This video was posted to YouTube by Morgen Richmond and was brought to our attention by our friend Patterico.
It is from a January 21, 2002, speech at the University of Chicago.
Transcript via Patterico:
The philosophy of nonviolence only makes sense if the powerful can be made to recognize themselves in the powerless. It only makes sense if the powerless can be made to recognize themselves in the powerful. You know, the principle of empathy gives broader meaning, by the way, to Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but rich people are all for nonviolence. Why wouldn’t they be? They’ve got what they want. They want to make sure people don’t take their stuff. But the principle of empathy recognizes that there are more subtle forms of violence to which we are answerable. The spirit of empathy condemns not only the use of firehoses and attack dogs to keep people down but also accountants and tax loopholes to keep people down. I’m not saying that what Enron executives did to their employees is the moral equivalent of what Bull Connor did to black folks, but I’ll tell you what, the employees at Enron feel violated. When a company town sees its plant closing because some distant executives made some decision despite the wage concessions, despite the tax breaks, and they see their entire economy collapsing, they feel violence . . .
***
Update:
The lapdog media is silent, of course, but citizens are outraged:
https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/253507573741940736
"@MelissaTweets: Obama: “Rich people are all for nonviolence. Why wouldn’t they be? They’ve got what they want.” -The Great Uniter??
— DocGuido (@DocGuido) October 3, 2012
https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/253508372710715392
Obama: "The spirit of empathy condemns…accountants…" <— We get increased unemployment, debt, poverty, ignorance. http://t.co/kJVScaLx
— Isabel Castillo (@maidenphp) October 3, 2012
https://twitter.com/timewarf/status/253508970424197120
Several people interpreted Obama’s statement as condoning violence committed by those who see themselves as disenfranchised:
@michellemalkin @Patterico @dawnkazmierzak so if you don't have what you want you can be violent? and receive apologies?and US on a platter?
— Dawn Kazmierzak (@dawnkazmierzak) October 3, 2012
@michellemalkin @patterico So I take this to mean Obama is okay with poor blacks committing crimes because they are poor?
— Dr. Sharon Richert (@srichert49) October 3, 2012
@michellemalkin @patterico so back then Obama was advocating violence as a means for wealth redistribution.
— CavGuynCO (@CavGuynCO) October 3, 2012
@michellemalkin what I'm taking away from this: kill rich people and take their stuff.
— CallInSick (@CallInSick318) October 3, 2012
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