Fiscally nuts. Socially insane.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Thoughts on Reverend Wright

I have been in debate with one of my loyal readers on the thread from this post a few days ago. We have been talking about Reverend Wright and... well read it for yourself, my bias will shine through too much. But most recently, he said this:

If it is the case that you believe that someone is a better American if she doesn't find fault with "The Trail of Tears," or slavery, or the internment of American citizens of Japanese descent during WWII, or jim crow, we'll have to agree to disagree, I guess.

For starters, I never said that. It is obviously important to look back and realize those terrible faults in American history. But it only proves useful to examine those faults with the hope of improving them and eliminating them from our culture. Looking back on them and claiming that it proves some sort of moral fault in the modern  American people as a whole is incorrect and unjustified (especially when Obama himself believes so strongly in the decency of the American people). 
To say "God damn America," so passionately as Reverend Wright did, he obviously hasn't travelled much. I just returned from a service trip to Ecuador as I'm sure you've read, where I found a lifestyle so dismal and so impoverished that I literally teared up multiple times a day. Their unethical, completely corrupt government is robbing and destroying the people instead of helping them. 1/3 of Ecuador lives on a dollar - a DOLLAR - a day per person, and all those except the wealthiest 6% live on less than $3 a day. A family of four will live in a home the size of the room I am typing in now (which isn't that big). I went to two masses while I was down there, both in open air churches; one parish couldn't afford to finish putting in flooring, so it was only half covered. But nonetheless, they sing praise to their God and are joyful for what they have. Reverend Wright preaches from his gorgeous air-conditioned Church and oak-wood pulpit, wallowing in self-pity and anguish of a crime now largely nonexistent.

Yeah, God, damn America.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wrote a tremendously long comment this morning. It's cool if you chose not to post it (it is your blog, after all); I'm just wondering if it got through, since I never got the "your comment is awaiting moderation" screen.

If you didn't get my comment--and want to see my response--can you add a note to that effect? (In that case, I can redraft something tomorrow evening.) If you're just moderating (or don't want to see y response), you don't have to bother to say anything--that's your business.

Will Conway said...

I didn't get your comment. I let almost any comment through as long as it's not ridiculously obscene or offensive. I personally love debate, and I'm always up for the challenge of an opposing view. I'd love to hear your redraft.

Anonymous said...

It is good to hear that you're open to debate. I think that it can be useful when both parties are willing to do some listening, and it looks like that's what happening here.

Work re-lated writing deadlines (I'm playing hooky right now by blog commenting!) will keep me away from rewriting my comment for another day or two, I'm afraid. I will get back to you, and this time, I'll write it out in MSWord, first, so my comment won't be lost to internet mishaps again.