My concern is how the media is handling this story. Much has already been said about the double standard with John McCain. But there is also the question of providing appropriate context. M.J. Rosenberg alludes to this in his post.

Much of this controversy revolves around 3 sermons: one after 9/11, one in 2003, and one in 2008 as Rev Wright was retiring. I’ve been in church all my life (white churches and black churches) and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard more than 3 controversial sermons. If Rev. Wright has only delivered 3 controversial sermons, then he is an angel not a demon. So there’s probably more out there, and the media declares “breaking news” each time they find a new one, instead of providing the appropriate context.

In a white church in Dallas, I once heard a preacher say, “God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve”, and another preacher say that Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for Voodoo and sexuality in New Orleans (this was a preacher who had a church in New Orleans).

Compared to some of these preachers, Rev. Wright’s first principles are mostly sound, though his language is clearly inflammatory, and his words are way over the line. Indeed we are responding to his language, not to his message. He could have replaced “God damn America” with “God is upset with America” for injustice to poor and black people, and we would all have agreed.

Some of his principles are unsound and based in paranoia, but not most, and I think this is what Obama tries to communicate in his video post (below). But whether the media provides this necessary context will determine how this issue is received by the audience.

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