Friday, November 15, 2013

Lies Transcend all Colours

The evil sin of lying does not come in any particular colour.  White men lie; black men lie and politicians of both colours do it all the time.

Over in the UK, US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is using South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson’s shout “You lie!” when President Barack Obama was pushing the benefits of his now epic fail Affordable Health Care Act, aka ObamaCare, as proof positive that dislike for the president comes down to “the colour of his skin”.

Winfrey, talking to BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz about her starring role in The Butler, which recounts the life of an African American man who grows up on a cotton plantation,  raised Wilson’s calling out Obama a liar as evidence that Americans don’t like Obama based on the colour of his skin.
“Asked if some of the challenges and criticisms faced by President Barack Obama were down to the colour of his skin, she said: “There’s no question.” (BBC, Nov. 13, 2013)

“She recalled an incident in 2009 when Mr Obama was giving a speech to Congress, and Republican congressman Joe Wilson called out “you lie”.

“Remember that?” she said. “I think there’s a level of disrespect for the office that occurs.

“And that occurs in some cases, and maybe even many cases, because he’s African American. There’s no question about that. And it’s the kind of thing no one ever says, but everybody’s thinking it.



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