President Barack Obama recently took some criticism for telling African American voters to “stop complaining” and “stop grumbling.” Some, like Rev. Al Sharpton, have said that President Obama was right to tell black people to stop complaining. Others, such as Rep. Maxine Waters, have noted that President Obama has never used this kind of language toward any other constituency and that what he defines as “complaining” is simply a group of supporters advocating for their own issues.
In this video, Dr. Wilmer Leon and Dr. Boyce Watkins discuss Obama’s remarks and what they mean for the black community.
The video is below:
21 comments:
|"But the hushing of the criticism of honest opponents is a dangerous thing. It leads some of the best of the critics to unfortunate silence and paralysis of effort, and others to burst into speech so passionately and intemperately as to lose listeners. Honest and earnest criticism from those whose interests are most nearly touched,—criticism of writers by readers, of government by those governed, of leaders by those led, —this is the soul of democracy and the safeguard of modern society." ... "In failing thus to state plainly and unequivocally the legitimate demands of their people, even at the cost of opposing an honored leader, the thinking classes of American Negroes would shirk a heavy responsibility,—a responsibility to themselves, a responsibility to the struggling masses, a responsibility to the darker races of men whose future depends so largely on this American experiment, but especially a responsibility to this nation,—this common Fatherland." ... "We have no right to sit silently by while the inevitable seeds are sown for a harvest of disaster to our children, black and white." -W. E. B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk, 1903
Why are people so negative and quick to react, but not pro-act? President Obama's message was very much needed. Stop reacting by complaining, and start responding by leading and participating. Why do people think the president/government is a form of heroism? We are a united nation and we all must join the struggle. Once people start to realize this and start reacting by being proactive, then there will be no complaints, instead there will be deliberations.
Not only was his comment out of line, his whole body language was angry, as if angry with black folks. Maxine Waters was right-he would never say "stop whining and complaining" to the Latinos,LBGT community or Jews.
Play it again without the sound and see what I mean.
People have no HOPE and no CHANGE in their pockets, many for the first time ever. You darn right we are gonna complain when we want to work but can't!
SUPPORT OUR PRESIDENT AND OUR FAMILIES
By: David W. Johnson, Jr.
Since we seem to like fighting so much, I got an idea
Instead of fighting one another, let fight our enemies
For our President and our Race, more we have to care
The racist again want to see us just hanging from trees
Thanks to supporters the Health Care Plan was passed
It’s God’s message that we have a Real Man President
African American again are called the “N” word and harassed
Whomever did it, should have been beat to the cement
First of all, we must stop calling ourselves that racist name
Passing of this bill is just the beginning of our troubles
The President’s enemies will still try to put him to shame
They will enjoy hurting him like children blowing bubbles
Listening to the radio or watching the News it was not easy
Racist was degrading our President without any shame
Trust me; what they might be planning makes me very uneasy
Wakeup Brothers and Sisters, this is by far no longer a game
If we want to stay in this game of success let’s lend support
Our enemies but not our President wants to see us long gone
They smile when they see us in caskets or handcuffs in court
Prefer us in graves or prison yards, not our front lawn
Brothers and Sisters, we must stop destroying one another
As adults, if we stop our children will also do the same
God want us to love and respect, not shot and kill each other
Stop killing one another like it’s a Playstation or X-Box game
There is a law in the works to bring in our replacement Race
Things taking place everyday, many of us don’t have a hint
Everybody does not like you because of a smile on their face
We all need to, “Support Our President & Our Families”
Stop Sitting Around Ignoring Our Problems
Children Need Help Adults Need Help
No man is above fairness & justice, no matter what color. Why can't blacks understand its so critical now that we look beyond what sounds & looks good. Everytime Obama comes before blacks its preacher style talking down to us. We don't need a sermon. We need to hear concrete steps to address our problems.
He had no problem doing that for Jewish,Gay,Women & Wallstreet groups. But when it comes to us it turns around to what we can do for him??? I SAY NO! This is the perfect time to rock the boat & be heard. Our issues our bigger than Barry getting another term to help everyone except the group that really put him there. Sharpton, Steve Harvey,Tom Joyner are being paid off to silence/put down anyone who speaks out. No man is above the virtues of fairness & equality.
It's ashamed that a BLACK BLOG SITE dispenses everything but the Facts on the Issues that would go a long way in getting the Truth to the Black Community and Letting them know exactly what Congress is doing on a daily/weekly basis
For Example
Republicans make minimally $176,000, each and every one of them and the Speaker Boehner and Cantor make a lot more.
They are sitting in Congress the little time they have making it harder on People of Color, loosing Jobs, just this week they are
attempting to destroy the Post Office and take down 125,000 Jobs in the process
Voting Rights in every state that there is a Republican Governor are passing Voting Laws to Prevent People of Color and the Poor, Disabled and Elderly from voting
Gov. Chris Christy who they are begging to run for President, media won't tell you that the State Of New Jersey's Credit Rating has been downgraded not once but twice by S&P and Finch, Dr. Boyce and company SILENT
Gov. Chris Christy passed a bill that removes Siginficant/Billions from the Poorest Schools in New Jersey but not the subburs and innter city, the Court of New Jersey Slapped him Down and Overled the Law and said it was unconstitutional
Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina, GA, Mis and many states have fired significant teachers, Cut Pensions and Wages of Fire Fighters, Policemen, Teachers, Janitors
Republicans in Congress passed a Law to Cut FEMA Significantly, so if you home is Lost in a tornago, Flood, Hurricane there will be no Funds, so whatever your Insurane doesn't cover you are on your own
Republicans Paul Ryan Just today reinforced that Republicans plan to Kill Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid
These are areas that would Cripple So many communities including the Black Community
Republicans are not talking about giving Americans who have paid into the Social Security and Medicare System for 50-60 year their MONEY BACK + INTEREST, they just plan to take it!
So whoever thinks this BLOG who's designed to BASH our President 24/7 is beneficial in light of all those laws being made every day in congress by the Republicans to flip our country to the Rich vs. Everyone else, not just Black every one,
It's time to do something Constructive, Dr. Boyce and company and use this Blog to help the very Community you claim to Care about.
I challenge YOU!
Its just a damn shame how african americans don't know how to stick together especially in times like these. Obama is right about every word he said. We as black people know damn well we need to stop complaining all the damn time, and start learning how to pray more, and pray for our loving black president. You sorry ass complainers wanted a black president, now you got one, and your still acting so damn dumb and clueless, and out-right disrespectful. Foolish black folk helping the whiteman beat down our black president through the low-down dirty racist media, and you wonder why your own mother country Africa looks at us with pitiful eyes. Black America don't even know what real suffering is, yes we have suffered here in funky ass white america, but we haven't really entered into the real sufferings that will be truely upon us in the near future. If you can't stand now, you won't be able to stand then. Stop complaining and support our black president, and for God sake "open up your damn eyes and start realizing that your sorry clueless asses are being play by the white media: aka Tea Baggers /Republicans /racist haters etc., who are secretly buying guns with your own hard working money to blow all our heads off in the near future. Start looking at what's really going on behind our backs, instead of all these petty ass issues being thrown in our faces that are nothing more then demonic smoke screens set inplace to trip us up out of our blessing and our season to rise to another level... Open up your blinded brainwashed eyes and realize that our God has a plan for us to come through every obstical at such a time as this. Be apart of the solution, and not a part of the problem... stop acting so damn insecurity all the time and start rising above who God created us as a black people to be. We are a special people in the eyes of God, to continue on walking in clueless dumbfounded stupidity on a daily basis. To all player haters who speak ill of president Obama because you want your face and your waords to go down in history, I hope God cuts all your asses to shredds... Touch not my anointed: CLUELESSSSSSS!!!!
I will stop complaining about the president when he implements the black agenda put forth by our Representatives in the CBC. Just like he has implemented the adgenda's for the Republicans, LGBT, Jews and Hispanic communities. When President Obama stop critizing us and start working with us I will support him.
Jews and others have complained to President Obama for a wide range of problems. He never told them to stop complaining. Each time the issue of Blacks come up, he shirk us off as if we have no rights whatsoever worst than any white president I know. To say that addressing the African American issue of racism, oppression and other wrongs done to us is bigotry (i.e open discrimination). I think the President is taking his frustrations that his father left him out on Blacks. He is being racist to Black Americans and frankly he is wrong. Wait until the election time comes and see who will vote for his but. The worst thing in the world to me is seeing a foolish black discriminate against another Black for exerting a Constitutional right to criticism government. I am very disappointed in him and his racist statement. I am very disappointed in each time we come up excluding any rights we have. It is outright racism and Blacks should file a class action against the President for open discrimination. This is an attempt to silence us so that the oppression can continue. Let me remind you Mr. I have only white interests President, your wife and kids are black.
When he addresses the issues of black america just like he did with every other group, Jews, Latino, and others, that is when I will stop. He signed an Executive order to stop deportations for people who have broken the laws of this land, but yet they send people from Hati back in a heartbeat. That is crap! For those who think he is so inspiring, keep on supporting him. This President is full of it. He is a hypocrite. He wants to use God with us to shut people down because he knows we look to God but people also prayed to get him in office so he needs to stop sucking up to whites and do something. He supports gays and lesbians but he's a christian? Yeah right!! He's confused!! THESE LOUD MOUTHED BLACKS SUPPORTING HIM NEED GO AND PRAY AND ASK GOD FOR ENLIGHTENMENT BECAUSE YOU ARE BLIND!! I'm tired of talking about him, I will show him at the polls what I think of him just like he is showing blacks how much he thinks of us. Case Closed!!
Overall black america has been souled out since the 1960's civil right's movement.Black's got tricked with all that " Good Times " " Moving on up " trickery.Black's got tricked with all this get a morgage and run to suburb's to escape crack and other poor black people.We are seeing the mass result of the new world order-disorder plan.No,the world is not ending.Only ole massa is changing the paradigm up on today's 21st century wannabe slaves.Time to get off of the plantation once and for all.Time to stop wallowing in ghetto slave type ignorance and time to give up bible crack.All this talk of jesus and god is not saving poor black people.Black's are locked into the world of white supremacy world wide and are scared to deal with it.
If you can say you are REAL then maybe you can except this truth. To am MAN like President Obama there is no single agenda for any group. YOUR President is trying to point you in the direction of the term UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.Fix the real problems and everyone BENEFITS. Black Leaders should be ashamed of themselves because Our Black President had to ask them for HELP!!GET OVER IT AND THEN GET TO WORK CLEANING UP PROBLEMS IN THERE DISTRICTS INSTEAD OF WHINING LIKE HIS ENEMINES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Yeap!!! all of black america as a whole is on skid-row right where we are going to stay because of spiritually clueless people like you who have absolutely no damn spiritual insight whatsoever. God is away of life, not away of the funky ass 4 wall churches on their way to hell none stop. Long as there is no UNITY and togetherness amongest black america there will never be any blessing. Whether you dumb asses like it or not: In Unity God commandes the blessings / so no UNITY, no blessing... You can give a million and one speeches and reasons why on this blog 24-7, but the truth still remains, (NO UNITY /NO BLESSINGS)... The whiteman didn't mess us up, we did it ourselves, our ancestors screwed us up when we were in the wilderness, and the bloodline is still screwed up to this very day. And this ain't about the bible or the damn 4 wall church, do your damn research and stop walking in the spirit of some damn african american educated clueless fools... What good is your education if your brainwashed blinded asses and can't see the forest for the trees. At the end of the day when its all over said and done, what will you have left in your nasty hands if you don't know and understand your true identity... People of all nationalities are suffering and dying everyday, is all the money and prestige in this world really worth it not to except the truth of what and how it truely is, :For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul. Who are you in relationship with!! God or your own filthy flesh that going to decay and return back to the dust, where is your faith, haven't you any! what's wrong with you all, you have no substance, so you have no identity, and that means you are clueless to who you really are. cluelesssssssss
silence and evict hobama in 2012!!!
http://aliciabanks.xanga.com/755316183/cbc--cursing-blacks-comically---hobama-commands-all-black-mongrels-to-stfu/?page=3&jump=1522871651&leftcmt=1#1522871651
Review the speech in it's entirety and stop putting so much weight behind sound-bites! Come on people, grow up.
We'll stop "complaining" (or what the more receptive leadership might call advocating our issues) when he stops begging for our support. They go hand in hand. More importantly, it has become ever more translucent the president has become the poster child for the personification of the Mis-Educated Negro -- meaning he was raised, educated, and employed to perpetuate a system of government that oppresses the poor and peoples of color. At what point, will we learn that maybe we (Black people) are not meant to collectively obtain socio-economical equality in this fascist system of democracy? How many times in history has the European used the deleterious lure of wealth, power, and symbolism to manipulate the weaker and myopic members of our race to do their bidding? The problem is not Barack Obama, the problem is our naive belief that this system of government will serve and benefit our needs. Until we address this farce, we will always have something to "complain" about.
Did u not hear between the lines my people? Our Commander and Chief mentioned the word "march" how many times. Jews and Latinos dont whine and complain they organize and campaign. Protest and march, like we use to do. Now we just sit back and get marched on. Wake up my people dont get mad at the President, get mad at the sytem, get mad at yourself for not doing more. Get up and Stand up for our rights!
I agreed completely with what Obama said until watching this video; now I agree with half of what he said. I hope that the point Obama was trying to make was to stop complaining if you don't plan to do anything besides complaining. This is agree with. I think that the African American community is missing leadership. Obama cannot be the leader of the African community because he has responsibilities to the rest of the country. Obama is but ONE person who can help push our agenda, but he can't just make the changes without more support from the ground up. One way we can help Obama is to vote in state and local elections because these people have the most impact on our day to day lives and these people can provide more political strength to Obama.
Also, we need leaders who are looking out for us completely. We do have people who speak on our behalf but we need leaders in our communities to help us organize so we can have our grievances heard and ensure that our needs are being met.
I cant believe i am listening to 2 scholars who seem to forget that this country is a Jewish country lock slave and barrel. If our president like so many other presidents aren't puppet leaders , then i don't know what else is. WE DON'T EVEN HAVE OUR ACT TOGETHER ECONOMICALLY AND POLITICALLY LIKE THE HISPANICS HAVE. IF WE DON'T EVEN HAVE THAT KIND OF ECONOMICAL ASSET I WOULDN'T EXPECT OUR PRESIDENT TO STICK HIS NECK OUT FOR US IN THAT WAY WHEN WE AS A GROUP AREN'T SINGLE HANDEDLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HIM BEING ELECTED. WE ARE NOT A UNITED PEOPLE SO WHAT IN HECK DO YOU EXPECT Dr. Boyce and Dr. Wilmer Leon. WE ARE INTENTIONALLY KEPT DISTRACTED BY SOCIAL ISSUES THROUGH CONSTANT & PERMANENT ORAL DISCUSSION/COMPLAINING THAN TO DO WHAT IMMEDIATELY COUNTS WHICH IS ECONOMIC & SOCIAL UNITY FIRST AND FOREMOST, THEN ALL ELSE WILL BE A WHOLE LOT EASIER TO ATTAIN.
I am sick of Obama worshipers validating how this fool talks to the African American community. Seriously? Why is advocating are issues complaining or grumbling? What?? Did he think the Hispanic community was complaining or grumbling when they were advocating for their issues? Did he think illegal immigrants were complaining when they wanted to KEEP being in this country illegal?
What in the world is going on with these blind obama followers? I have never HEARD any president tell their constituency to stop complaining or grumbling - ever! Are you serious? Why are people defending that? Read the transcripts and compare his speeches. Wow.
BLACK GOP ENGAGES BLACK DEMOCRATS POLITICAL CONFUSION…
The escalating black American political controversy that is orbiting President Barack Obama’s leadership style is now raging, following the remarks by comedian Steve Harvey that Cornel West and Tavis Smiley are “Uncle Toms.”
Specifically, Harvey was critiquing the Poverty Tour organized by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, as well as their vociferous criticism of the president’s leadership, as it relates to the needs of the poor in particular.
Referencing Tavis’ suggestion that the president should sit down with him and West for two or three days to discuss poverty in America, Harvey said, “Who in the hell got two or three days to sit down with your ass? I ain’t got time to sit down with your monkey behind for two are three days, let alone the President if the United States. We got three wars going on the economy is crashing, and we going to sit with Tavis’ ass for three days?” Harvey also alluded to a more sinister motive for the West, Smiley Poverty Tour asking, “Where are you getting the money for the buses?”
The black political rift began many months ago when Tavis Smiley and Al Sharpton traded political barbs on their respective radio shows, and it quickly escalated into a public confrontation on the radio airways. The rift between the two men centered on a critique by Smiley that Sharpton was carry water for president Obama, and was letting him (the president) off the hook concerning advancing the “black agenda.” Sharpton responded in kind to Smiley’s political critique, and the controversy quickly became politically airborne. Click here to read more: http://www.votersanonymous.com/?p=519
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