Bill Moyers - Rev. Wright's "God Damn America" in Context

[moviesforrandy]

the american government cant even run themselves. they will lead us into starvation one day if the world is hear much longer. i am white and i will tell you god dam the american government.

[FatalParalax]

The government owes nobody anything. If you feel you are being segregated or hated than YOU go take care of it. stop complaining about white supremacy and then using that as a scapegoat to ask for more entitlements. There are plenty of good black folk out there that worked or do work hard and have made it well in America. I also find it ironic how he is complaining about the very government that ended slavery. All governments fail. It's just part of human nature.

[vincent15641]

Some good reasons why the preacher says "God damn America" can be found in the Aimed At America 3 video and the Aimed At America 4 video.

[Mr40acresandamule]

If people would really study the Bible and look at the teachings of the early church they would see that GOD is not partial and offers blessing to people or followers who are doing his will. Governments and people are filled with immoral corruption, greed, filth, and evil, so why would GOD would ever want to bless such a country with corrupt governments that are filled with immoral, greedy, and filthy people?

[jum90]

@Mr40acresandamule Thank you very good point

[ReformedOrder]

Only a WHITE Interviewer/host/person at 2:33 to 2:35 would ask such an obvious retarded question like "What did you mean?" after viewing that awesome footage of TRUTH that Rev. Wright had just ranted about. Um, that should not even be a question. One thing about the racist political history of European White Americans is that the truth is never easy to hear, talk about, or acknowledge. I guess in terms of rationalizing atrocious behaviors one would have to ask, "what did you mean?"....

[WhiteMoonLights]

IRONIC ;AND HE READS THE BIBLE MADE BY ROMAN CHURCH !!!

[judgerofwars]

they trash america for going to war. yet they dont trash black gang members who are killing civilians.

[judgerofwars]

people like wright and farrakhan ALWAYS blame someone else. why dont they ever speak out against all those black gangs??

[judgerofwars]

wright changed the subject. he never responded to "God damn america" comment.

[wavinglight]

why Rev Wright DID NOT EVEN MENTION INDIA but took time to mention HongKong when it is a historical fact that Freedom of INDIA was the event that ushered in the change of freedom all over the British colonies...it looks He was biased against India!

[Pastechi1]

@wavinglight dont be ridiculous , he just forgot because of the heat of the moment, he knows that, he meant geographically west (argentina) and hong kong in the most east

[wavinglight]

@Pastechi1, to put things in perspective of his missing reference, if somebody talks about black civil rights and forgets to mention Rosa Park or MLK jr but took time to mention somebody in Haiti or Jamaican civil rights it will be equivalent to leaving Indian freedom struggle out of the any discussion concerning rise and fall of British Empire. I did not see him talking about the MLK and the influence of Gandhi had in his movement here in US in other talk. Biased- may be but facts are facts?

[lester5192]

THE AFRICAN GOVERNMENT FAILED

when they sold poor black africans to rich white europeans.

the black community fails with more black on black crime than any other race who hates on them with crime. blacks do drive by's on each other and blame the system for making them do it.

[aaron0285]

He says, the U.S. government failed. The government when it came to treating the citizen's of African descent, America failed...

The U.S. government has stumbled... but it has not yet fallen.

[robolojo]

This man reaches far and wide to achieve his point. He also wants to show us how were missing the true intentions of many aspects of our nations history. Of course he knows the real reasons - what a surprise. Very negative, I would never want him in a position of biblical leadership over me because of his seething to have power. He delivers mental masturbation through talk to get people high.

[aviator408]

@robolojo What the hell are you babbling about?

[millmanist]

We need more black pastors in america like rev. wright.

[Tartersauce2]

Why do you think christ was hated by the priests.. why was john the baptist beheaded by the king. It's shown authoritive figures throughout history despise the blantant truth of their ways.

[Tartersauce2]

I'm not christian by any means at all.

I have distaste for church and preists these days and the money they make spreading their dogma unto the masses, but I would go to his sermons just for this reason alone.

if christs' messages had anything to do with anything, i believe it would be pretty close to something like this.

[bpitter2007]

Yes it does. And America has got some more "damning" coming to it before it's over.

[laplase1]

Wright is a real fool, nothing more then a self anoited preacher, God will surely damn him in the end.

[Stynsrienie]

rev wright is racist

[IBERJEN]

Two assholes together.Gay love at it's best!

[DrClaw77]

You would know about gay love and assholes, wouldn't you, IBERJEN.

[IBERJEN]

So would your crack whore mother ghetto monkey..................

[DrClaw77]

Sounds like someone that's been butthurt by Rev. Wright speaking truth to power, or someone who's just scared. It's OK. We all see your PINGAS dangling under your skirt, IBERJEN.

[IBERJEN]

Wow....Spanish.OOOHHHH you're sooooo enlightened.Piss-off ghetto-monkey.And take the ABD Rev. with you.

[DrClaw77]

That's not "Spanish"... you should check out some Youtube Poop sometime. It really speaks to someone of your intellect, you miserable hermaphrodite, you.

[IBERJEN]

Pinga is Spanish ghetto-monkey.....sorry.Piss-o­ff with your gay boy Rev. butt-fucker!

[dschel842]

Reverend Racist Wright teaches black isolationism that still holds on to the bitterness of yester-year and this creep was obama's spiritual mentor?

Obama is a mulatto that is just as much white as he is black but yet he clings to his "blackness". His "Dreams Of My Father" book? What a joke that was being that he didn't even know his father and it seems that his father's dream was to impregnate as many women as possible and then ditch them.....much like the black man does here....ironic, no?

[fazebrown]

Wright shouldn't have to explain himself. America could've been a great haven for ALL ppl, but certain regimes have perverted the laws of this great country, so it's only right that God damn this country. No one race is perfect, but when wrongs are perpetuated over and again, one needs to question the motives of said wrong-doers. American Blacks are probably the only formerly enslaved ppl who still reside in the land of their former owners. It's comparable to a rape victim living with a rapist.

[CharlieChan007]

yes, but it's not just that African Americans have the market cornered here: everyone has the right to be angry at countries, governments, and other entities from time to time without everyone going into a moral panic about it. It's just being human.

[cmf74]

just remember, there were no whites on african soil selling blacks ,the whites were buying, blacks sold blacks into slavery, so to correct rev wright, africa failed as well, I am so sick of all this coming down on white people, you can blame us for racism, but you have to blame the black ancestory for slavery!

having said that, racism didn't start till slavery was ended!

[WOO277]

The whites had muskets, gunpowder, bayonettes, and often took slaves by force.

[IBERJEN]

Lies.....More Alex Haley historical fiction.

[chaser676]

You know, I am a white male who lives in Jackson, Mississippi. Its extremely apparent to me that the black race is much more racist than any other race. I think they feel like we owe them something for the mistakes our grandfathers great-grandfathers made? It's the 21st century guys. We all have equal chances, let's stop blaming the color of our skin for our problems.

[boogiedance2002]

Truth TO Power. What a great man he is!

[1980PintoMan]

Even in context, Wright is a fool. Governments change. Obama wants change. Governments fail. Obama's would fail. Wright complains that blacks were put in sub-standard housing, Obama would do more of the same. Wright is disgusting and so is Obama.

[cgrealms2]

If all governments are doomed to failure, than what's the point in believing in anything? When Rev. Wright says that UNJUST governments fail, he's channeling an idea inherent in the founding of this nation: "When a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security." It's provocative, not foolish.

[1980PintoMan]

No, what you quote is different, Jefferson listed the abuses in the Declaration of Independence. Wright rants about wars and says the US was unjustified in every instance of war. If he doesn't like it here and he thinks himself an African why doesn't he go to Africa? Instead he lives in his mansion surrounded by rich white people.

[cgrealms2]

That's my point. You may not agree that the injustices he listed justify throwing off our government -- I certainly don't -- but in listing the injustices committed by our government (which, unlike the AIDS accusation, are all true) he was reminding his congregation that unjust governments fail.

[1980PintoMan]

Not sure if I understand you. Are you saying the supposed injustices that he lists are true? They aren't. He was saying America is unjust for the wrong reasons, so to make the point that the US government is unjust and will fail is wrong. However, I agree that governments fail, that's why there should be less government, less to fail.

[cgrealms2]

I agree that it's wrong to say that the US government is unjust and will fail. But how can you believe that the injustices he lists are untrue? U.S. treatment of American Indians was a disgrace. FDR did put innocent Japanese Americans in internment camps. Slavery IS our original sin. The government DID experiment on poor blacks in the Tuskegee Study. Segregation DID limit job and educational opportunities for blacks.

That doesn't mean things haven't improved. They have. But the legacy lingers.

[1980PintoMan]

Yes, I see what you mean, but I don't agree with the way Wright presents it, there is more than one side to a story. Indians were not treated unfairly all the time. Some fought to end slavery and did. Segregation ended. There were counters to every thing he listed. And he says what he says so disgustingly condescendingly, like there is no other view, that I just want to puke.

[cgrealms2]

That's fair. I read it as him just preaching to the choir, of which neither of us are the intended audience, but I can definitely see how his tone would be outputting regardless of context.

[Truth1954]

Wright is RIGHT! Vote Obama. NYPD acquitted for shooting Sean Bell 50 times. His crime: being black! The racist system trains cops to shoot first and to beat,taser,or kill black males at every opportunity. Don't think it is not racial just because some of the cops were black. There are sell-outs in every race and they are even almost as guilty as the whites and jews that pay for this racist system. Vote Obama! Get out into the STREETS and shut down the racist white and jew bankers on Wall St!