African American
In reply to the discussion: After 10 years, I've never seen DU as crazy as it is right now. [View all]geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)It was a chance, missed by both Sanders and O'Malley, for genuine dialogue.
And the freak out by Sanders supporters was appalling. I said so at the time.
The rest of this post is difficult to write because the black community here has been subject to so much abuse and harassment and explicit racism.
What happened in Seattle, quite honestly, was disturbing. A 73 year old Jewish man, whose ancestors were all murdered in the Holocaust, was physically accosted on stage by two people 50 years younger who we're shouting angrily with unfriendly gestures.
How would we feel if that were John Lewis or Michelle Obama being angrily and aggressively confronted by a couple of white kids getting in their face? And those white kids started a hash tag of #bowdownmichelle?
There's been a lot of gross insensitivity and offensive conduct on the part of Sanders supporters. A lot. More racism than I would have imagined possible.
But what happened on that stage when Senator Sanders began speaking was ugly. UGLY. And complaints about a lack of respect towards BLM are going to ring hollow if people insist that what went on there was peachy keen and that Bernie Sanders was the bad guy there.
Keep in mind the reason you don't see that happening with Hillary (or Barack or Michelle) is that the Secret Service would have tackled them before they got within 15 feet of her.
It's real easy to be respectful and calm in a private room flanked by unsmiling men with guns.
That's the opinion of this extremely privileged white guy, for whatever that is worth. I recognize that it's not entitled to any respect, but I offer it in respect, directly, rather than acting as if y'all are not worthy of hearing candid opinions you might not agree with.