Race and Health Care

So on NPR today they were discussing the objections to Obama's Health Care Plan. One of the commentators (not callers) writes a race column for some Chicago newspaper. Admittedly, she said that there were legitimate issues which needed to be discussed, but then she went on to say that people who are so vehemently objecting to the President's health care plan are doing so because of racial issues they cannot otherwise voice. Obviously, while there may be "legitimate issues," she believes this racially motivated segment of the population constitutes a significant enough portion to be worth mentioning. THEN she says that many of those who have these racial issues with the President don't realize their issues are racial ones because they can't admit it to themselves.

I studied rhetoric and her statement, particularly the last bit, is simply a justification for ignoring opposing viewpoints. You see, if I don't like the Obama plan, then my conclusions are possibly (probably) based on racial issues and since we know those are illegitimate basis of argument, my entire objection becomes likewise irrelevant. Even if I don't know or don't think my motivations are racial, she can conclude they are because so many of us poor dumb bastards just don't know what we really think.

Talk about a fucking elitist argument. It's practically Plato. You either agree or you aren't smart enough to know to agree and thus, your opinion, which is probably based on an invalid reason deep in your subconsciousness, doesn't matter.

It's sad that some people believe this.