Following last week’s arrest of an African-American professor in Boston, an incident President Obama referred to as “a teachable moment,” the professor and the police officer stopped by the White House, for a beer with Obama and Vice President Biden.
Dubbed “the beer summit” by many in the media, the two joined Obama and Biden for beers and snacks at a table on the White House lawn. Press were allowed to take photos from a distance but little information was released about the event.
The arrest had sparked a debate about the treatment of African Americans by police – this debate was not just in the United States, as evidence by the range of comments from different countries on this blog.
“I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart,” Obama said in a statement following the meeting. “I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode.”
Comments (9)
Ravinder Kumar
Location: New Delhi -India
31 July 2009 at 22:45 EDT
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Democratic strength of equality through the disciplined norms of the country represents the nucleus and that is where the so called social evil’s wings if found emerging under the sensitivities becomes an exercise (natural) for all to clip its wings and that is where teachable moments teach even to the head of the country to emerge with teachable moments for all equally. “No body is a perfect human being and those who realize this without the subtle sense of ego in them, establish a course for others to become with a good human ego that is of friendship and brotherhood with equality that rings as nucleus of a participating democracy for the rest of the world on it”. Thanks to the Mahatma Person in Obama coming out of his shadows to prove “he is equally for all human kind on earth as President of his own great country”.
Don
Location: Phoenix, AZ
1 August 2009 at 18:40 EDT
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The police Sgt was the adult in this mess. Gates is a racist and race baiter who has in the past has made racist comments that would never be tolerated had a White made them. He bragged that his mother hated Whites. Gates has similar views of “White America” that Rev. Jeremiah Wright has. Obama sat in the pews of a racist, Rev. Wright, for almost twenty years. I think he was sypathetic the Wright’s views, thus his world is colored in the prism of White and Black, and that’s why he assumed the Sgt acted “stupidly,” when in fact he did exactly the right thing and the only thing left for him to do.
Rockefeller
Location: New York
8 August 2009 at 07:19 EDT
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The police Sgt was the adult in this case? Where is your brain? This is a boy who is highly trained and educated on racial issues and he could have walked away but he did not. Would you like to be arrested in your own home by a black police officer that shows you no respect? All this BS could have been avoided.
Johnny Postle
Location: Caribbean
9 August 2009 at 06:47 EDT
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Hating whites cannot be considered racist when the vast majority of whites consider blacks to be mere sheep deserving of herding and being tied out to pasture.
To control, manipulate and contemplate genocide against a people you whites think are inferior is, in my opinion, what racism truly is.
Black people, regardless of your perceived notion that we race hate against whites, are angry at the devices of whites to keep blacks down. Hence your interpretation of blacks being racist is misconstrued.
Blacks are angry at the system that favours whites over themselves and place them at a significant disadvantage, which is manifested in their current aggressions and in some, inability to rise above their past.
Ravinder Kumar
Location: New Delhi -India
2 August 2009 at 00:30 EDT
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Don
Location: Phoenix, AZ
1 August 2009 at 18:40 EDT
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The police Sgt was the adult in this mess. Gates is a racist and race baiter who has in the past has made racist comments that would never be tolerated had a White made them. He bragged that his mother hated Whites. Gates has similar views of “White America” that Rev. Jeremiah Wright has. Obama sat in the pews of a racist, Rev. Wright, for almost twenty years. I think he was sypathetic the Wright’s views, thus his world is colored in the prism of White and Black, and that’s why he assumed the Sgt acted “stupidly,” when in fact he did exactly the right thing and the only thing left for him to do.
The comment indicates that the past “white of America” has been tolerating racist element – rather suppressing it – the thing is, “we are not there to exploit where black vs. white comes into the picture”. Tolerance is nature’s gifted virtue no doubt but, what goes behind tolerance should not remain floating where the aspect of color comes with the words racial or racist equating with the white because that becomes conflict prone for all and why even highlight that through the media - to sell negativity (?) or rather than being positive with a inherent awakening on it that initiates transformation of the ordinary with a policy that merges with the nucleus of the country in democracy?
America as land of its mixed culture for instance has already delivered that by bringing in Obama as the President.
Therefore,
THE CONCLUSION ON THIS IS “LANDS VIBRATE TO BRIDGE THE GAPS FOR GOVERNANCE ON THEIR NUCLEUS OF POWER ACCORDING TO THE POWER OF TIME IN TIMELESS”.
David Wanogho
Location: Port Harcourt, Nigeria
3 August 2009 at 09:50 EDT
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I am joyed by President Obama’s realisation that his initial choice of words should have been more carefully chosen. His decision to invite both parties to the Whitehouse was not bad either, though the President should sparingly comment on such issues except it bebomes imperative.
Further, rather than center the meeting on beer, “lunch” or simply “drink” would have been more appropriate.
This said, he showed clearly, that he was the president of all Americans.
ilyas mohsin
6 August 2009 at 10:54 EDT
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It is impossible to figure out what went wrong between Prof gates and the police Sgt in the heat of the moment.
So the best way out was devised by Obama to bury the controversial event. His gesture should appeal to all except the loonies.
juda4ever
Location: israel is NOT my jewish nation !!!
6 August 2009 at 17:58 EDT
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racism will go on and on . it does not matter where you live. rich vs. poor
white vs blacks and blacks vs. black
white vs white . LOOK PEOPLE THEIR WILL NEVER BE A END OF RACISM. IT IS IN OUR HUMAN BLOOD TO KILL AND MURDER THE INNOCENT. WARS WILL GO ON AND ON. It does not matter
where you live on this earth you will see racism from across this earth everyday and everynight !!!!!!!!!
kasereka moses
Location: UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
20 August 2009 at 12:47 EDT
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I agree with the conduct of the police man he was on duty and he responded apropriately regardless of what who said what by arresting Gates meant that he may have gone out of his way and if it was indeed a robery and a cctv in the area happens to show the policeman passing by while a robery is taking place whom would gates count responsible ofcouse the police man would have been sermoned to explain, despite of the race issues lets leave it behind and lets give the man on duty respect and try to answer his questions politely. if Gates provided the policeman with the details that he actually lives in that house by offering to call a neighbour to identfy him there would’nt have been any issue at all wasting the presidents time only to discuss a funny incident created by Gates in his capacity yet there are issues the president would have adressed like trying to know how the reaseachers are doing on AID VACCINE. Mr. President before you respond on any iisue like this take your time a minute is betther.