“If you have trouble telling whether you’re for me or Trump, you’re not black.”
This rather bold statement came not from Al Sharpton, but from former Vice President and proven white man Joe Biden. The Democratic presidential candidate made the remark on “The Breakfast Club,” hosted by Charlamagne Tha God, one of the most popular black radio hosts in the country. Even Charlamagne seemed surprised by this statement: Since when has Joe Biden been the arbiter of who is “really” black? What qualifications does he have to make such a distinction? (No mention was made of his numerous disqualifications, such as boasting that fellow Democrat and racist lunatic George Wallace had praised him as one of “America’s outstanding young politicians.”)
Liberals rushed to explain that Biden’s remarks were no huge deal. A liberal friend even wrote on Facebook, “No one cares about Biden’s remarks, and anyone who pretends to care is lying.” But as co-host of “The Todd Allyn Show,” a radio show hosted by a Black economics professor on a Black-owned radio network in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, I witnessed the reactions of several real African-Americans through our show’s group chat. Here’s what my black co-hosts thought about Biden’s remarks:
“This is a white liberal expose,” Todd Allyn joked. “We need a special program for this.”
“I’m actually glad he said that,” said fellow co-host Khalid Namar true a black man, regardless of what Joe Biden thinks. “That’s astonishing…even for Magoo.”
But the most furious reaction came from our producer, an African-American man who also falls into the coveted 18-35 age group: “This is outrageous. Absolutely outrageous. “That was the most bigoted thing I’ve ever heard him say… It’s so offensive.” He then wrote to me specifically, “You should write a Townhall article about Biden’s bigoted comments and challenge him….”
So here I am. And while I can’t speak for the black community about its reaction to Biden – because, unlike Biden himself, I know that black people are individuals with their own thoughts and opinions – I know enough white liberals to appreciate why they feel comfortable creating absurdities, such pompous declarations. Even though they scream about “fascism,” “Nazis,” “racism,” and how Republicans hate “black and brown people,” few liberals are able to recognize their own subconscious racism. Many liberals treat people of color like overgrown children who need to be told how to vote, how to spend their money, and how to raise their children. They then pat themselves on the back for “helping” these communities by imposing their own ideas and beliefs on them.
If you look at it this way, is it any wonder that the jobs most concerned with policing black people are dominated by liberals (except for the police themselves)? One of the most democratic professions is social work, where there are 93 Democrats for every 7 Republicans. Of course, some people engage in social work to aid the destitute and needy. But given that a degree in social work is often a requirement for becoming a probation officer or working for Child Protective Services, is it too much to suspect that some people enter social work with the goal of straightening out blacks?
“The child welfare system claims to be a non-adversarial legal system designed to ensure the well-being and safety of children,” wrote Dorothy Roberts and Lisa Sangoi in an article titled“Black families matter.”“This claim obscures the oppressive political role it plays in monitoring, regulating and punishing poor families and Black, Brown and Indigenous families. “The mass removal of black children from their families is, in some ways, akin to the mass removal of black men and women from their communities by the American criminal legal system.”
While liberals in these professions may enjoy their position of power over black and other marginalized people, research shows that they don’t think very highly of the people to whom they report. Yale University, rather a bastion of conservatism, discovered that white liberals are “dumbing down” their language and pretend to be less competent when addressing minorities – but conservatives don’t do that.
“Most whites, especially sociopolitical liberals, now support racial equality. Archival and experimental research reveals a subtle but reliable ironic consequence: white liberals portray minorities as less competent than other whites – that is, they patronize minorities who are stereotyped as lower status and less competent,” the study found. (To be fair, when it comes to social workers, “dumbing down” may not be the action: research consistently shows that social workers have the lowest IQ and lowest average SAT and ACT scores any profession requiring higher education). Is this why Biden felt the need to use the phrase “you.” NO black” when interviewing a black radio presenter, instead of using standard English and asking, “you’re not black?” Joe Biden may often be tongue-tied, but in front of a black audience, his employ of non-standard English always seems purposeful. Another of Biden’s highlights was telling a mostly black audience in Danville, Virginia, in 2012 that Republicans “will all back in chains. Of course, when Biden is on the debate stage, words like “no” and “everyone” are conspicuously absent.
The media will spend the rest of the week covering up Biden’s comments, downplaying them as something no black person cares about. But my producer Darvio described his remarks best: “Typical white liberal values. If you don’t like me, you’re not black enough. After all, I love you people. My great-grandfather took care of you on his farm!”
Note to white liberals: the year is 2020, not 1820. The plantation is closed for business. It’s not your place to tell black people whether they are “really” black based on whether you have their vote.
