The Wit and Wisdom of Toby Keith

if you put a person behind a wall and let me hear them talk i can tell you if they are white or black .. unless its obama of coarse

Posted by: j rola | Aug 8, 2008

Bulllony you could!!

Toby Keith is just bringing to light ignorant and false ideas that permeate our society. We DO need to bring these things up to expose them for the falsehoods they are. Way to go Toby! Thanks for being so "ignernt". (thats how we say it in PA) Dialects are regional and have nothing to do with skin color. Period.

You make a good points Natacha. Words to definately consider. Thanks...

Who cares what TK thinks. We don't base our opinions on what he thinks. I'm sick of people saying they stand for "family values" and "freedom" but vote for canidates who endorse the killing of the unborn. Everyone knows that race does play an issue in an election anyway. Most whites vote for whites and most blacks do the same. What is Obama anyway? He is biracial! So why does everyone call him black? Give me a break. Quit whining about race and stereotypes. Personally, I'm sick of hearing about race and how racial groups are victims, etc. Get over it and move on.

I'm amazed that someone can introduce his comments and use words like "wit" or "wisdom." His statement, "carries himself as a Caucasian" was rude and overwhelming racist. How do you carry yourself like a Caucasian? Culturally, how do you describe a Caucasian? I guess, the better question is how does he perceive "black society?"

I have it hard enough being a 29year old African American Republican, who is strong supporter of GW. But when I have stupid comments coming from folks who; "aren't racist, that's just a stereotype. Republicans stand for family values and freedom." - Words I have to repeat over and over to friends who can't understand my political allegiance. I would hate to think after all these years, that I was one who was mistaken..

TonyM:

I have to admit a am a bi racial black & white man I too supported President Bush both terms I also thought that Republicans stood for family values and freedom." - Words I used to repeat over and over to friends who didn't understand my political allegiance.

Well I've learned in the last eight years that President Bush did nothing for values and nothing for freedom and McCain will follow right along with Bush. I also learned being a Republican or a Democrat has nothing to do with what you believe.

The party line politics myth is over and we can thank Hillary Clinton for opening our eyes on that one. Wake up people no longer can you believe that one party or the other is gonna represent you because you are a Democrat or a Republican.

Don't vote red or blue, vote the issues at hand, such as jobs, housing and bringing our troops home.
By the way TonyM I am proud to say I am a Independent now. Obama08/12

Jeff in Kansas: This gentlemen you speak about sounds like a true success story and very intelligent. That being said, you state that his daughter told him that she knew nothing about Sen. Obama but the only thing that mattered was that he was black. Correct!

The guy you just described to everyone sounds very smart but being black & white myself and have came from the same kind of tough background, it seems that your mentor of 20 yrs would have educated his daughter at a very young age that politics would play a very big role in her life.

It would also seem to me that knowing where her father came from and how far he has came that she would be a very intelligent young lady and would honer him by being well informed about every decision she would make in her life.

The fact is black people in the United States are very well informed about Sen Barack Obama. I work with young kids that have come from back grounds just like the one you describe your black friend has went through and worse and all of these kids that aren't even old enough to vote are very much engaged in this years Election and know the policy differences.

Some of them even have family members in IRAQ and Afghanistan and would like them to come home alive and not in a box. I myself have family their and would like them to get out of the illegal war that Bush put us in and the war that John McCain wants to continue for the next 100 years.

My own kids who are 6 and 13 know the policy differences between Obama and McCain because we discuss them in our home.

So it strikes me as very odd that a grown woman who is old enough to vote in the biggest Election in her lifetime knows nothing about Sen Barack Obama.
I'm not calling you a liar but that is a mighty tall tail.

You did a nice job invoking Martin Luther Kings name to drive your very suspect message but why don't you give us a list of all the shady characters San. Obama has had around him and the shady characters Sen McCain has around him. Are you sure you want to compare the two?

Please explain to us in detail your understanding of the policy differences between Sen. Obama and McCain.

Freedom of Speech....leave the guy alone for expressing his views and alot of others, I'm sure. Too bad this election has to be so full of racial distractions, as an Obama presidency will be too.

I have it hard enough being a 29year old African American Republican, who is strong supporter of GW. But when I have stupid comments coming from folks who; "aren't racist, that's just a stereotype. Republicans stand for family values and freedom." - Words I have to repeat over and over to friends who can't understand my political allegiance. I would hate to think after all these years, that I was one who was mistaken..

As an educator, I hear the phrase “not acting Black” far too often. When I access the students who are characterized this way, they tend to be the students who are flourishing
academically and have the potential to be successful in their adult life WITHOUT stealing and selling drugs. On the other hand, students who deem it important to wear their pants so that their underwear shows and speak Ebonics tend to be underachievers that don’t live up to their potential. A person’s dialect does not make him a man or woman. An individual’s ability to thrive legally and moralistically in our society should be the true measure of a person.

Up to this point, Obama has shown that he is making every attempt to project himself as a prominent AMERICAN we can be proud of, and one who we can use as a positive role model to all children. Hopefully,African-American children will see what can happen if they work hard and stay focused on school and work.

Obama is bashed for many things, but I don’t think “being black” should be one of them. In my opinion, this is just another maneuver by the republicans to divide the black vote. DON”T BE FOOLED!

I have always been a fan of Toby Keith. While I am not a supporter of George Bush, I liked the fact that Toby Keith stood up for him when the Dixie Chicks said what they did. I don't believe that you should talk badly about the leader of your country no matter how much you dislike him. But I have to say that I am very disappointed in him for saying what he did. I am a 31 year old white woman and to me that is one of the most racist things to say. What is acting/ talking/ or carrying yourself as a black person? What is acting/ talking/ or carrying yourself as a white person? I have always voted Republican, but every since I first heard and saw Obama speak he has had my vote and it has nothing to do with him carrying himself as any race. He is an intelligent man. And it's time to finally have one of those as the leader of this great nation.

I'm not a fan of Obama (nor McCain for that matter), but I've got to say that I've been reading these posts and can't tell who is black and who is white. I think that proves nobody has to "talk" a certain way. I think we do need more dialogue about race in the country no matter who wins the election. But right now, I would prefer both candidates make sure that all of us AMERICANS have jobs and security. Both candidates have ideas on how to achieve this. I just wish everyone would quit making up their minds about who to vote for without looking deeper than an article that's just trying to get a rise out of everyone to sell subscriptions or get viewers. Look at both candidates with an open mind. Hear what both sides have to say. Choose according to the policies you agree with. From my perspective, the half white/half black issue is deviding us along the wrong lines. Looking at the issues, my ideal candidate is half Obama/half McCain.

Oonogil:

Obama’s people shouldn't’t shout “racism” every time someone says something against their hero either? What! Who exactly are his people? Are you talking about all the black, white, woman, man, gay, straight people that voted for Barack?

Are you talking about just black people? The fact is Obama is loved by all walks of life but it's people like yourself that want to hide behind the politics of the candidate so that you don't have to admit you may have some issues with race. HIS PEOPLE! That's funny!

Obama is his own person. There are plenty of whites behaving in a manner that Mr. Keith would call "black". Toby would be wise to keep the trap shut.

What is a Toby Keith? Is this some uneducated racist moron from the South?
Looks like he needs a bath.

Wow! People are always making something huge out of nothing. The fact is the majority of people who are black do talk a certain way, just like white people do, asians do and many other races do as well. So what! What's so bad about that? We are different, get over it people! It's not a bad thing! How boring would the world be if we were all the same! The drama llama strikes again!

There are some deep underlying concerns about Mr. Keith’s statement, which really has transcended through the years. We attend school to be educated. Education encompasses a variety of forms of skill development, including speaking, articulation as well as the basics: math, reading, social studies, science, etc. When a person attains and masters these skills (in particular, the skill of oratory and “acceptable” presence) some contribute their persona as acting “Caucasian”. This stems to expectations that some individuals have for various groups of people and unfortunately it goes back to slavery. Mr. Obama is a well-educated “man” and he exemplifies the education and knowledge that he has received. Nothing else and never less should be expected of him or any other person. Black or White should not be the conversations here. EDUCATION has been the key to his success, as it is for any other person. We are expressing our own judgmental values and expectations when we contribute specific characteristics to a particular group. Also,Mr. Keith might want to take some time for self-reflection about what "his" perceptions of people are. His public statement is a societal issue.

Barrack Obama wasn’t raised in an African American community by African American parents. You wouldn’t expect someone from the Bronx to sound like someone from San Antonio.

Still, it was a dumb thing for Keith to say. Race should have nothing to do with the election. Obama’s people shouldn’t shout “racism” every time someone says something against their hero either.

I don’t care what color he is, I just don’t like his political views.

noexit:
You have to remember this, all Democrats that have ran for President have received over 90% of the black vote. As far as Jessie Jackson and Al. Sharpton they lost the respect of the black community a long time go. I hate to say it but those two are no different then Rev. Wright who have made a living keeping people divided. That being said they have still done a lot of positive things for the black community and are well respected for that. No one is perfect but I think that we are at the tipping point where people have had enough of the divisions and want to move past it but people have t want to have serious dialog and instead of talking at each other we should be talking to each other. Sen Obama should not only be seen as a leader for blacks but for whites also because the fact is he is the face of America.

Keith said essentially the same thing of Obama that Al Shapton said.

Marlene said "Stop assuming that all blacks will vote for Obama. Black people, not unlike any other race on the face of the planet, are capable of forming their own thoughts and opinions on the many serious topics and issues impacting all of America".

I appreciate your sentiments Marlene. However, I promise you that when the election is over the numbers will show 90+% of black people voted for Obama.