Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O’Donnell went at it again on “The View” over a discussion about racism in America. Goldberg wouldn’t accept the blanketed statement that all of America is racist.
The two argued with each other over whether or not O’Donnell could understand racism as a non-Black person. In a comment directed at O’Donnell, Goldberg said, “You are a white woman telling me what’s racist to you.”
“Racism is when someone comes up to you and says, ‘I hope you f***ing die,’” Goldberg said. “That’s racism.”
While talking about the People magazine interview where President Barack Obama told his account of being mistaken for a valet at a restaurant, Goldberg said that there’s a difference between stupidity and “real racism.”
“You don’t have to be Black to know what racism is,” O’Donnell said on the talk show.
“I’ve been Black for 60 years,” Goldberg said. “For me, stupidity, there are dumb folks who just say dumb stuff because they’re not looking or paying attention to the person they’re talking to, which is why people could walk up to Obama and not look up at him and see that it’s the president.”
Her co-hosts on the show that day, Rosie Perez, Laverne Cox and O’Donnell, disagreed that it was just stupidity and that the president’s situation was racially charged.
O’Donnell replied that she could recognize hate from her experiences as a gay American dealing with homophobia. She even brought up that she is raising a Black child at her house.
“I’m a gay American who’s been called a [expletive],” she said.
Goldberg said O’Donnell’s experience with homophobia doesn’t relate to the racism Black people face. Goldberg told O’Donnell that it’s not the same.
That's interesting. So someone coming up to me and telling me a racist joke with supposed impunity, because I'm white, isn't racist. It's just stupid?
What can a black person do to a white person outside of yelling derogatory, bigoted language? White people are the power structure in America. Power is what makes racism possible by using it to distinguish superiority from inferiority. There's no power structure in America for black people to showcase superiority over white people. Therefore, blacks can not be racist. Black people can be bigots, not racists.
Que Hampton I wasn't clear. I meant a white person telling me a n word joke. I'm taking issue with Whoopi's assertion that racism is a direct personal expression of hatred. Most racism is covert and done behind closed doors now. As you rightly point out, there is no corresponding experience for white folks, Though I've had some new weight and age based exclusion when job hunting. 🙁
Whoopi is not the intelligent, thoughtful person that she plays in real life. Her opinions, delivered in a deep, raspy voice have "sounded" insightful, but the words never match the tone. Good actress, bad script.
RO got over because of her association with Madonna. She never had any talent and without M the entertainment industry would never have heard of her. I'm no fan of WG and I believe she's been reading David Allan Grier's new book. Both of them need to stop trying to be brainiacs. lol
I haven't listened yet but I will give my opinion once I check it out.
What leads you to that conclusion? Do you know her? I don't think you do, and if not, then that doesn't make you very insightful either. Strongly advise you check out Tim Wise, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, and a hell of a lot of history. There is NO equivalency between being gay and being discriminated against because of your color. If so, please recall for me how many gay people were enslaved, denied human rights, voting rights, housing, land stolen, lynched, etc for the last 400 years and more. How many gay people's culture, inventions, wages, health care, and life of labor were stolen from them and sold back to them as a white Christ, Jew, Buddha, Shiva, Democracy, etc. How much history do gay people have with austerity. Looks to me like they have more political power than even cancer victims. Rank somewhere around the top 5 political groups in this country. Further, now they receive more rights, support, and handouts than the very race they co-opted the term "equality" from. Intelligent people tend to back up their statements with reference and facts. Where are yours?
http://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=AsQQRPPI26Y&u=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCIbteS4PVMc%26feature%3Dshare
http://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=AsQQRPPI26Y&u=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCIbteS4PVMc%26feature%3Dshare
Steward B. Clinton You jumped right to the "being gay" part of the story when my explicit comment was on Whoopi and her lack of gravitas. You opened with the inane "you don't know Whoopi", screed which immediately conjured images of a fool with noting else to say. Address my comments, not the trash in your head. Can you do that? Remember, I did not address Rosie or gay people at all … only the silly Whoopi. Read with comprehension, or don't comment.
The problem is White folks always want to tell us when it hurts and also they feel they have the right to tell us when we can fee the pain!
AMAZING!
I would never take away from Odonnel saying she doesnt know racisim, but what I can say is that my color is something I can not hide from anyone,which can make me a target for hate groups. Gay people (beautiful culture), can hide that truth of them of they wanted to, to keep from being a target. I do think everyone. Has experinced some form of it.
I think Whoopi was absolutely right, you can hide being gay if you want too.I can, t 'the hide my color.