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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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 Thu Jan 19, 2006 10:41 am Nagin apologizes for 'chocolate' city comments |
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| Quote: | NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Mayor Ray Nagin on Tuesday apologized for urging residents to rebuild a "chocolate New Orleans" and saying, "You can't have New Orleans no other way."
"I'm really sorry that some people took that they way they did, and that was not my intention," the mayor said. "I say everybody's welcome."
Nagin added that he never should have used the term "chocolate." (Watch some reaction to the mayor's remarks -- 3:21)
Across the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged city, many voiced their displeasure with the mayor's Monday remarks at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day speech. One Web site even began peddling T-shirts showing Nagin with a top hat along with the caption "Willy Nagin and the Chocolate Factory."
Resident Alex Gerhold called Nagin's remarks "stupid" and "pitiful."
"He used the wrong dairy product to describe us. We're more Neapolitan, not chocolate," Gerhold said. "It doesn't do the city any kind of justice."
Aisha Johnson said she didn't think the mayor's comments were necessarily inflammatory, just out of line.
"He should have chosen his words more carefully," she said.
But some residents, like Ann McKendrick, were angered.
"You can't reunite a city if your comments are going to divide a city," McKendrick said.
Nagin's remarks fall into a line of inappropriate statements the mayor has made, said civil rights attorney Tracie Washington. She said she is "done trying to figure out what our mayor is going to say off the cuff on any given day."
"It was an unfortunate goofball statement for him to make," Washington said. "All it has really done is make the city look just a little bit more ridiculous."
The mayor, who is up for re-election this year, publicly apologized for his remarks at the beginning of a Bring New Orleans Back Commission meeting. He said he was trying only to encourage many of the city's displaced poor population to return.
In an interview with CNN, Nagin said he was addressing an "unspoken thing about who's coming back, who should come back, what type of city we are going to have in the future."
Before Katrina hit on August 29, the city was 67 percent African-American.
"It was designed to talk to the African-American community for the most part, not only for here but throughout the country -- and to make sure that they understood that they were welcomed in this city," he said.
On Monday, Nagin said God wanted New Orleans to be predominantly black and said he didn't care what the predominantly white Uptown section of the city had to say about it.
"I don't care what people are saying Uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day," he said. "This city will be a majority African-American city. It's the way God wants it to be."
After the statement, he insisted he wasn't being divisive.
"How do you make chocolate? You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That is the chocolate I am talking about," he said. "New Orleans was a chocolate city before Katrina. It is going to be a chocolate city after. How is that divisive? It is white and black working together, coming together and making something special."
Nagin, first elected in 2002, was supposed to come up for re-election next month. However, state officials postponed the city election until April because of the disruptions caused by Katrina.
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New trend? Say something totally asinine, apologize, and everything is okie, *sigh*
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CJ Cregg
Commodore
Joined: 05 Oct 2002
Posts: 1254
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| Thu Jan 19, 2006 11:53 am |
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I don't think it was racist. I just think people have took it the wrong way. What he means is he wants the city to be multicultural with people of all races living together in peace.
| Quote: | | "How do you make chocolate? You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That is the chocolate I am talking about," he said. "New Orleans was a chocolate city before Katrina. It is going to be a chocolate city after. How is that divisive? It is white and black working together, coming together and making something special." |
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:28 pm Re: Nagin apologizes for 'chocolate' city comments |
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| Quote: |
On Monday, Nagin said God wanted New Orleans to be predominantly black and said he didn't care what the predominantly white Uptown section of the city had to say about it.
"I don't care what people are saying Uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day," he said. "This city will be a majority African-American city. It's the way God wants it to be."
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And this part? There is no misconstruing that. If a white guy had said anything like this, they'd be calling for his resignation.
The "apology" is a CYA tactic only.
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:29 pm |
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I agree wholeheartedly with Theresa. It was a racist comment, I would say, and if, say, NY City was destroyed and Bloomberg said something like that, as Theresa said, his resignation would be called for.
I don't like what he said at all, nor what Hillary Clinton said Monday as well.
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IntrepidIsMe
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Joined: 14 Jun 2002
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Location: New York
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| Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:31 pm |
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Wow, pretty sad. How Robertson-esque.
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
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| Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:33 pm |
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I would argue difference to Robertson, but you can have that stance if you wish.
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IntrepidIsMe
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| Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:35 pm |
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I wouldn't say that sexism is any better or worse than racism.
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
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| Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:36 pm |
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I don't think Robertson is sexist, because otherwise I don't think his co-hosts would be women, he would be so open and loving to women, etc...
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IntrepidIsMe
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| Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:39 pm |
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Pssssssh. Nearly every daily show like that as a women as a co-host. You aren't exactly going to attract as many viewers if it appears that you are only trying to appeal to a particular part of audience. Have you heard what he's said about feminism? It's definitely sexist. He isn't any better than Nagin.
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"Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being."
-Wuthering Heights
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Republican_Man
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| Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:17 pm |
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I've heard his comments about feminism, and frankly I disagree with them. But at the same time, it doesn't make him sexist, because feminism has brought upon abortion and what have you, which was his key point. Not all women are feminist 
But then again this topic is about Nagin, so here's what I think: I think it was wrong for him to do, particularly on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It was a racist statement, but that doesn't necessarily make him a racist overall, but it was a racist statement.
However, the bigger story revolves around Hillary Clinton's racist comments. I think she intended on making those racist comments as well, and attended that event, unlike the last two years (which she declined) to get Sharpton's report.
I wonder what would result if a Republican said what she said right now...Yes, Gingrich did in the past, and I don't like that, but right now there's no real outrage, yet if a Republican said it on MLK Day right now...
I wonder, though, if he's hired Willy Wonka to redesign his city... 
Seriously, though, I do think that there is an incredible double standard for Republicans. Imagine if, say, it was a white Republican who said what Hillary said, or a white Republican who talked about a "Vanilla city." Yep...
Oh, and btw. Nagin didn't really give much of an apology. All he did was talk about a "chocolate city." Riiiight...
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Seven of Nine
Sammie's Mammy
Joined: 16 Jun 2001
Posts: 7871
Location: North East England
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| Fri Jan 20, 2006 2:18 am |
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Hummm...
Does anyone do speech writing anymore? I thought the point of that was so you were prepared, and didn't make huge mistakes like this. I'd be angered if someone said this to me, no matter what colour I am.
And an apology doesn't do anything unless they back it up with actions.
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Founder
Dominion Leader
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 12755
Location: Gamma Quadrant
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| Fri Jan 20, 2006 2:45 am |
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Speaking as a former native of New Orleans, Nagin is an idiot. People blame Bush for Katrina and praise Nagin? What a skewed view of what happened over there....
As for his comment, Nagin tried to back peddle his way out his comment with the mixing garbage, but T posted what he really meant. Honestly, from the point of view of a resident, New Orleans wasn't as much about race as it has been. Know who I blame? The rest of the country. I'm sorry, but its true. Everyone else turned it into a black vs. white thing. Racism is VERY alive in N.O. but it was not a "chocalate city". It was very mixed.
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Fri Jan 20, 2006 11:57 am |
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Personally, I don't understand racism. At all. People are stupid to limit themselves.
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webtaz99
Commodore
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
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| Sat Jan 21, 2006 11:44 pm |
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I'm not defending what he said, but Nagin has used that term many times in public speeches. It is a phrase and concept long woven into the New Orleans culture.
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Seven of Nine
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| Sun Jan 22, 2006 3:25 am |
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| Theresa wrote: | | Personally, I don't understand racism. At all. People are stupid to limit themselves. |
I completely agree with that.
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Republican_Man
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| Sun Jan 22, 2006 2:15 pm |
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You know, yesterday at Speech and Debate (tournament) I was given a speech about, well, the futility of political correctness, particularly in terms of racism.
What he argued was quite logical, and that is that most of us really are racist. It's simply that society has made it so that racism is only overt, and has pushed those who are racist into covert racism. No longer is it a matter of overt racism, but rather in minds, and in other things that we do. We've replaced, for instance, overtly racist terms like the N word with "African American," Asian, etc.
Society has made people shut it out, and so that means that it is not absent as much as we like to think.
It's like a nuclear weapon, he argued. A country having the capacity to use it, but not using it until that one time...the one time when all hell breaks loose, to coin a phrase.
I'll probably have to fix it up a bit, because I'm in a hurry and it's not very well-explained, but he did make some logical points. He admits that he has his own racist tendencies, and by giving that speech and being more mindful of them, he is decreasing his racist tendencies.
Me? Am I a racist? I would argue no, and there is evidence to back it up (some of my favorite musicians are black, I don't like racist jokes, I've wanted to go to Mexico for as long as I can remember, etc). However, is there a chance that I am--and that you are as well?
Yes, there is. I'm going to keep watch to see if I have racist tendencies and try to correct them, and yet, judging from so many things, I do not believe I am--but there is a chance that we are all, at our core, racist.
So, Theresa. Maybe we don't understand racism, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we aren't all, necessarily, racist.
Just something interesting I felt like posting.
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
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Location: United States of America
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| Sun Jan 22, 2006 2:23 pm |
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| Republican_Man wrote: |
So, Theresa. Maybe we don't understand racism, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we aren't all, necessarily, racist.
Just something interesting I felt like posting. |
I'm sorry, I got lost in the land of double talk?
I've heard the theory that everyone is racist before. And it's bogus. Just because you have a preference towards something doesn't mean anything.
Your examples of you being "not racist" are kind of sad, IMO. Do you have any friends who aren't white? When you think of them, do you think "Marlon-black", etc...? To say you also don't see color is stupid, too. That just makes you unobservant. But color has nothing to do with who a person is.
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IntrepidIsMe
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| Sun Jan 22, 2006 2:26 pm |
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Hmm, I think that it's easy for people to make generalizations, but that doesn't necessarily make a person racist.
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"Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being."
-Wuthering Heights
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
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| Sun Jan 22, 2006 2:46 pm |
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No, no, no. I'm sorry. I don't mean that we all are racist, but that we may be racist. I don't want to push the argument more, because I don't think I can really speak for the guy, judging from my post not getting through well enough...
I'm not going to speak on this anymore, simply because I don't really think that I can speak for him well enough, but I just thought it was an interesting idea. I didn't say that I subscribe to it, per se, but nonetheless. I thought it was interesting, and he layed forth a good argument (political correctness things, racist jokes, etc) but it was also unwise, it seems, to post it because I can't speak for his speech because I didn't write it and can only go off of what I recall.
He did lay forth a good argument, however, that wasn't that everyone is racist (my apologies for not expressing that well, and making the opposite seem true), but that there are more racists than we think, only it's covert instead of overt, because of the way society is now and everything.
It was a good argument, but, as I said, I can only speak on what I recall, so I'll just drop it and move back to the true topic, so that I don't embarrass myself or get his ideas unfairly countered (unfairly as in, since I can't lay out his argument in detail, or entirely accurately, it wouldn't quite be fair).
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