Pulling the wool off of black sheeps' eyes

It must be tough feeling the need to apologize for and/or repeatedly explain something. This is rampant among politicians who use black people to make gains in the polls by “humbly” going through those motions.

We black folks are stepping stones to success, apparently. So why don’t I feel honored?

One thing I say when someone tries to blame me for something for which I am not guilty is that I don’t accept responsibility for something I did not do, nor do I feel the need to overexplain my lack of guilt.

I’m as flawed as anyone. I’m under neither the illusion nor delusion that I’m perfect. I mess up. I speak my mind when I shouldn’t. My motives are not always pure. In other words, I’m human. And being human, I’ve got enough to legitimately apologize for or explain, so I ain’t hardly trying to own up to something that has wrongfully been attributed to me. Got no time for that.

But I see this kind of thing all the time with politicians who are trying to appeal to a certain group — namely, black people. All of a sudden, even when they don’t literally say, “I am sorry for what I have done,” they point to themselves, ironically feeling a sense of pride in taking blame for bad deeds done, sometimes before they were even born — catering, crying, kowtowing. But many of us have awakened and wiped the sleep from our eyes.

The only ones who still fall for the nonsense are those whom politicians have suckered into staying “in their place,” making perpetual victims out of them so they can control them for votes, essentially turning them into blind sheep. Nothing like making people think you’re their friend by saying “sorry” a million times for something you didn’t do or already owned up to, telling them you understand why they haven’t gotten ahead — “what with the white man’s foot on your neck and all” — and adding, “I vow to have and to hold [you down], till death do us part.”

Joe Biden is good at working this. Remember when he told a group of black people in 2012 that Mitt Romney “was going to put y’all back in chains”?

Now, as a 2020 candidate, he’s picked it up again, in spite of his praise of segregationists — or maybe because of it, trying to extinguish the flames he’s ignited with some of his comments.

Recently, the former vice president addressed racism in the U.S., calling it ”overwhelmingly a white man’s problem visited on people of color.” This is Biden’s way of taking the blame for the atrocities of the past while simultaneously trying to keep the past alive. After all, if racism actually no longer existed, he wouldn’t know what to talk about much of the time.

His “We’re to blame, and I’m so sorry” quasi-apology accomplishes what? Its purpose is? Answer: to pull on the emotions of a group of people so they can pull the lever next to his name come 2020, of course. It’s always a game with these people.

Biden has also gone on record saying President Donald Trump has “fanned the flames of white supremacy” because that’s part of the game, too.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, also a presidential candidate, has taken up the issue, as well.

“We live in a country now where the president is advancing environmental racism, economic racism, criminal justice racism, health care racism,” she has said. “The way we do better is to fight back and show something better.”

Racism must be dealt with, says the woman who faked being Native American until she got busted and had to own up.

I could provide a multitude of examples, but everyone already knows black folks have been considered the gravy train for eons, particularly with a particular party.

This is the ugly of politics — well, one of the uglies: appeal to emotions; take responsibility for something you did or did not personally do; apologize, semi-apologize or overexplain; paint your opponent as the greater of two evils; then present yourself as The Great White Hope. In other words, exploit a serious issue for your own benefit. It’s an ongoing circus act, and I look forward to when we finally put these clowns out of business.

So, again, why do I not feel honored? Because being used for someone’s political agenda is not flattering; it’s insulting. It’s time to stop allowing people to hold us back so they can get ahead. News bulletin: Black people care about racism, of course, but, just like everyone else, we also care about — and are capable of engaging in — a plethora of issues. We can handle discussions about the economy, health care, immigration and more.

Honestly, do we really need Joe Biden coming to our rescue — saying what he “misspoke” recently? The former vice president said, “We have this notion that somehow if you’re poor, you cannot do it. Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids.” Um … thanks?

Nothing like a slip of the tongue to reveal what people really think. As I’ve said often, so say I again, “Stop ‘helping’ us — please.”

Adrienne Ross is owner of Adrienne Ross Communications and a former Southeast Missourian editorial board member.