Yep, Louis Farrakhan sure is a great man
So the Rev. Wright is all over the place now, explaining himself, defending his beliefs, proving conclusively that, why yes, he is a fucking moron. What interests me in particular is the way the press is covering this trainwreck. Wright’s insistence that Louis Farrakhan is a great man — “one of the most important voices in the 20th and 21st century” — is understood to be toxic because Farrakhan is anti-Semitic. Which he is, of course, but that’s not all he is.
Really, how many times have you read a piece about Louis Farrakhan that mentions anti-Semitism as his main flaw, or even his only flaw? I’ll bet a bunch of times. And how many times have you seen a piece on Farrakhan that nails him because he’s a goddamn raving misogynist who thinks women should be subservient to men in every area of life? I’ll bet almost never.
Mr. Farrakhan urged the women to embrace his formula for a successful family. He encouraged them to put husbands and children ahead of their careers, shun tight, short skirts, stay off welfare and reject abortion. He also stressed the importance of cooking and cleaning and urged women not to abandon homemaking for careers.
“You’re just not going to be happy unless there is happiness in the home,” Mr. Farrakhan said at the Mason Cathedral Church of God in Christ in the Dorchester section, not far from the Roxbury neighborhood where he was reared by a single mother. “Your professional lives can’t satisfy your soul like a good, loving man.”
24 Responses to “Yep, Louis Farrakhan sure is a great man”
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K.A. says:
Is this the part where funfeminists accuse you of engaging in the oppression olympics, rather than pointing out the cultural invisibility of women’s oppression because there are more economic benefits from the continual subordination of women to misogynists like Farrakhan?
April 28th, 2008 at 11:04 pm EST -
Violet says:
That would be an automatic flunk on the stick test.
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cr says:
Farrakhan also claims to have been taken aboard a UFO in 1985. It’s amazing that anyone anywhere would take him seriously, he’s a crazy freak.
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Alikatze says:
WTH are “funfeminists” anyway? But, yea, KA, I wish there weren’t so many apologists (or whatever you want to call them) out there.
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Briar says:
I know the US rarely steps inside its own national boundaries to see itself as others see it, but it may interest you to know that over in Europe, Wright’s comments are distilled down to: “The US brought 9/11 down on itself by its ruthless pursuit of self interest in its treatment of other countries.” And the fact is, this is true, and we who are not required to be patriotic Americans know it is true. The US is a terrorist nation that has killed millions around the world and is ready to kill more (most at risk, currently, Iran). The other aspects of Wright’s views, repellent though they are, don’t get reported here, but in so far as the reaction implies a continued American refusal to abandon its assumption of a “Manifest Destiny” with regard to the rest of the world, the impression of the US mainstream remains overwhelmingly negative. No change, as far as we can see, and no hope of change, just more belligerence and aggression and hypocritical preaching at us. So yes, we can see Obama is a two-faced politician no better than all the others. He proves it as he denies his pastor. St Peter speaks again.
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jay says:
Most of Europe exists today because of U.S.
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atheist woman says:
Briar, I agree on all of those terms, but that takes away nothing from Farrakhan’s sexism and anti-antisemitism. Could you please explain what the hell St. Peter has to do with *any* of this?
Violet I am wondering why this is relevant if Obama has distanced himself from Wright? (one of the few good things to come out of that atrocious Fox appearance).
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Infidel says:
Meanwhile our president says oil prices are going up due to limited supply and greater demand. There has never been more oil and demand for oil has gone down. What is the purpose of words? What is the purpose of having a president? And who on earth would want the job after eight years of Bush? You really have to wonder about a person like that. Now a preacher, or self proclaimed profit- that’s a person who knows the purpose of religion and the power of words like belief and faith- harken to these words: Farrakhan is an Asshole and Wright is a Donkey. If Briar thinks there is any deserving 9/11 then Briar should have a 747 shoved up Briars ass.
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Apostate says:
Thanks for pointing out Farrakhan’s sexism, Violet. He’s a particularly pernicious part of black American Islam.
And of course, Obama distancing himself is a “courageous act” and “the right thing to do.” Not at all politically expedient or self-serving (not that I blame him, just pointing out the narrative, which wouldn’t have been so charitable towards Hillary in a similar situation).
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Violet says:
Violet I am wondering why this is relevant if Obama has distanced himself from Wright?
It’s relevant to our existence as human beings in this culture.
Before I got caught up in the campaign I used to blog about feminism in general, a practice I hope to return to as soon as Satan releases his grip on my soul. Regardless of where Obama stands on any of this, I’m appalled that references to Farrakhan continue to ignore his views on women, as if they aren’t every bit as grotesque as his anti-Semitism. The great yawning silence about misogyny drives me right up the fucking wall.
As for Wright, I’ve been saying for weeks now that the dude is a sexist asshat. His admiration for Farrakhan just confirms that, since anyone who regards women as full human beings deserving of full human rights could not possibly consider Farrakhan a great man.
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Violet says:
I know the US rarely steps inside its own national boundaries to see itself as others see it, but it may interest you to know that over in Europe, Wright’s comments are distilled down to: “The US brought 9/11 down on itself by its ruthless pursuit of self interest in its treatment of other countries.”
If that were the essence of Wright’s comments, I would have no beef with the guy. At all. A lot of people wouldn’t.
It really is a shame that the rest of his nonsense isn’t reported, because that’s where the rub is. Jesus H., the man believes that black brains are different from white brains.
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therealuk says:
Most of Europe exists today because of U.S.
OMG. Is it performance art ?
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atheist woman says:
Oh, I was not saying that this is not relevant to the culture. I just was confused because there was a Hillary tag underneath the post. I just assumed that you meant it in connection to Obama. Or is it just generally that he listened to this guy for twenty years?
*Satan has a grip on all our souls right now. I can’t wait for this damned primary to be done with.
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Violet says:
I just was confused because there was a Hillary tag underneath the post.
Yeah, I’m behind updating my categories. I need to create one for the 2008 election. In the meantime I’ve just been tagging everything Hillary.
This post belongs under several categories (like Why We Still Need Feminism), but it also belongs under 2008 Election because it’s connected to this Rev. Wright business.
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simply wondered says:
and the award for the most surreal comment of the day goes to….
‘Most of Europe exists today because of U.S.’
’scuse me while i find something to wipe my seat. violet! where’s that stick?
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simply wondered says:
did that happen before or after the us invented tea, feminism and the pyramids?
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therealUK says:
did that happen before or after the us invented tea, feminism and the pyramids?
Erinnern Sie sich, ir würden alle Deutsch sprechen, wenn es nicht für “Das Größte Land auf der Erde” war.
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atheist woman says:
violet, gotchya.
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Paul Tergeist says:
On FOX news….Darth Vader dresses up in a pink pantsuit and is interviewed by C3PO. Fair and balanced reporting at it’s best.
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Violet says:
Paul, this is a pro-Hillary blog. Please do not insult her. I’m so tired of all the Hillary insults everywhere ELSE on the damn intertubes that I won’t tolerate them here.
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simply wondered says:
7 words was all it took to wind up us french-loving cheese-eating surrender monkeys! or ‘not-quite-germans’ as we should be known.
…fireworks, shakespeare, medicine, democracy, wiener schnitzel, the common law, the sandwich, glass, …
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/ehj2 says:
Dear SW,
As fond as I am of peanut butter, banana, and avocado sandwiches, please let us not forget some other little English “inventions,” such as Separation of Church and State (Protestantism), the Magna Carta (which led to the rule of Constitutional Law), and Habeas Corpus (limiting the power of the state to “vanish” citizens and hold them indefinitely without some recourse to law).
But in addition to the 30-year cold war (invented and promulgated by RAND) us yanks did invent “9/11 changed everything” — and you can see we bow to that law as if it were on the tablets of commandments brought down from Sinai by Moses.
Well, actually, we ignore most of those other ten “recommendations.” They’re just guidelines, right?
So your “quaint” little English ideas about separation of church and state, the Magna Carta, and habeas corpus are defenestrated (a wicked cool word for “thrown out the window”).
Conservatives here really don’t like progress, and the 1500’s (when servants and peasants — not to mention women — knew their place) feels about right to them.
Wait, didn’t you have a Peasant’s Revolt in 1381? Okay, forget the 1500’s. Make that the 1200’s.
Love Always,
/ehj2
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calliopejane says:
And of course, Obama distancing himself is a “courageous act” and “the right thing to do.” Not at all politically expedient or self-serving (not that I blame him, just pointing out the narrative, which wouldn’t have been so charitable towards Hillary in a similar situation).
Yeah, this nonsense that he’s somehow above playing the usual strategic games required to win, even as we watch him clearly play them (which he should if he’s got a brain), is wearing thin. The first things I thought when I saw the footage of Wright being all batshit insane and performing parodies of white people is:
1) Oh man, Obama must just want to THROTTLE him! and
2) So what did Obama do to piss Wright off so much that he’s started seeking the limelight for what really looks like out-and-out sabotage?I mean, all of a sudden this preacher is taking speaking gigs that put him on camera, tossing out crap that he could not POSSIBLY be unaware would be played for all it’s worth against BHO. My best guess is he was pissed-off about the previous wishy-washy bit of distancing Obama had done before and is just flat-out taking revenge.
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Melissa says:
Nothing Obama says or does can change the fact that he sat in that church for 20 years. Throwing Wright under the bus now changes nothing.
Wright thinks Farrakhan is great, Obama listened to Farrakhan for 20 years. Toss in Ayers and Dorhn.
Political posturing for sure. No thanks Farrakhan, Wright and Obama. I would just as soon not go back to the 50’s (or earlier) on women’s rights.
