This is from the BBC:
Former US President Jimmy Carter says much of the vitriol against President Barack Obama’s health reforms and spending plans is “based on racism”.
While it seems inevitable that some portion of the right’s anti-health care rhetoric is based on racism, its a huge red herring argument that Carter is proposing. But, for whatever reason, it seems like race-baiting without evidence is an easy and popular way to try to end opposition to the president’s (or democrat’s) proposals without evidence. It dispenses with the need for intellectual argument. In fact, it makes Carter and the Dems no better than the supposedly-racism right wingers that they are attacking.
The funny thing is about racism accusations is that trying to defend yourself against charges of racism just makes you sound more racist. The more racist you are, the easier you are to discredit and so this type of charge just tends to replicate itself… all without the need to evidence.
It seems like the only way out of the cycle is to apologize, but then you might be admitting to an untruth.
Perhaps this is an exaggeration of the issue, but I don’t think its too far off and it seems to be getting more prevalent all the time.
You are right: “racist” is the ultimate discrediting label. How does anyone recover? It takes a bit of evidence for me to consider someone racist, but once I do believe some is racist to some extent, it is very difficult for me to listen to them. That label, once given credence, is really just that powerful.
oliver thinks I’m right? *blush*