‘Racism That Is Still Respectable’: Biden Attacked Over ‘Record Player’ Remark

For many Americans watching the Democratic debate on Thursday night, Joe Biden’s “record player” comment was yet another sign of his age. But to others, his suggestion that black parents “don’t know quite what to do” with their children was a worrying instance of the former vice president being tone deaf on race.

In a question on racism in the United States, moderator Linsey David asked Biden, 76: “In a conversation about how to deal with segregation in schools back in 1975, you told a reporter, ‘I don’t feel responsible for the sins of my father and grandfather. I feel responsible for what the situation is today, for the sins of my own generation, and I’ll be damned if I feel responsible to pay for what happened 300 years ago.'”

“You said that some 40 years ago,” he continued. “But as you stand here tonight, what responsibility do you think that Americans need to take to repair the legacy of slavery in our country?”

Biden responded: “Well, they have to deal with the — look, there’s institutional segregation in this country. From the time I got involved, I started dealing with that. Redlining banks, making sure we are in a position where — look, you talk about education. I propose that what we take is those very poor schools, the Title I schools, triple the amount of money we spend from $15 to $45 billion a year. Give every single teacher a raise, the equal raise to getting out -— the $60,000 level. . .

Anand Giridharadas, an author and editor-at-large at Time magazine, described Biden’s musing as “a textbook example of the racism that is still respectable.” Veteran political commentator Jeff Greenfield wondered: “Did he mean that black parents depended on an army of white people with degrees to help them raise their kids?” (Read more from “‘Racism That Is Still Respectable’: Biden Attacked Over ‘Record Player’ Remark” HERE)

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