Shirley Sherrod and the Circle of Bigotry

A commentator on Pam's House Blend, Rebecca Morn, broke down the Shirley Sherrod debacle in such an awesome way that I simply have to repeat her words:

Breitbart: This woman is a racist! See! I have a heavily doctored video! She used her position as a fed in the USDA to discriminate against white people!


Wingnut Noise Machine: ALERT! ALERT! UPPITY BLACK PERSON ADMITS TO HATING WHITEY!

The Media: Ooooh! Quick, let's panic like a pack of four year olds upon seeing their first big spider. She is! She is! She weally is a wacist! Fire her ass.

The Administration: Aaaaaaaaaah! Fire her! Fire her now! Quickly! She's toxic and Glenn Beck is gonna do a story on her. Panic!


Responsible people: Like hell. Look at the rest of the video. First of all, this was like 30 years ago; secondly, she was working for a non-profit organization, not the government, and thirdly, Sherrod's anecdote was all about her realizing she had the wrong attitude, that she should stand for ALL poor people, regardless of their color or origin.

The Media: Er, um... No way we were snookered that badly. Must be something wrong with her.

The Administration: Uh oh. Activate ostrich mode!


Wingnut Noise Machine: ALERT! Those white people she helped -- they're fakes! They don't exist!

Responsible people: Afraid she's not a racist, and those farmers are totally legit. Oh, and by the way -- her father was murdered by racist bigots during the civil rights era.


The Media and the Administration: Oh crap. We gotta make this right.

Breitbart: No no -- it wasn't about HER. I was pointing out the racism of the entire NAACP. See, they were hooting and hollering at her anecdote like a bunch of... well, you know.


Wingnut Noise Machine: ALERT! NAACP -- are they total racists? Also, did they collude with the Obama Administration to destroy this woman's career? It would be irresponsible not to speculate...for hours and hours.


Responsible people: Give Sherrod her damned job back. Better still, make it a promotion. And we want to hear some apologies. After this ridiculous lynching, there better be a POTUS call, too.


The Media and the Administration (scuffing the dirt): All right... Sorry.

Sherrod is interviewed. She's kinda p.o'd at having been railroaded like she was, and for no good reason than the perfidy of the bigots and the cowardice of her supposed employers and friends. She rightly calls Breitbart on his shit, calls him a racist and someone who'd probably like to see African Americans reduced to slavery again.


Wingnut Noise Machine: ALERT! Sherrod must apologize abjectly to Breitbart! She's evil again! Black woman disrespecting white guy who nearly got away with ruining her career! Release the hounds!