14/10/2008 / USA
"This is nothing
new. It's an easy thing to do - to find people who don't know what they should
know. If you're willing to stand there asking people, then you'll get the
answers you want by the end of the day. TV presenter Jay Leno does it every
week- it's called Jaywalking. And funnily enough, Sarah Palin got called "a
jaywalking bit" by CBS presenter Bill Mauer [referenced as 'asking some ignorant dumbass basic
questions about current events'].
What do they know about Obama in Harlem?
Photo posted on Flickr by "Herbertsteele".
The conservative blogosphere is in hysterics over audio clips of Obama fans in Harlem saying that they support the candidate because he's pro-Iraq war and pro-life, and for choosing Sarah Palin as his VP. According to them, proof that African Americans know nothing about Obama's policies.
Asked whether they thought Obama had chosen a good running mate in Sarah Palin, all three supporters answered yes. They also answered questions that suggested Obama was anti-abortion and wanted to keep troops in Iraq. The clips were played on controversial radio presenter Howard Stern's show on Sunday, and then posted on YouTube. The right-wing blogosphere hasn't ceased to poke fun at the interviewees since, saying that it proves African American Obama fans are only supporting the candidate because he is black, and know nothing about his policies.
The interviews were carried out by one of Stern's journalists, Sal Governale. It was aired on The Howard Stern Show on Sirius Satellite Radio on Sunday.
"People are so involved in trying to survive the economy they don't follow the issues"
Zachary Miller is a Barack Obama supporter and Vice-Chair of Democrats Abroad France.
"This is nothing
new. It's an easy thing to do - to find people who don't know what they should
know. If you're willing to stand there asking people, then you'll get the
answers you want by the end of the day. TV presenter Jay Leno does it every
week- it's called Jaywalking. And funnily enough, Sarah Palin got called "a
jaywalking bit" by CBS presenter Bill Mauer [referenced as 'asking some ignorant dumbass basic
questions about current events'].
"This is how Bush got elected actually - when a lot of poor white Americans voted against their interests by not knowing about the issues. Right now, people are so involved in trying to survive the economy they don't follow the issues."
"We won't stop and poke fingers and moan about this"
Maqeba Lloyd is an African American and Obama supporter from Harlem. She's a member of Harlem 4 Obama.
"It's obviously a gaffe. Perhaps Howard Stern is trying to make a mockery. If he is it's sad. People tend to think that African Americans are not abreast of what's going on but it's not true. African Americans in Harlem are reading the papers, watching the news. If you walk into one of our debate parties - and we're having one tomorrow - we hang on Obama's every word. And that's why we support Obama, because he speaks a language we understand. We have so much work to do we won't stop and poke fingers and moan about this. There's a whole lot going on here!"
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democracy
Submitted by Danella Tisdale (not verified) on Mon, 20/10/2008 - 08:18.Howard Stern is a great performance artist, I like piece, i don't think the 3-4 people they interviewd reflect the over 500,000 people that live in Harlem. Democracy is tough, you have to take the good with the bad.
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Obama's support in Harlem
Submitted by Rob Holding (not verified) on Mon, 20/10/2008 - 00:01.The thing is with this, you're not voting for class president, you're deciding who is going to be the most powerful political leader in the western world. You need to know more than just the color of his skin or how many heart attacks he's had.
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USA Charleston, SC
Submitted by Michael (not verified) on Tue, 14/10/2008 - 21:30.I agree with Zachary Miller on this. You go to any spot on this planet and suggestively ask questions and you will get the answers you are looking for. In fact Leno's bit is one of my favorites.
Also though a lot of people spend zero time thinking about issues that don't immediately effect them.
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Obama Supporters in Harlem
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Tue, 14/10/2008 - 19:22.This is nothing new for the media to do MOS profiles and purposely choose people who look as if they don't know what they are talking about. How many times have you watched a news story and the only witnesses on camera are the toothless wino and the crazy lady who talks to herself? We also don't know how many people they interviewed who actually knew the issues and were edited out of the final piece. We have to keep in the mind that the whole purpose of the "prank" was to show how stupid black people in Harlem are. How many men and women dressed in business suits did they choose? I think it is safe to say, none. Would love to see the video of the people they interviewed.
Unregistered user
Obama Supporters In Harlem
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Tue, 21/10/2008 - 15:47.That's funny, because they all sounded as if they had full command of the English language. People will make all sorts of excuses if it suits their perspective. Come on, people, get real and face reality. You know why they are "hanging on every word". It's called redistribution of wealth. Yours and mine.
Unregistered user
Obama Supporters in Harlem
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 16/10/2008 - 01:46.Yes, I agree with most of the people here. Most Americans do not know much about politics--domestic and foreign. I am an American, but I was raided in Sudan so I know very well the kind of questions I was asked when I first came there. So, if one's premise is to proof that African Americans are dumb, you would not have to look for long. And vice versa, there are a lots of Causcasion Americans, along with their black compatriots, who vote based on how they perceive the candidate, or worse, their parents' party. I dont know why we are surprised here, most Americans do not know how much states they U.S is consisted, and a large portion do not know the first president. At the beginning of the Iraq war, most of my co-workers did not even know where Iraq was on the globe. It is a shame. The good thing is that they are not voting to declare war on any nation!!! Another good thing is that they did this interview, because Obama now knows that he REALLY has to strengthen the school system, in Harlem and elsewhere across America.
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