Shirley Sherrod, or, Standing Up to the Right Wing Sleaze Factory

Glenn Greenwald put it clearly:

.... just as happened with Octavia Nasr and so many before her, including the now-destroyed ACORN—the blinding, lying, depressingly common right-wing hysteria churned out by Brietbart/Fox meant that no nuances were permitted, no reason could breathe, and few people had the courage to defend Sherrod or even demand that she be allowed to speak before being thrown to the trash heap.

And that's where the truly significant and rare courage of Sherrod becomes so consequential. Unlike so many who are caught in similar right-wing/media smear storms and (understandably) back down, Sherrod refused to meekly slink away. She conspicuously refused to apologize for things that merited no apology. Rather than legitimize the accusations with defensive self-justifications, she put the blame squarely where it belonged: on Brietbart, on the NAACP for condemning her without all the facts, and on the Obama administration for demanding her "resignation." And as a result of her refusal to allow these false smears to go unchallenged and the low-life smear artists to be rewarded, the true facts have emerged. The actual culprits in this episode—basically everyone except her and the white couple who came forward to defend her—are clearly identified and exposed, with their credibility in tatters. And it's hard to imagine the administration's not reversing itself and offering to re-hire her, thus being forced to reverse a serious injustice.

As much value as Sherrod's NAACP speech has for everyone, her conduct in the face of this massive onslaught is even more instructive. It ought to serve as a template for how people respond to all of these low-life, right-wing smear campaigns: with unapologetic clarity and resolve about who the actual wrongdoers are. To the extent the gross injustice of her firing is reversed and the slander to which she was subjected is nullified, it will only be because she stood up to the right-wing smear machine, the establishment media, and even the Executive Branch, which were all jointly operating—with different motives—to destroy her. That isn't easy to do, but this is obviously a woman with uncommon courage and principle—exactly what is required to stand up to and expose the group of thuggish bullies trying to smear her and the cowardly government officials willing to play along. This will be an extremely valuable episode if her conduct inspires future targets of such smears to respond with similar defiance.​

For those who are unfamiliar with this travesty, Shirley Sherrod was a USDA official in Georgia ousted by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack after right-wing trashmonger Andrew Brietbart promoted a heavily and deceptively edited videotape of a speech she gave twenty-four years ago. The assertion that Sherrod confessed to racism as a standard for performing her duties has since been dismantled, simply by attending the unedited video. Meanwhile, the Obama administration, NAACP, and many others have been deeply embarrassed by their own reactions to Brietbart's latest sleaze campaign.

Nonetheless, Sherrod held her ground and, as the real facts emerged, Secretary Vilsack apologized for his error. For her part, Shirley Sherrod is still considering whether to accept his offer to return to her job. Additionally, the White House, which claims to have no part in asking Sherrod to resign, has also apologized. Greg Sargent suggests:

It's good that the White House has now publicly acknowledged real wrongdoing. It would probably be even better, given the passion and anger that this story has unleashed, if something similar came from Obama himself. Hearing from him would go a long way towards reassuring people that the White House has learned something from this whole mess.

My bet is word will leak soon enough that Obama called Sherrod and personally apologized to her for what happened.

As for whether the White House learned anything from this disaster, the real tell will be how it handles itself the next time the right wing media gins up a fake controversy "proving" the Obama administration is riddled with rampant anti-white racism.​

We owe Shirley Sherrod many thanks for doing what so few caught up in controversy have the courage to do: she stood up to the right wing sleaze factory and stared it down. Indeed, she might have embarrassed officials in an administration she deeply supports, but sometimes that is the only thing one can do.

Earlier today, Sherrod said she might not return to her job if asked, citing the negative publicity surrounding her case.

"We would need to talk," Sherrod told WXIA-TV in Atlanta. "I wouldn't want to go back and be harassed. I definitely wouldn't go back and do anything like I didn't do before to embarrass this administration. I support the administration too much" ....

.... The NAACP had initially criticized Sherrod's comments, but issued a retraction after viewing the full tape. In a statement, the NAACP criticized conservative media organizations for broadcasting only a portion of what Sherrod said.

"We have come to the conclusion we were snookered by Fox News and Tea Party activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias," the NAACP said in a statement.

It added: "The fact is Ms. Sherrod did help the white farmers mentioned in her speech. They personally credit her with helping to save their family farm."

Sherrod told WXIA-TV of Atlanta: "I used that incident -- and I've told that story over and over again -- to show people how I moved from a place where I was in thinking about white and black issues to a place where I am ... a point where I can treat everyone the way I want to be treated. I think my life is a testimony to that."

(Jackson)​

____________________

Notes:

Greenwald, Glenn. "The heroism of Shirley Sherrod". Unclaimed Territory. July 21, 2010. Salon.com. July 21, 2010. http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/21/sherrod

Sargent, Greg. "White House apologizes to Shirley Sherrod". The Plum Line. July 21, 2010. Voices.WashingtonPost.com. July 21, 2010. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/white_house_apologizes_to_shir.html

Jackson, David. "Vilsack apologizes to woman he fired 'without a full set of facts'". USA Today. July 21, 2010. USAToday.com. July 21, 2010. http://content.usatoday.com/communi...g-department-to-reconsider-womans-dismissal/1

 

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I was wondering when we would get around to this. Of course this was a counter attack due to the NAACP's condemnation of the Tea Party. All to achieve a moral equivalency in the eyes of the gullible. They are shameless.

 

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It was interesting to watch Fox News defend Brietbard's intentional editing of the video to convey a false impression.

I am very suprised, given the history of right wing pundits for doing this king of thing, that anyone would take them at face value.

 

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Spider:

Did you watch it?

Assuming you're Caucasian-- did you hear it?

She called you a 'kind', the word we use to classify aliens, insects, rodents, and matter.

I further assume you're a self-respecting individual with notions of free-will with opinions on everything from thongs to soap to religion and politics, so isn't it interesting you don't even wince that a public official-- in your employ-- has just condescended to call you a 'kind'.

What if it were a Bush, a Cheney, a Clinton, a Trent Lott referring to Obama or a black factory worker as a "kind"?

 

Joe:

Did he also edit the typically derisive Negro swagger she showed when speaking about whites with her kin?

The head roll, the eye roll, the sneer.


You know she did it.

 

The question is did you see it...the real unedited version? I take it that given your post, you have not seen the unedited version. Because if you had, you would know that your post is bogus...totally without merit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KosReihC8Ts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUcH0ABKDII&feature=related

 

Are you referring to the part where she finishes off by seeming, shall we say, 'redeemed'?

And?

 

I did hear her whole speech. The entire message was that although she may have started with the idea that white people don't need help, her conclusion was that the issue isn't race, the issue transcends race, it was about the poor vs. the elites. We do need redemption as a country when scum like Andrew Breitbart can use a unifying message like this to race-bait. Furthermore, this happened more than 20 years ago, and she became friends with this family and saved their farm.

The lesson to be taken from this is not about Ms. Sherrod, or even racism, but about the media echo-chamber that starts with a partisan blogger and ends with someone getting fired for no reason.

 

Talk about media echo chamber, how about the NAACP using videos depicting tea party rascism that were equally misleading. :shrug:

However, I knew before I even clicked the thread that Breibarts' point would go right over many of your heads.

 

The problem with people who don't understand poetry and storytelling is that, like people who don't get jokes, they typically don't accept the errors they make as their fault - they feel personally attacked by the deliverer.

"Typically derisive Negro swagger" was nowhere in evidence. Nor were any other stereotypes of the typical white American bigot, except possibly the Aunt Jemima caretaker one. You have misunderstood, that is your fault, and the proper reaction is apology and an interim of silence while you collect your thoughts.

he got somebody fired by slandering them dishonestly and appealing to racial bigotry in American political discourse. His point in doing that was what, according to you?

 

Misleading how? The signs were the signs, you cannot deny that. There is no moral equivalency between depicting Obama with a bone through his nose, and a black women's statements taken out of context where she was actually helping a white farmer.

And Breibart is continuing to be a total ass. He's accusing the white family of being a plant, so that Sherrod can keep her job (which she might not even want back). They have no shame whatsoever.

 

iceura

The problem with people who don't understand culture or nuance is that, like the imbecile reading a desire to fuck him in an eyelash , they typically don't accept the errors of reading body language as their fault-- they feel personally attacked by that Self Loathing Whore.

I grew up among blacks, Bono. You actually think she speaks like that in office.

That was Shaniqua up there, not Shirley.

 

Oh, do tell, and other notes

Talk away.

Explanations offered after the fact are always dubious, especially when one has just been caught doing what Breitbart did. Besides, how is it that such a "respectable" man can edit something so badly as to bury his own message? And why did he not smack down FOX News when the point apparently went right over their heads?

• • •​

It is worth pointing out that not all of the FOX News mouthpieces were on the Breitbart bandwagon. As Greenwald noted:

... Shepard Smith, one of the very, very few people at Fox News with any inclination toward actual journalism, explained why he refused to show or even mention the edited Sherrod tape yesterday even when the rest of Fox was doing so non-stop: because, among other things, he does not trust the "source" of the video (Breitbart) in light of his history.​

Smith occasionally shows he still has thoughts of his own; maybe he's the token FOX News keeps around in order to pretend respectability.
____________________

Notes:

Greenwald, Glenn. "The heroism of Shirley Sherrod". Unclaimed Territory. July 21, 2010. Salon.com. July 21, 2010. http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/21/sherrod

 

Oh no you di'nt! Seriously give her a break, she seems like a nice lady.

 

Tiassa, who fired Shirley Sherrod? the Right Wing? or the Left Wing?

It's Obamas people the sleazy left wing, who fired Ms. Sherrod.

 

They are a bit gun shy from all the righty attacks, but you are correct they fucked up in firing her. From now on, we shoudn't pay any attention to the wing-wing slander machine. They weren't right about Acorn, they weren't right about Climategate, and they aren't right now.

 

While I also saw what you are referring to, I think it was more of an attempt to stay connected to the crowd. Remember, she is speaking at a NAACP dinner on something that must have been an issue, the speech was thirty plus minutes. I saw her as someone trying to bridge the gap between races and convince her (Im paraphrasing) 'kind' that 'its not about skin color, but the haves and have nots'.

 

Exactly!

 

Well said Tiassa!

 

I heard Fox's defense of Brietbart, but his excuses were lame and after the fact. And Brietbart has a history, along with Fox, of doing this kind of thing. What is amazing is that the Obama administration fell for it.