Joe “You Lie!” Wilson: Rudeness or Racism?
When Joe Wilson, the previously unknown but now infamous South Carolina congressman, shouted out "You lie!" to Barack Obama during the president's health care address to Congress Wednesday night, it seemed, most of all, really, really rude, and you didn't have to be a Democrat to think that.
It was also, some hold, racist – at least on a subconscious level. An online commentary by the Project on Race in Political Communication, called "The Racial Context for Joe Wilson's Outburst," which has been twittering around a good bit, makes the case.
We do not assert that Joe Wilson is a bigot; his personal racial attitudes are, perhaps ironically, beyond the scope of this incident. Rather, the consistent branding of President Obama as "other" by his opponents has created a context within which it is perceived that Obama need not be treated as other presidents have been treated. The creation of that "otherness," while possibly motivated by racial animosity, is certainly rendered more effective as a result of the deeply held negative predispositions about African Americans.
This will be dismissed outright by many – and by that I mean many white people – on the grounds that race is too often and too readily invoked as an "excuse," including in many a case where it has no place.
It is absolutely true that just because someone opposes Obama, criticizes Obama, disagrees with Obama – even shouts out "You lie!" to Obama – that doesn't necessarily mean he is a bigot with a Confederate flag in his living room who hates that this country has a black president. And the authors of the article – Stephen Maynard Caliendo, associate professor of political science at North Central College in Illinois, and Charlton McIlwain, associate professor of media, culture, and communication at New York University – rightly point that out, even while themselves embracing certain stereotypes about "white privilege" and the "myth of the black character."
But it is also true that dismissing race outright – not just in this case, but as part of the whole birthers "controversy," the education speech "controversy," and other "controversies" yet to come – would be entirely naive. We are not a "post-racial" nation, period. And if Obama's election was supposed to prove that we are, in many ways it has shown just the opposite. Google "Joe Wilson and racist." Or "Obama and racist." When nothing comes up, we'll be there.
If Caliendo and McIlwain are right, there is a problem. If they are wrong, there is a problem, because a lot of people feel they are right. So I suppose we will have to have a lot more Beer Summits either way. And even if Joe Wilson was just being rude, maybe he should attend, along with all the people who consider him racist.
10:10 am
Erika Niedowski: Idiot or moron? You just had to insert "racism into the issue, didn't you? We will not be a "post racial" nation so long as people like you continue to insert racism into every issue.
And as for as "other" goes, it was Obama that, in effect, branded rural conservatives who "irrationally cling to their guns and religion" as being "other": the implied "they are pitiful alien creatures not like us rational big city liberals".
10:21 am
Joe "the Liar" Wilson is a racist. He is a port of a racist group that I will not even mention. Joe Wilson just burried himself...
10:27 am
An old childhood quote comes to mind here "he who smelt it, dealt it"! I am growing so tired of being called a racist by the racists themselves. Obama is a radical liberal and when conservatives disagree with him that is the reason. As a conservative, I would have been happy to cast a vote for America's first black president had he not been such a radical liberal. Give me a black conserative and I will get behind him or her. Stop it already with this racist bs.
10:31 am
In response to "Mike". Listen guy, before you start calling Wilson names, maybe you should learn how to spell simple words like "part" instead of "port" and "buried" instead of "burried". It will make you look smarter than a 5th grader!
I support congressman Wilson in exercising his right of feedom of speech. After all, we are still living in a free country. At least for now, unless Obama gets his way and he becomes chancellor of the new American Socialist party.
Keep fighting America! I will not let America become the new home of Socialism or Communism!
10:32 am
It's so typical of democrats and the left to label anyone who disagrees with Obama a racist. Living in South Carolina it occurs weekly. If you disagree with Jim Clyburn, the NAACP, or any other black politician its because you're a racist. I don't know how anyone can possible construe "you lie" as a racist statement. It was rude, it was inappropriate, he should not have done it. Those that label someone as racist who disagrees with them simply don't possess the intellectual ability to argue their position of the issues, if they actually know what they believe or they just rely on Uncle Obama to tell them what to think.
10:49 am
I will admit I don’t think Joe is a racist, I think he’s a stupid disrespectful idiot! But what bothers me most is the fact that some people refuse to believe racism still exist (typically non-blacks). You’d be a fool to believe that the lack of respect (some of) the GOP have for the President has nothing to do with his race. Wake the hell up. At the very least, if President Obama was white, like the past presidents, there would have never been a problem with schools showing something so minor (yet important) as a back-to-school education speech. God forbid this black man encourages kids to get a great education!!! I mean who wants that? There was no problem when other Presidents have done it. Again, it’s very hard for some to accept that the President of the United States is in fact a black man! I hope I live to see the day we get another non-white president, he too will likely face the same kind of hell… or female even
10:52 am
The 'real' question is DID HE LIE-again-again-again?
2010 could be the year of the BOOT!
11:14 am
Honestly, it still baffles me how some white people deny the fact that incidents such as this one, are not fueled by deep rooted racism.
Everyone dances around this issue but we need to talk openly about it. Bottom line...... alot of white people are STILL angry and terrified that we have a Black President. Case closed.
11:29 am
I think the good ole boy Joe is going to be defeated in his next election. He's up against a Ex USMC Col. who came close last time. Remember the name Democrat Rob Miller. I think he is from the DC area or has family here. We need to put ole Republican Joe Wilson down as an ex congressman.
12:15 pm
Although there's no shortage of evidence of modern conservative racism in general, most of it involving Barack Obama, in this particular instance there's not a lot to go on. I am certain that if President Hillary Clinton or Bill Richardson or Joe Biden had been speaking, Wilson would still have been shrieking the same sort of nonsense. Yes, the GOP refrained from doing that when Bill Clinton was President, but only barely, and the GOP has moved so much further to the right since even 2000, never mind 1992.
Wilson's behavior was unprecedented in the modern age, but this doesn't necessarily require him to be a racist. He may well be -- there's no definitive evidence either way at this point -- but the real question is whether he's fundamentally dishonest or clinically delusional, and if he's not one or the other then he's certainly both.
12:30 pm
White people are terribly racist, we all know this. This Wilson guy is a tiny example... just look at http://www.stormfront.org Im sure you'll find allot of registered Republicans there and a few congressmen perhaps..
Racist White people are terrible... well except Liberals.. Those are great people!
12:34 pm
Wait wait wait.... Is he racist because he purposely disrespected and interrupted a black president... or because he obviously hates Mexicans... witch let's be honest Us Mexicans don't give a F U C K what you honkey's think of us.. In either case.. F U C K Joe Wilson and his supporters and all you racist C U N T S
3:09 pm
The Truth - must be that great DC education you received to come up with such idiocy. Typical black DC BS. Everybody's a racist who doesn't agree with you. Climb back in the SE hole you crept out of.
3:14 pm
America, STILL the greatest country in the world, was built on a foundation of racism, pure and simple. White folks constantly blame us on playing the infamous race care. Please, who invented this freaking card and who was the first to play it, certainly not us black folks. As for illegal aliens, I don't think I've ever, ever read or heard of a white immigrant being called an alien. One last thought. When will the color of one's skin not matter in America? When our REAL ENEMIES succeed in dropping that atomic bomb on this great country, then and only then will the color of one's skin not matter 'cause we won't have any. Or when Yellowstone blows or Jesus cracks that sky! Peace.
4:26 pm
I agree with PAHairston. "As for illegal aliens, I don’t think I’ve ever, ever read or heard of a white immigrant being called an alien." That statement is completely true. Mr. Wilson is a racist. The majority of immigrants in this country, Hispanic, European, Asian, Middle Eastern, are in this great nation trying to have a better life. Please remember that the real founding fathers of this country are Native American Indians. God Bless America.
4:30 pm
I'm white. Joe is white. Barack is half black. No one else has ever been so rude to a president at a speech in front of congress. It doesn't matter who is Republican or Democrat. It doesn't matter if one or both of them are liars. Joe is a RACIST PIG. PERIOD.
5:30 pm
Nowadays, as a group, whites are the least racist of any other group in America. We are the only group that has made a conscious effort, and a mostly successful conscious effort, to rid ourselves of racism. There are other groups in this country who really, really, need to make a similar effort. But first they would have to 'fess up" to their obvious racism.
Most liberals and most minorities will disagree with the above statements. However, every white conservative, absolutely every single one, whether they will admit or not, believes those statements to be true.
5:51 pm
Wilson is a pure racist for the reason that he chose to bully Obama who happened to be black even though he holds the highest post in the entire world.
It is a fact that you only dare to bully someone if you disrespect him/her. The bully always chose to pick up on the different and it is obvious that Obama is different from the other former precedents. That concludes with no doubt that Mr. Wilson is a pure racist, the one I would classify as the "low of the lowest form of racist"
Bush the greatest compulsive lier of all times has been lying for the nation and the worlds for 8 years on the same floor and no half-hearted white congress man/woman ever dared to call him a lier in the floor. where was Joe Wilson?
7:33 pm
okay let's be clear about this what this congressman did was totally disrepectful to the president of the U.S., first of all we had a president that lied us into a damn war and left us in financial turmoil. No one did a damn thing to stop it all we heard was that we were unpatriotic and treasonous. This man heckles a president that only been in office 7 months and trying to get this country back together and the only thing that they can say is he is a liar. These people love to scare and over talk people and frankly I am tired of it. It was black and white people that got Barack elected so put the blame where it belongs with the republicans.
8:39 pm
On Huffington post there is some background info on Joe Wilson (not his real name). He belongs to a group in SC that tries to keep alive the Confederate vision and sometimes talks about secession. He was mentored by Strom Thurmond, someone who is legendary for racism, despite the fact he fathered a child by his maid's 16 yr old daughter. After reading that article I can believe that he is motivated by racism. I have wondered about the town hall meetings I attended in August. There were not any black people shouting down the speakers at those meetings. They were so vicious, I have difficulty believing their snarls were about policy on healthcare. The debate for Republicans is about defeating Obama, not allowing him to claim victory in giving Americans Healthcare. Republicans know that Healthcare reform will work. They just dont want Democrats to get credit for it.
10:19 pm
How about adding "dumb ass" and "just plain wrong" as options to CP's query? This guy was both. If he'd bothered to read the proposed legislation, he would've known that it prohibits IN CAPITAL LETTERS funds going to people unlawfully in the USA. In short, he's rude, a dumb ass, just plain wrong, and most likely racist (but the first three are bad enough that we need not even get to the racist issue).
12:29 am
If you bother to read immigration law you will find that it prohibits illegal immigrants from working in this country. So how's that prohibition working out? And why would any rational person expect that "... it prohibits IN CAPITAL LETTERS funds going to people unlawfully in the USA" to work out any differently? I know that; you know that; and Obama knows that. Obama lied.
1:57 pm
@ Fred: Your logic is bizarre. In short, you contend that because some people break the law, anyone who accurately recites a specific provision of a law is a liar (since somebody may not obey the law). That's ridiculous reasoning. Have fun teabagging at the 9/12 bash this weekend.
7:45 am
In short, you contend that because some people break the law, anyone who accurately recites a specific provision of a law is a liar (since somebody may not obey the law).
Pointing out the lack of enforcement provisions in the bill (in fact, the deliberate exclusion of enforcement provisions) is apparently lost on this one. And as Joe Wilson later clarified, those are the provisions that he was referring to. Oh well - his outcry wasn't lost on the administration, which is now moving to remedy that defect.
And as far as the "Obama is the other" nonsense, I don't think any of the prior 4 presidents were treated very respectfully by their opposition. The last President, in particular, was been treated far worse than President Obama. Do we really have to replay the video of the Democrats in the Senate shouting out at him during his speech?
1:13 pm
@Truth hurts. No that is incorrect. I am not talking about just somebody breaking the law, I am talking about a group with a history of having zero respect for the law. And the fact that there are many, many, so-called Americans out there who aid and abet members of that group in breaking the law. That illegals would break this law is not a "maybe" it is a "certainty".
3:52 pm
To PAHairston.
I am a white legal immigrant, and I am also called an alien. It's part of the definition here in the U.S. I was also an immigrant in Canada but not an alien. It's hardly a problem once one understands the basis of the term.
To Fred,
I also consider myself a conservative, I conserve, but not a Republican.
As a White Conservative I am certain that there is racism in this country.
That being said there is racism in most if not all countries.
4:04 pm
I don`t lie about this Gay Marriage. Wilson deserved to die. Because he hates Gay Marriage. Wilson should go fuck his mother, if he hates gay marriage.
4:07 pm
Is this Mike and is your last name is White? You worked at the Market Basket food Store in Stratham, New Hampshire. I don`t lie and i am telling the truth.
4:11 pm
Lance is an asshole and he should shut his fucking mouth. because i know where you live. Yeah thats right Lance, i am talking to you. Lance had sex with his Mom.
4:13 pm
Lance loves cock.