Why is it?

That any time someone criticizes a person of color who is in a position of power that it is always racism?

Currently, Oprah Winfrey claims that “There’s a level of disrespect for the office that occurs. And that occurs in some cases and maybe even many cases because he’s African American. There’s no question about that and it’s the kind of thing nobody ever says but everybody’s thinking it.”

(video HERE)

This sort of excuse-making happens all the time. Anyone who criticizes the performance or decisions  of a "Person of Color" , be they in a leadership position in either government or private business, must, by definition, be a racist.

Yet when white people in similar positions are criticized, no matter the race of the person doing the criticism, it is merely facing reality...

The implication is, of course, that black people cannot be racist....which does not fit with my observations in this society. If anything, I have found that most black people cannot look beyond the color of skin. A higher percentage of caucasians, if anything, look past the skin color and see instead the person beneath, and judge accordingly. This is not to say that all do...sadly, more than enough see only a black man. Nor do all black men see only white skin.

This is not an either-or thing. Rather, there are shades, as it were, of gray...Some on both sides are racist, others are less so. Few of us are not at all racist.

But to excuse all criticism as racist is disingenuous To disregard all criticism as racist is to make excuses rather than face reality that your performance may be lacking. IF you make excuses, you cannot improve.

Thus we have Oprah making excuses for the failure of Obama on so many levels.  It could not be that he is simply not up to the job. But there are many who will not (or cannot?) face this, but instead make excuses. It must , therefore, be racism. I find that sad.

The sad part is that there are so many capable folks who happen to be darker than me who are extraordinarily capable...who could have advanced the view of black people as capable. But they are not (nor likely wish to be) President.  They have better things to do with their lives.