ruled in the Dred Scott decision that Negroes have no rights a white man is bound to respect? Rhetorical ethics and superficial change and/or refinement is a consistent pattern of racism/white supremacy.
January 23, 2013 at 9:10 pm
My interaction might be different than yours. In my social network, those who do NOT harshly criticize President Obama are in the great minority. These would be the folks who say that they are dedicated to the betterment of black people whether by the label of “conscious,” “less confused,” “pan afikan,” “black nationalist,” “codified,” etc.
January 23, 2013 at 8:32 pm
Inasmuch as racism is indeed global the front of a “black” american president is not only for blacks in america.Check AFRICOM and increased drone and other attacks on “arabs” and persians.
“And, it seems to me that, when black folks engage in criticism of President Obama, we too often think it makes us some sort of special, “different” kind of black person”
That’s a quite provoking comment. I’ll have to think on that. I have observed that it takes a certain fortitude (for black folk) to discuss President Obama and his policies. The labels of “anti-black” and “blaming a victim” stifles what could possibly be constructive analysis.??
January 23, 2013 at 7:44 pm
Yeah I know what you mean. I have criticized Obama from time to time. But I usually do it to try to wake up black folks who drank the Kool Aid.lol But I realize who truly pulls the strings. We can’t lose sight of that fact. But you’re right,if it’s not constructive,what’s the point??
January 23, 2013 at 7:16 pm
Indeed, KP. For the record, at the beginning, white folks put a knife to black folk’s throat because in the early 1950s, black folk did NOT want “integration.” that’s why I did this piece:
On the other, the ratio of criticism to praise that I personally see in my social networking is about 10 to 1. And, it seems to me that, when black folks engage in criticism of President Obama, we too often think it makes us some sort of special, “different” kind of black person…and, very, very little of the praise or the criticism has much constructive value.
January 23, 2013 at 7:04 pm
@Cree A very interesting post. Everyone has their reasons why they think Obama was (s)elected. I think there are probably several reasons. But to make it plain,I think Obama’s election as President was to give black people false hope. To make us think we have made some real progress in Amerikkka. We fought to sit at diners and ride the bus with white folks. And they tricked us with the civil rights movement because in hindsight that is NOT real power. But when you’ve been mistreated and marginalized like we have—-you will accept almost anything that resembles “equality”. Of course we know now that eating with whites and economic empowerment are two totally different things. We fell for the okey-doke! The truth is we’re in the same position now as we were in 1863. More black millionaires,black doctors,black lawyers,black celebrities etc. But it’s all superficial changes,it’s nothing empowering because we don’t own or control anything. Zero! So while it the Obama family may look beautiful and make us feel warm inside—we know whose running the show behind the curtain. Until we get rid of or escape the puppet master the show will remain the same.