Outside of the nontroversy over his use of the word, the interview was fairly good and worth listening to.

 

I listen to Maron's podcast because he gets great guests and is a deft interviewer. For those who don't know, his interviews typically last an hour or more and the interviewee is forced to open up and speak candidly rather than give canned or PR-sharpened answers. I was curious how this would work with a sitting politician. For the most part Maron deferred to the president and allowed him to talk which kept the conversation from getting as open as it normally does on his show, but Obama sounded mostly genuine and at ease with it.

 

It's also devolved into a minor controversy that the president was on a show like this at all. As a public we always complain about how out of touch and aloof politicians are, especially in Washington. Then when they do something like this we complain they aren't respecting the dignity of their office. Obama was at least forthright about why he did the interview, saying something to the effect of how he and his outreach team thought it would be a good way to communicate with people who normally don't follow what's going on the Beltway. That seems fair enough to me.

 

He did say something that I agreed with and is worth sharing. They were talking about polarization and politics and how most people have a lot in common, but corral themselves into one political corner or another. He said:

 

"That's why I think so many people shy away from politics because they know, look, if I'm going to my kids soccer game and I'm just with a bunch of dads and we're talking about sports and we're talking about housing prices and we're just talking about how we're living our lives, then everybody's finding all kinds of commonalities. And yet the minute you introduce Republican, Democrat, Obama, Bush, then suddenly people start breaking apart."

 

I think that's pretty true. People can't reasonably disagree with one another. For a lot of people, meeting people who don't share your political stripe is outright insulting. I don't know if that's a new phenomenon of our digital age or something much older, but it certainly plays into a lot of the divisions we have in our country where it's constantly "us" versus "them." I never discuss politics or my opinions outside of here or with a few close friends because I know not being a card-carrying member of a certain team is enough to cause offense.

 

I enjoyed the interview and have always enjoyed Maron's style.

 

Agree on all you said. I like a President/leader going unconventional to get connected with the masses. My son isn't going to listen to Fox/MSNBC/CNN/Rush/Hannity/etc. To reach him you have to go where he is and it's not where the 50+ folks are.

Outside of the nontroversy over his use of the word, the interview was fairly good and worth listening to.

 

I listen to Maron's podcast because he gets great guests and is a deft interviewer. For those who don't know, his interviews typically last an hour or more and the interviewee is forced to open up and speak candidly rather than give canned or PR-sharpened answers. I was curious how this would work with a sitting politician. For the most part Maron deferred to the president and allowed him to talk which kept the conversation from getting as open as it normally does on his show, but Obama sounded mostly genuine and at ease with it.

 

It's also devolved into a minor controversy that the president was on a show like this at all. As a public we always complain about how out of touch and aloof politicians are, especially in Washington. Then when they do something like this we complain they aren't respecting the dignity of their office. Obama was at least forthright about why he did the interview, saying something to the effect of how he and his outreach team thought it would be a good way to communicate with people who normally don't follow what's going on the Beltway. That seems fair enough to me.

 

He did say something that I agreed with and is worth sharing. They were talking about polarization and politics and how most people have a lot in common, but corral themselves into one political corner or another. He said:

 

"That's why I think so many people shy away from politics because they know, look, if I'm going to my kids soccer game and I'm just with a bunch of dads and we're talking about sports and we're talking about housing prices and we're just talking about how we're living our lives, then everybody's finding all kinds of commonalities. And yet the minute you introduce Republican, Democrat, Obama, Bush, then suddenly people start breaking apart."

 

I think that's pretty true. People can't reasonably disagree with one another. For a lot of people, meeting people who don't share your political stripe is outright insulting. I don't know if that's a new phenomenon of our digital age or something much older, but it certainly plays into a lot of the divisions we have in our country where it's constantly "us" versus "them." I never discuss politics or my opinions outside of here or with a few close friends because I know not being a card-carrying member of a certain team is enough to cause offense.

 

 

I love you, dawg. For real. No homo. You are the example of humanity we should all strive to be.

Incorrect. The word that ends "...ardly" dates back to Middle English and is borrowed from a Scandinavian source. The two words are not etymologically related.

 

'No niggard are you, Éomer,' said Aragorn, 'to give thus to Gondor the fairest thing in your realm!'

 

From Lord of the Rings, much of which was derived from Medieval European literature.

I love you, dawg. For real. No homo. You are the example of humanity we should all strive to be.

 

That made me laugh! Thanks pal.

Incorrect. The word that ends "...ardly" dates back to Middle English and is borrowed from a Scandinavian source. The two words are not etymologically related.

 

That's exactly what I said. Care to re-read the post you quoted before instinctively disagreeing with me? People objected because IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS DERIVED FROM THE OTHER WORD. Kind of makes the people that got their knickers in a twist over it look either silly or stupid or both doesn't it?

I always start to comment but then I realize it would drive nuts to join in that conversation. It's so saddening. It always makes me wonder about people that I am around everyday and how they really feel about me and my white wife and biracial kids. You just never truly know anymore.

 

You are correct.

 

I get some of the same feelings when I'm around some people with my black daughters.

 

FWIW, you may be surprised who I get the most hateful comments from.

You are correct.

 

I get some of the same feelings when I'm around some people with my black daughters.

 

FWIW, you may be surprised who I get the most hateful comments from.

 

 

Ugh....I don't even want to know. I probably work with some of them.

Ugh....I don't even want to know. I probably work with some of them.

 

The most hateful comments I have ever received were from blacks. I was very disappointed.

The most hateful comments I have ever received were from blacks. I was very disappointed.

 

I wish I could be surprised. The worst comments my wife and I have received have been from blacks also. It is disappointing, depressing, disheartening and dividing.

I wish I could be surprised. The worst comments my wife and I have received have been from blacks also. It is disappointing, depressing, disheartening and dividing.

 

Living life in 4D, are you?

 

I am disheartened when I hear a black woman tell a white woman that white women are taking all the good black men.

Living life in 4D, are you?

 

I am disheartened when I hear a black woman tell a white woman that white women are taking all the good black men.

 

You and me both. When it comes to interracial relationships blacks are worse and uglier about it than whites when it comes to intolerance.

The worst comments I've heard on interracial relationships have definitely come from white people, but black people are just as bad in terms of how often they make negative comments in my experience.

I wish I could be surprised. The worst comments my wife and I have received have been from blacks also. It is disappointing, depressing, disheartening and dividing.

 

I wish all stupid people, and let's be honest, those that think that way are stupid, would just listen to the words of a 14 y.o. girl.

 

"Dad, I don't like to be called black. Black is a color, I am a person. Just call me by my name."

 

Out of the mouths of babes.............

Which one of these is it?

 

 

Top 10 Rush Limbaugh Racist Quotes | News One

 

It is telling that this guy still has an audience and makes millions.

I love you, dawg. For real. No homo. You are the example of humanity we should all strive to be.

I didn't plan to comment in this thread at all as I like my BGP membership. But...this deserves a comment. Habib is truly one of the best.