The original sin of the Southern White Male

It's being a racist, of course.

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It seems that a particular affliction of the southern white man is over coming the original sin of racism. Whether or not a southern white man is actually guilty of racism himself, (and I think that pious types like Carter, who see racism everywhere, must be overcompensating for some shortcoming) he must always make apologies for it, and furthermore, he never questions charges of racism when they are levelled (I have some personal experience with this). As I have said before, charges of racism are the ugliest, most disgusting charges you can level at another person. It is almost impossible to defend oneself and the label tends to stain even after it has been applied inappropriately and removed.

The over application of this label has been going on for years, but ironically gained real momentum following the election of the "first post-racial President." Indeed, since Obama's election, any opposition to his radical plans for remaking the country have been countered with overblown charges of racism. With Carter's priggish interview with Brian Williams, this trend has reached well beyond the point of ridiculousness. For examples of this, watch this clip of a debate between Frank Luntz, Republican Pollster, and professional race baiter Michael Eric Dyson, last trotted out on the Today Show to condemn the "racist" Cambridge Cops who acted "stupidly". According to Dyson, apparently Joe Wilson's "You lie!" also not only included the implied "boy" as Maureen Dowd originally projected, but "you uppity 'n'!":

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It's laughable that Dyson is outraged that Obama has been portrayed as a monkey, a chimp and Hitler, which he sees as overtly racist, when for years that was the left's favorite insult to BushChimpHitler.

For the final word on this, I defer to the unparalleled Charles Krauthammer, who nails the motivation behind these slurs:

You know, the accusation of racism is a sign of desperation by people who know they are losing the national debate, and they want to hurl the ultimate charge in American politics.

This is dealing from the bottom of the deck, and I agree that it is a disgusting tactic. It's done as a way to end debate. The minute you call somebody a racist, the debate is over. You don't continue….

Accusations of racism are the last refuge of the liberal scoundrel.

As for Maureen Dowd, imagining a word [“boy”] that wasn't said: Well, in my previous profession, I saw a lot of people who heard words that weren't said. They were called patients. Many of them were actually helped with medication.

The reason she won't be — and others who are hurling the [racism] accusation — is because it is a deliberate attempt to change the subject and discredit the opposition with an unprovable — and unproven — ad hominem.