He was absolutely right in both his public and diplomatic stance wrt the USSR. I assume that's what you're basing 99.9% of your opinion on. What else makes him great to you?
Ronald Reagan was born almost 125 years ago. He was born in a small town in Illinois - the importance of which often is overlooked, unless you are familiar with the larger area of where he was born and raised. To this day, small town in Illinois tend to be isolated, tend to be very white, and they are also very religious. RR was born in Tampico Illinois. CURRENTLY Tampico is 99.5% white..... in 1910 there were about 1000 people in his town, and the closest "real town" was Moline which is about 50 miles away, and then Chicago which was well over 100 miles away. His family moved to Dixon Illinois when he was in middle school. Dixon for reference had about 8,000 people when RR lived there. It was basically 100% white. RR then went to college at Eureka College, which was a conservative Christian college. There were only like 1,500 people in the entire town of Eureka Illinois. On top of that, RR was raised in a very religious household, where his mother was often a preacher and his father was a traveling salesman. RR had parents that were considered progressive for the time and especially where they lived. I cannot stress how isolated a place small town Illinois is, especially in the 1920's and 1930's. The census papers for example show that out of a town of almost 8,000 people in Dixon Illinois (where RR lived most of his life) there were a total of two black people. Even with somewhat progressive parents, RR was born and raised in small towns where most people were white, Protestant, lived on farms on small homes that were many miles from other small towns. The level of racism in these areas is still high, but especially in the 1920's and 1930's. While his parents were progressive, they were mostly concerned with the poor and unwed, not so much racial issues. Years later RR would acknowledge that while he loved where he grew up, it was very racist. Because of his mother's activity in the Church, and RR's size and appearance and participation in sports - RR was very popular in high school and college. He said that he never really had to struggle as a child. He basically was a poor student, that was the class president in HS, and then in college as well - he graduated college and was given a job as a sports broadcaster for a few years, then decided to audition for movies in Hollywood and was given a long term contract with Warner Bros after only one day of auditioning. He participated in WW2, but not until he was granted multiple deferments, and was given a supervisory position stateside in California where he did nothing involving fighting or training - he was a paper pushing boss. He literally was encouraged to run for Actors Guild President and won - and at that point began being politically involved - he did some television, but that was it. So was Ronald Reagan racist? Well we know that his parents were not racist for the time, and there are well documented examples of him supporting the rights of black people in his 20's and even 30's. He for example did not believe in segregation and would help black friends of his find housing. On the other hand, he is the walking embodiment of white male priv. He got very far in life because he was a white male, with charisma, charm and luck. He literally fell into a major job as a sports broadcaster - then it only took him 1 day to be signed as a movie star - then he avoided combat in WWII- and within 18 months of the end of his military duty, he with the encouragement of his friends, was in charge of the Actor's Guild and that allowed for him to make entry into high level politics. His life shows why he is so divisive a historical figure - he was raised in a simpler time, with simple values, and he carried those through his entire life - even when the world around him changed. Personally, I don't think that Ronald Reagan was more racist than other white men during his life - indeed he was likely less racist, but by our standards he was racist. Also, he failed to adjust to the world around him, so some of his policy views and values were out of touch with reality in America in the 1970's through 2000. He is a perfect example of how being well liked, and a member of the ruling establishment can get you very far in life. He was against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - he also passed legislation against radical black people.
He was and still is a very overrated president. He ran up debt, he was a big early proponent of trickle down economics which was left for a truly great underrated president, GHB, to cleanup. A lot of that spending has to do with defense and yes he is credited destroying the USSR by making them keep up and bankrupting them but my opinion is that the USSR was destined for failure. He was a very brilliant politician, and the recording is truly disappointing. I started a thread comparing Trump to Reagan and a lot of people were like how could you. It's understandable, as most people were saying Reagan was a much better person. It's hard for me, even given the o.p. to accept that Reagan was racist because he seems like such a great person and in his personal life I'm sure he was. @T_Man I wrote that post before reading the O.P., I would never defend someone saying that regardless of their frustration at that moment. Insults like that come from racism no doubt.
It is also possible that Reagan was using language that he believed the person he was talking with would be comfortable with or approve of. I am not saying that Reagan wasn't racist - but he WAS someone that was incredibly good at getting other people to like him, to support him and his policies - and he was very charismatic. I know that as a lawyer, when having private conversations I will sometimes drop formalities and use more common language, because it appeals to the person I am speaking with and it will give me a better shot at reaching an agreement or solving a problem. Would I say something racist that I did not agree with if I believed that it would make my audience more comfortable with me and lead to resolution? Yes I would....... Does that mean that I believe what I am saying no? But it IMO has little impact outside of the conversation and it helps my client. FWIW I have had an easier time negotiating with Pan-Africanists and other groups that are viewed as racist. Why? Because I know exactly where they are coming from and what their positions are. Did RR do this? IDK, but taking someone's life, finding something racist or sexist that they said and claiming they are racist is a real over simplification. I have known a lot of people that were bigoted at 25 and not by the time they are 45, because something in their lives changed their opinion. Reagan is like a lot of people - he is a conflicted, a mix of some acts of racism and other acts that were inclusive.
This is just social engineering, although most people don't understand what that means. Find a common ground, build on it. I steer clear of anything racist because I don't like that sort of talk to begin with, but I won't lie, I will say mildly 'henpecked husband' sexist stuff because most men will laugh at that and I've found that most women will too 'I'm a happily married man, I keep my mouth shut' type jokes.
I find most people to be very complicated when it comes to social issues. I am skeptical of people that proclaim that they are not racist, sexist or bigoted in some ways. It is the same with people that go around spouting how wonderful and enlightened they are. I don't agree with what a lot of people I negotiate with believe. Many of them are very wealthy white men that have lived very entitled lives. I can be very diplomatic, and can find some common ground even with people I strongly disagree with. I have gotten contracts completed with the Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormon Church - when I have little common ground with either - I simply made sure I was open with them and did not belittle them before knowing them. I did the same with Pan-Africanists and some very sexist and racist business partners. I have had some people ask why I do business with them, or agree to act as an arbitrator or negotiator - At the end of the day I am a flawed person and as I get older I am more aware of my past and current failings.
What he said was racist. Is he a racist? That's a different question and it's very hard to answer. At the very least, Reagan had some racist tendencies, but I am sure in his own eyes, he was against racism. That's not uncommon.
I agree what he said is racist and wrong - whether RR was a racist is a more complicated question. RR was born in a tiny town in Illinois during the peak of the KKK - he like a lot of white men had racist tendencies.
Ronald Reagan being racist is irrelevant to him courting the most racist aspects of American society like the religious right who were on a mission to segregate and using the war on abortions as a diversion to pack the courts without being seen as racist and have pro segregation judges filled in the federal court system. It isn't a coincidence that the strongest opponents of abortion during this time were the most ardent supporters of segregation still. For most modern presidents like Bush or Reagan, the issue wasn't they were some hardcore racists. The problem was that they allowed racism to flourish in their administration and with the religious leaders the admin was supporting.
Reagan wrecked the homeless and his aids response is still talked about today. I was six by the time Bush became president and the moments I remember about him were the Challenger explosion, the Berlin wall falling and that assassination attempt. So beats me if he was truly racist. They were a different cut of people during that time, where they worried more about nuclear annihilation than civil rights...
Yup - I agree, which is why I have argued that I care about actually policy and what a President gets done and not whether they have said racist things or are a racist. In most cases racists support racist policies - but not always. LBJ could have said every racial slur in the book but he got the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed and they dwarfs whatever the man said in private. I know a business owner that in private says the most sexist, xenophobic and racist things possible. Yet, he does not tolerate any racism in his business - his hiring practices are very progressive, he has hired a very high percentage of minorities and women. I got to know him really well being his attorney and after years asked him about it. He told me if he wants to say slurs in his home that’s his business - said if his employees want to call him racial slurs at home - that’s their right - but business is business and discrimination in the public sector is wrong - and what people say in private is private. He brought up Thurgood Marshall and his views on the difference between public and private. So how bad is he? IDK, he has a lot of loyal employees that he pays well - he gives people opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t get them - but he tells his lawyer and family off colored jokes and uses slurs in his home.
Reagan wasn't big on ending abortion. He was pretty upfront on his civil rights stances but I don't know what you mean about segregation. Segregation wasn't going to be reinstated, after 1980
