by Kevin McAbee
Technician
U-Wire
One of the most accomplished men in America was attacked with racist comments on Tuesday. In an effort to taint the character and achievements of Secretary of State Colin Powell, a prominent figure compared Powell to a slave who solely aims to please his master. Was it a militant neo-nazi or a Ku Klux Klan member? No, it was celebrated black singer Harry Belafonte.
According to CNN, Belafonte gave a radio interview in San Diego in which he stated, "In the days of slavery, there were those slaves who lived on the plantation, and [there] were those slaves that lived in the house. You got the privilege of living in the house if you served the master . . . exactly the way the master intended to have you serve him. Colin Powell's committed to come into the house of the master. When Colin Powell dares to suggest something other than what the master wants to hear, he will be turned back out to pasture."
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Clearly, Belafonte's comments are callous and uncivilized. While trying to attack Powell's political actions, Belafonte crossed the line. For Belafonte to discredit Powell shows that he is as bigoted as anyone else is. Belafonte believes that Powell is a black man who is not making his own decisions on political issues. What he doesn't realize is that not all blacks have to think the same way. Belafonte is trying to use race to keep people like Powell from crossing political lines. This is nothing more than a slanderous scare tactic to keep Powell from pursuing his own ideas.
Powell is receiving the criticism because he is a high-ranking black Republican. Historically, the majority of blacks have been active in the Democratic Party. Belafonte must believe that Powell is a sellout to the black race. He is attempting to discredit Powell's ideology because it does not agree with what Belafonte believes is the correct African American stance. However, by making these comments, Belafonte is discrediting his own views by sounding hateful.
Powell is showing that African Americans can succeed in any form of politics. He has risen high in American government, first to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and now to secretary of state. Not only has he succeeded both in the military and politics, but he has done so while maintaining a Republican ideology. This scares many Democratic leaders who want to continue the tradition of all minorities voting for their party.
Lost in the uproar over Powell is the comparison of President Bush as a slave owner. Belafonte is trying to paint Bush as a rich white plantation owner who bosses around his assistants like they were his property. This is an uneducated attack as well. Bush has many black staff members, such as Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. It is easy to try and typecast an upper-class, white, Southern Republican as a racist, but it is also a very cheap shot.
According to the same CNN article, Powell responded to Belafonte's comments by saying, "If Harry had wanted to attack my politics, that was fine. If he wanted to attack a particular position I hold, that was fine. But to use a slave reference, I think, is unfortunate and is a throwback to another time and another place that I wish Harry had thought twice about using."
Obviously, Powell could have reacted much more strongly to the comments. Yet he managed to take the high road and calmly respond with a very accurate understanding of the situation. Belafonte had every right to disagree with Powell's political ideas and stances. However, he did so in the most ineffective manner possible. We can all learn from this. When one disagrees with another's ideas, it is best to attack the ideas, not the person.
Colin Powell is one of the greatest men in America. I would never qualify that by saying Colin Powell is one of the greatest black Americans. He is simply a great role model for all young men today. He is a strong leader, and George Bush was very wise to give him such a powerful position. For someone to try and bring him down via racial slights is perplexing. But for someone of his own race to try and bring him down is sickening.
Despite all of the reasons behind it, nothing could be more spineless than comparing a fellow black man to a slave solely over political disagreements. Harry Belafonte should receive the same intense backlash that any other man would receive. He may believe that Powell is doing the black race a disservice by being Republican, but with his comments, Belafonte did a much more offensive disservice.
