Southern Discomfort

Newsweek Editorial Staff ???

I find myself of being in the unique position of being rather embarrassed, on your behalf, that such a bad journalism has made it into distribution and is even now being read by millions across the globe. As you can see from the people who chose to post on the comment board, opinions range widely on the topic, but by and large most people think that you greenlit a horribly written piece, one designed merely to inflame the hearts and minds of readers not from the area ??? to what end, no one knows. Interestingly, the conversations we have since had have led us down several paths, into what is truly the truth about Obama (the truth these days is sadly subjective; after all, we only know what you leaders of the industry, you darlings of the media let us know, or what these purported great men tell us themselves, and we do have only your word to go on) to the economic reasons that led to secession, to the current state of racial politics in the nation, and lastly (and I think this might be everyone???s favorite) insulting the author???s general bad taste and condescending tone.

So I am sending my own invitation, and I invite my fellow posters to do the same.

Interview us. Your readers. The people you just alienated. You have a means to contact all of us. Next week, as your feature story, why don???t you interview your readers and publish our feedback ??? not just in the online magazine, but a real feature article in print. All races, political parties, educational levels, sexes, and backgrounds seem to be well represented across the comments board ??? so take a sample, and dedicate an article to us. Call us on the phone. Talk to us. Give us a voice.

Otherwise, I???ll just keep reading the Economist.

Mr. Dickey wrote a great article that is balanced and fair. For my part, it is not that I don't want to vote for a black man; I just want to vote for someone more conservative than Barack Obama. I wish that this had been a vote between Barack Obama and Colin Powell. That way, we'd have a real vote on issues and the color barrier would be broken regardless of who won.

I'm from the south and we have a saying here: If you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the one that yelps has been hit. Mr.. Dickey's words seem to have struck a few of us.

How do you know you're dealing with a racist? The premise of their view only holds up when you suspend the fact that racism still exists.

Mr.. Obama was busy inspiring millions both in the US and abroad while Mr. McCain was busy developing a strategy to hide the fact he doesn't read well. What if those facts were reversed? Harriet Christian would have been right.

Mr. Obama's cup will always be half empty in the south. Like a recipe handed down through generations it (pessimism towards blacks) is just the way we've been taught to see things. We will hate Mr. Obama no matter what he does. All we have left is to agree on how to justify it...and that's where southern talk radio, email and "private" conversations come in. The comments are, point for point, taken from southern talk radio where there is no standard to be accurate or fair. Points that have been debunked are repeated.

Racism: The South's Great Inside Joke. It works using the same mechanisms.

Idiot liberal journalists don't speak for any true southerner. Shut the hell up and get the hell out of our business.

I think that people from all walks of life will realize eventually that Obama is a very fine and dignified man and that all he wants is a change in the way this country has been run down in the last ten or so years. He wants to try and straighten out the economy and give people some hope again so9 we can become the great nation we once were. I hope he gets the votes he needs from the north and the south so he can prove himself.

Does anyone know the location of the plantation photo on the cover of the August 8th issue?

Dickey seems to say if you are white, from the south, and not voting for Obama, then you must be racist. I take great offense to the idea that Southerners vote by race, not other factors such as party affiliation or individual ideals such as education, healthcare, war, oil, or nearly a thousand other issues not related to race.

Did you know that the Department of Energy says that drilling for offshore oil would not yield results for a decade and most likely would not have a noticeable effect on oil prices for another 10 years?

That's 20 years without efficacy from that. I can't vote for John McCain with how he has thrown out his values for being a straight talker and now lies and takes from special interests like Bush and others. I would rather go with someone who has not been proven a liar and non 'straight-talker', and has a chance to live up to TRUE words. It's simple.

"His father was NOT black, he was Arab. It stated so on his birth certificate."

I believe that is historically correct (although not reported by the left wing media). That is why Hamas are some of his most rabid supporters.

Obama is Muslim and stated in his book the Audacity of Hope (to paraphrase in my own words) that he would side with the Muslims if SHTF.

I was born in northern Europe, raised in the northeast and, by choice, have spent all my adult life in the South. Having been brought up with elitist "old world" parents, spent my childhood in an world in Upstate NY, I welcomed the world of Bo and Luke Duke when choosing to go to school in the south and stay. The south has a distinctive charm and "realness" the Northeast lacks

But what has happened in the last 30 years, is that the country has devalued intelligence over bravado and/or celebrity as weakness. Why are there so many shows about prisons? Why are we more interested in Britney Spears' latest idiocy than in what is happening with our country? It;s not about the North versus the South, because there are many highly intelligent people in the South, but about the idea that being a "Northern intellectual," especially if you're black, makes you uncool, even a traitor to your cause.

The idea that a black man would be president scares a lot of white people who can't imagine a world where blacks are no longer the scapegoats for every ill in the country, But the real culprits are the people who run the corporations whose interests are being supported by the Republican administration. Why would white men in the South whose companies have cut jobs and health insurance and retirement benefits continue to support a party that will continue to do more of the same? Stop shooting yourselves in the foot, your "patriotism" and support of the right is only going to make your lives harder and harder while the rich (who run the companies you work for, most of which are headquartered outside the South) get richer and richer.

The outcome of this election is tragic at best. Is this truly the best America has to offer? Scour the schools across the nation an see how many kids actually want to be president when they grow up. Not many I'm sure. Both candidates are socialists at best and not truely about democracy. It isn't free when they take 50% of your check out to fund all the free programs.

Chris,

Why have you the letter W to refer to the President middle name but use the full middle name for Obama? This seems very suspicious.

Could an Obama supporter tell me what this line from one of Obamas books (think it was Dreams of my Father) means cuz I have seen people post it and supporters say that the poster is taking it out of context. Can you explain how we should interpret his comment? Much appreciated.

FIRST OF ALL, IS THIS THE EXACT WORDING HE SAID? IF SO, WHAT DID HE MEAN BY THIS? Thx.

Obama said:

In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans ??? have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging, he laments. I WILL STAND WITH THEM SHOULD THE POLITICAL WINDS SHIFT IN AN UGLY DIRECTION.

This article, while articulate and having some very good analysis is based on some shaky pretenses with liberal bias. You say Obama is a Christian, and a practicing one at that...how then, are we to reconcile his unwillingness to swear in as POTUS on a bible? How are we to reconcile his blatant disregard for the bible, one of his self-proclaimed favorite books, by endorsing a Reverend who spews bile, and filth to all people that don't agree with him? It seems to me these are some tough questions that he has pushed aside, just as he does with other issues. It's time for the American people to stand united, on that you are correct, but to stand united in learning who the REAL Barack Obama is. An amazing mind for sure, but also a person who will throw anyone under a bus who gets in his way, a socialist, a Muslim one day, Christian the next, liberal space cadet who has his head in the clouds, a man in the pursuit of his own egotistical and ambitious goals. The danger here, is that he will destroy America to pursue is version of "a better world."

this articles is quite stereotypical. there is deep seated racism in all parts of the country, not just in the south. there are more hate groups in PA than in TX. The re-enactment of the lynching is disgusting. as we saw with the primaries, race relations and this country's acceptability to a candidate that is black varies from state to state. my thing is this. if you don't want to vote for Obama because he's black, just say that. don't blame it on the flagpin that you can buy at a dollar store or that he's muslim even though he's bent over backwards to say that he is not or anything that he or michelle has said. everyone knows that those are the superficial reasons. the real elephant in the room is racism or even more specifically white supremacy. it hurts the ego of many whites (even those that claim (or claimed) that they are not racist) that any person of color will be running the country.