Question
Gates vs. Crowley. Gates supposedly kept demanding Crowley's name and badge number. Crowley was uniformed. So, aren't officers in uniform wearing a badge and name tag with that information in plain sight?
This "case" is about class, not race. Gates is an eminent scholar and a "somebody" who lives and hobnobs with folks in Martha's Vineyard. Crowley is a working stiff in uniform who coaches little league. Is there a snob in the equation?
Another question - Lucia Whalen, the 40 y/o white neighbor who called in the potential burglary in progress, is the circulation manager/fundraiser for Harvard Magazine. Did she not recognize her neighbor and colleague of sorts? Why? All black men pushing on a door jamb look the same?
Gates said something that my ears caught, in an interview with Soledad O'Brien.
GATES: I knew that I was in danger but I knew, too, that as soon as my friends could get to jail, starting with Professor Charles Ogletree, who is my friend and lawyer, that eventually I would be OK. But what it made me realize was how vulnerable all black men are, how vulnerable all people of color are and all poor people to capricious forces like a rogue policeman. And this man clearly was a rogue policeman.
Gates is saying that in all his 58 years it was this incident that made him realize how vulnerable black men are to rogue policemen. And he's a genius?
Are we to believe that a wealthy Harvard professor, friend of Obama, lawyer at his fingertips, believed himself in danger? Danger from what? The charges would not be dropped fast enough? Or that Rev. Al and/or Jesse would break a leg in their haste to get to the microphone?
I get the feeling the prof's 15 minutes are turning into an hour or two.
2 comments:
I agree that this case is about class, not race. A "somebody" who had a momentary cushioned brush with the law can sell his tale of horror to colleagues and captive audiences, who coincidentally are the ones with money/credit to buy the product. He is also one of the somebodies who looks upon the nobodies as research material.
As a nobody of Gate's generation, I hypothesize that he has been sheltered from society's integration struggle that has been going on during his adult life. Let him put that in his research elves' inbox.
Kathy
p.s. In the photo in the previous post, it looks to me like Gates is communicating to the Black officer's back.
Kathy -
Maybe Gates is yelling to the black officer's back that he's an uncle tom ...
I'm not sure what to make of the hype about Obama weighing in - that seems to have taken on legs. I hear there may be audio of the whole incident. Hope so.
But, I wouldn't be surprised if Barry O. now has to throw Skip under the bus with Rev. Wright. Unless of course, Skip has more cards to play, such as polaroids of him and Barry toking on a bong with some white girl lap dancing while one of them gave the other a reach-around .... nah, even that wouldn't bother the voting public. Lol.
Post a Comment