Lou Dobbs: Cotton... What?

Lou Dobbs on CNN's The Situation Room, March 28, 2008

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Lou
• Dobbs
• Cotton
• race
• condoleezza
• rice
• politicians
• NextNewNetworks

[TenderTrap86]

"Cotton picking" is just a phrase. Lou knew that people would just twist his words around. Look at what happened even when he stopped himself from saying it.

Tha fact that Lou stopped himself from saying it may actually be an indicator of how racially sensitive he is, not racist.

[drhollow45]

@WLegacy30- It's really quite simple. Race, sex, age, socioeconomic status, religion, politics, and even geographic location are used to keep the masses fighting with each other. It has very little to do with baggy pants, ebonics, and bling; nor does it have anything to do with confederate flags, trailer parks, and the occasional reference to cotton picking. White people are sick of being blamed for every evil in the world. Get it now?

[anarrei]

Having a productive dialogue about race would require white people to acknowledge their own (conscious and subconscious) racial privilege and prejudice. This is why most white people will hold themselves back from having this conversation or acknowledging that it needs to be had. We know we live in a racist society, and we know that we ourselves perpetuate racial oppression. Guilt is interfering with our ability to confront the problem -- ourselves. Lou and everyone else needs to sober up.

[mamacornettesmoney]

@ReadmanJ They had a hell of a lot more white sharecroppers & laborers, too. Some were even slaves. Slave owners were less than 5% of the population. They black plantation owners & overseers, too. But there were MANY white laborers picking cotton. I come from a line of them, in fact. And the ONLY times I have ever heard the term "cotton pickin" used racially is when someone is trying to convince others that the term is racist (even though it's never actually used that way).

[ReadmanJ]

@mamacornettesmoney Oh yeah there were tons of white people working on the cotton plantations. They called them Overseers.

[mamacornettesmoney]

@ReadmanJ It doesn't just refer to slaves? Are you under the false impression that slaves were the only people picking cotton? that is patently false. The saying is common throughout the South where people picked cotton. Black and white alike.

[SpaceHog2099]

lol should have said "nitpicker" sounds better.. that way its picking headlice not fields of cotton

[weedisoxygen]

When you take different races of the same socioeconomic status, they perform the same in education, have the same graduation rates, professional job rates. The problem is reigning in all to a similar socioeconomic status, making the low class nothing lower than a lower middle or however people see fit. The problem isn't race anymore, its the practices left in place from an age where race was a problem. The policies will keep people down and such.

[dan91709]

@hailourvictory Thanks for your comments and concern. You may be interested to know that we recommend, for the good of the gene pool, that you castrate yourself as soon as humanly possible. Do it now, before you forget. If you can't accomplish the objective on your own, I would be happy to recommend a group of young gentlemen that would be delighted to assist you. Have a nice day.

[dan91709]

@hailourvictory This from a guy with Nazi flags festooning his channel. Enough said.

[dan91709]

"Cotton Picking" is absolutely an ethnic slur. It's a pejorative that alludes to people that were considered sub-human. Yep, "them thar cotton pickin' slaves." It's obvious that he resents that a "cotton picking" woman would say that slavery was the US' racial "birth defect." He also resents that people can't just "call a spade a spade," and that the "n" word is something he's not allowed to say. Bravo CNN - for firing the racist jerk!