If one's race truly isn't an issue....

[Irvine511]

Unbelievable.

but sean, Obama won!

that means that racism doesn't exist anymore.

 

[Anji]

because we have a long history of legally sanctioned discrimination on the basis of race that reverberates to this day.

it's a victory for all of us when people from traditionally marginalized groups succeed. just a generation ago, they would never have succeeded because of their race.

Very true! A lot of Americans would NEVER vote Obama as to them he is the N word

A couple of my colleagues over there were saying over my dead body will I vote for some N

I am a bit of a Saddo and have been watching Big Brother here in the UK, there were three American's in it this year. La Toya Jackson, Verne Troyer and Coolio.

They showed Obama taking over the presidency to the house. Now Coolio has been this big double hard bastard Mother F*** all the way through it, and quite frankly an irritating little shit. But after watching that, he cried like a baby!

He went on to tell the house that it is a proud day for blacks in America. His Great grandfather bought the family out of slavery and renamed themselves. Watching him watch that and break down like he did actually upset me

Makes you think

 

[Liesje]

Very true! A lot of Americans would NEVER vote Obama as to them he is the N word

A couple of my colleagues over there were saying over my dead body will I vote for some N

I found that most people I know who had such racist, bigoted opinions of him actually were more hung up on his middle name being Hussein. They openly admitted they feared he had ties to Islam and Muslim extremists simply because his middle name is Hussein.

 

[VintagePunk]

UPDATE: "Drunken Negro Face" Cookies On Sale at Greenwich Village Bakery - Gothamist: New York City News, Food, Arts & Events

I sincerely hope his business tanks, after this.

 

[~BrightestStar~]

Obama's only half black. His mother is white and his father really wasn't around for him, so you could almost say that he was raised "white".

But, I believe it's tougher to be bi-racial in the US then it is to even be black because then you have two races who might have a tough time accepting you.

For most of the 232 years of America's existence, black Americans haven't exactly been treated the greatest, so it is kind of important that a person of color be elected president of the US.

I've only skimmed this thread, so forgive me if this has been brought up before.

But in relation to this, leading up to the election, and even now after the fact, I've talked to a number of my friends and school mates of various backgrounds, and what I found most surprising was the number of times I was told "he's not really black". While I know he is of a mixed background, people still tend to grouped/classifiy based on skin colour not genealogies- and despite his mixed parentage - 50 or 100 years ago, he like anyone else of darker colour would not have been served in restaurants, would have been discriminated against, etc..
The comments from my friends seemed like a reverse racism, that he's not black enough for them - also somewhat humourous since many of them were not black themselves, but asian or indian.
I just found it very interesting.

 

[dazzlingamy]

i don't even see Obama as a black man (unless you see him dance, oh yeah!) but I don't think its like 'omg a black man is in the white house instead of outside pickin cotton!' because there are plenty of black people in positions of power (Condie for one) but more thats its like if he was asian, or american indian, its a characteristic of who he is. He is the first black man as president, but to me I don't think its like, now we're gonna see fiddy cent and his crew hanging out at the white house or anything.

 

[StoneyGlade]

The Policies, Not the Race

I've read a couple of threads in here about President Obama's race and didn't want this post to get lost in the mix. I was listening to FM radio on my way back to work the other morning (which is rare come to think of it, I usually don't listen to FM) and they were reading letters / e-mails about Obama being half-white and that it means he's not truly the first black president because he's not 100% black.

What a rediculous thing to be talking about. But if we're going to, let us look at it this way: Because of his African father (not a great grandparent or other distant relative), and his white, American mother, President Obama is actually more "African American" than most of my black friends. I've talked about this with a couple of them and we laughed about it and they ultimately agreed. And interestingly enough, an acquaintance of ours is a white South African who considers herself to be African American. Bottom line is I find it ironic that either way you slice it, regardless of color of skin, the man is truly African American, going by the parameters I set above, and is therefore the first African American president.

But I think we should simply get past the race issue, even if some fail to, and concentrate on his policies - which I'm pretty worried about.

I didn't vote for President Obama and I wasn't thrilled about voting for John McCain. But I find the race card a ridiculous one to be played in the current climate we find ourselves in in America - and any other climate quite frankly. And I've heard people on both sides of the political aisle playing that card - whether it be the discussion about his having a white mother (mostly, in my opinion and limited experience, coming from those who are white who didn't vote for him), people thinking he was only elected because he is black or those black people who choose to use Obama being elected to get back at the general white race - because of bitterness or history, etc. Either way, I agree with a line or two I read in one of the other posts - it simply doesn't matter. The decisions he makes which will affect all of us to some degree, and the people he surrounds himself with to help make decisons, I think these are the things we should be using some of these forums for.

Thoughts?

 

[indra]

Yeah, I'm going to be snarky.

You think it's ridiculous to discuss Obama's race, but then spend your entire post doing just that.

If you want to discuss his policies instead of his race then do it.

 

[StoneyGlade]

Yeah, I'm going to be snarky.

You think it's ridiculous to discuss Obama's race, but then spend your entire post doing just that.

If you want to discuss his policies instead of his race then do it.

That's right (though your point is clear). To me, the second paragraph trumps any other argument about his race...color of skin need not matter, the man is African American...and so I made the quick argument that I thought trumps any other...like trying to find the one sentence that would end a ridiculous conversation. And I agree, that paragraph probably opened the door to discuss his race even further as there are surely those who disagree. So, point made. Loud and clear. The overall theme however was to end the race discussion, however unsuccessful the attempt may have been.

 

[maycocksean]

what I found most surprising was the number of times I was told "he's not really black"..

Oh, I know all about this. I've been "not really black" my whole life. When I was a kid it was my white friends who thought they were complimenting me.

THEM: "Ha Ha, look at those niggers in that fan, ha ha--Oh, Sean, don't worry we don't mean you. You're not really black."

ME: "Ummm. . .thank you?!?"

When I was in college, it was my black friends who used it as a critique:

THEM: "Why you trying to talk all white?"

ME: "I'm not TRYING to talk like anything. This is just how I talk. . . "

 

[maycocksean]

i don't even see Obama as a black man (unless you see him dance, oh yeah!) but I don't think its like 'omg a black man is in the white house instead of outside pickin cotton!' because there are plenty of black people in positions of power (Condie for one) but more thats its like if he was asian, or american indian, its a characteristic of who he is. He is the first black man as president, but to me I don't think its like, now we're gonna see fiddy cent and his crew hanging out at the white house or anything.

Oh boy. . .

 

[maycocksean]

that means that racism doesn't exist anymore.

Musta missed the memo on that one. . .

 

[maycocksean]

Are you the same person that started that other thread about Obama and race? Cuz you sound EXACTLY like him.

Another poster brand new to Interference raising the same question in the same writing/discussion style. . .

Seems a little fishy. . .

 

[dazzlingamy]

maybe i didn't make myself clear, i was meaning that when the meida talks about Obama being the first black person as president its not said disbelievingly, but more as a matter of fact (which it is)

or is there something deeper to this?

 

[pgv]

Isn't it amazing how it's the ones in FYM saying "why does Obama's race mean anything?!" who are constantly bringing it up?

I think you're the ones who have an issue with it.

 

[vaz02]

I dont like how people use the term African American, why not just American ?

 

[BVS]

Merge...

I don't understand why some believe their posts are somehow better than those in the exisiting thread so theirs deserves a thread of their own...

 

[martha]

I dont like how people use the term African American, why not just American ?

How about when you're American, you can say something about it?

 

[deep]

If we only want Americans writing about American issues, then we might as well close this entire forum down.

 

[martha]

I was a little feisty this morning.

 

[anitram]

I dont like how people use the term African American, why not just American ?

I think generally it is best to leave it up to individual people as to how they self-identify. What's it to you?

I identify myself by my nationality (Canadian), but oftentimes, people will prompt me further with a "but where are you from" in which case I'll happily tell them my ethnicity, which is different. At the same time I have friends who are Canadian-born who will nevertheless say they are Jamaican or Indian, or whatever if asked. Why should that bother me?

 

[pgv]

I think generally it is best to leave it up to individual people as to how they self-identify. What's it to you?

Exactly

 

[Diemen]

I did not vote for Obama nor did I want to vote for John McCain.

I didn't vote for President Obama and I wasn't thrilled about voting for John McCain.

It just seems race is being brought to the forefront when it shouldn't be. President Obama earned his chance to be President and I don't think his race should be brought up at all...if race shouldn't be an issue.

But I find the race card a ridiculous one to be played in the current climate we find ourselves in in America - and any other climate quite frankly.

Thoughts?

Not so much a thought as a question: why create an alter just to post the same thing over again?

 

[deep]

Most of us are posting behind alters
very few of us use our real names

why that person may have created a new screen name to post?

that is simple, he or she wanted to have a discussion without being personally attacked

it appears not to have worked.

 

[indra]

The overall theme however was to end the race discussion, however unsuccessful the attempt may have been.

The problem is the theme of your post was about race. If you want to discuss his policies, do it. Find a thread already discussing a policy or policies you are interested in, or if no thread has been started (check through a page or two of posts in FYM) on what you consider an interesting policy, start a thread of your own. You can start you thread with "I like/dislike/am hopeful about/am worried about/don't understand/etc., etc., Obama's policy regarding ________ ..." and then just start discussing. I don't know any regular poster here who will reply to your post with "Well I think the Obama -- the African-American president -- policy is ..." or "Well, Obama, as the first African-American US president, will do ..." So jump in and discuss his policies and ideas. If you don't focus on his race, no one else will either.

Make no mistake though, a person of a race other than caucasian* and especially of a race that within the lifespan of millions of Americans (including myself) was not only forcibly segregated -- in education, in restaurants, on buses, in hotels, even at drinking fountains and restrooms -- but also denied a vote in many states, being elected President of the United States is a BIG DEAL. It's only natural that people celebrate it and the inauguration and the time leading up to the inauguration are the logical times to do it. If you don't understand why it's a big deal I contend the people who were supposed to be teaching you US history have done a piss poor job.

* and lets face it -- if the vast majority of people in this country saw him on the street and didn't know who he was they would say he was black/African-American, not mixed race.