I take issue with this.
What no one is able to comprehend, especially black people, is that the election is not about skin color. It is about choosing the best person to run the strongest country in the world during extremely troubling times. It's about selecting a person smart enough, wise enough, honest enough, strong enough to maintain the integrity of the office and of this country. It is not about the rise of the black man - and woman - through repression, depression and suppression.
You see, being black means you are a member of a minority, and that means there are far fewer people with black skin than with any other color of skin currently residing in this country. There are far more people with white skin that are repressed, depressed and suppressed - by 80% or more. Why is it that having black skin entitles you to more recognition, status, opportunities and legitimacy than anyone else? It's almost as if you, as a people, have bitched and moaned so much that you are enjoying far more by doing far less than anyone else has to.
Superville says that Michelle Obama "embodies the hopes and dreams of millions of black women, like me, who quietly have longed for the day when we'd see one of our own where Michelle Obama is now — this close (fingers pinched!) to measuring the White House for draperies and picking out a new china pattern."
Millions of black women? One of our own? What? What about all the other women with various colors of skin? And, since we all live in America, and we're all supposed to be Americans, why should it be acceptable that the Obamas can only be yours and not all of ours? By the way, it is a complete waste of time, effort and ridiculous amounts of money to redecorate the White House every four years! Not only that, it is an overwhelmingly superficial, inconsequential aspect of the supposed 'lofty status' of a president's wife. Is that all she plans to do if her husband is elected?
As long as you bleed red blood when cut, have bowel movements and have to urinate, you are no different - and certainly not more superior - than anyone else. What counts is, again, intelligence, wisdom, maturity, humility, patience, and all the rest of the attributes of a Damned Good Person; none of which have a damned thing to do with the color of your skin.
That race is so important to Obama means that he is working from a self-imposed, insurmountable deficit, and one that makes him an unwise choice to lead a country with an ethnically diverse yet predominately white citizenship. Until he and his wife can get over the fact that they have darker skin than the majority, he is unfit to lead this country.
I agree with you - Obama cannot be President if he capitalize on his being dark colored.
ReplyDeleteYes. He needs to be a man, just a man; not a black man.
ReplyDeleteTheresa:
ReplyDeleteYou're firing on all cylinders today. I agree with you and will submit one other thought -- our goal should be to look past race entirely.
Here's what I mean. My kids, I'm proud to say, don't pay that much attention to skin color. They'll say that kid is cool or that kid isn't cool -- not that black/white/latino kid is cool or that black/white/latino kid isn't cool.
Isn't that, ultimately, how we we ought to react with each other?
Visit The Natural State Hawg!
Yes, yes, yes, Hawg! That sums it up nicely - race is not an issue, ever. Everyone needs to be the kind of parent you are, and the rest of us too old to be influenced by parents anymore should take it upon themselves to think through and integrate what they ultimately decide on the issue of race. Yes, this is how we are meant to interact with each other.
ReplyDeleteIt should never be about the color of the skin, sex of the candidate or age of the candidate it should be about the record and achievements accomplished during their career and what they stand for.
ReplyDeleteYep. Can't add anything because you've said it all beautifully!
ReplyDeleteObama is an unwise choice no matter what way you look at it, even if he stops yelling "hey look, I'm black!" Why? Because he probably won't survive his first year in office. If some white fundie doesn't shoot him for being black, some jihadist will because he left Islam. He's part of a minority purely by virtue of being someone that a lot of people want to shoot. It's a shame nobody wants to shoot him for a rational reason.
ReplyDeleteOn the actual topic of the black people, well, there's two ways to define being black:
A. Someone who was born with dark skin. Absolutely nothing with that. There are actually many black people who have lived great productive lives, contributed great things to society, or otherwise done great things, but I can't bring to mind any of them because of
B. People who act black. Now don't get me wrong, I don't oppose people having their own cultures, as long as they don't try cram it down my throat. I don't like people who act black. Why? Because their culture consists of nothing but sex(ism), excessive materialism, gangs, and drugs. Zero substance. Any culture that not only accepts but idolizes kids with guns hooked on drugs that'll kill them before they're 30 out on the street shooting other kids with guns hooked on drugs that'll kill them before they're 30 is a culture that has to go.
Let's face it, black culture has produced nothing admirable in probably 30 years. It's a disgusting bastardization of the Rights Movement that produced great thinkers like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcom X. Some of the blacks that try crying "what else do we have but crime and volence?" Well, shit, I live in Arkansas, one of the more racist states in this country, and I work alongside plenty of black people. They have exactly the same opportunities as my white ass. If they'd shut their mouths and open their eyes, maybe they'd see that.
I was going to bash the white supremacists too, but I can't think of what all I was going to say and put it into the flow of this rant, so I'll just close with this:
Jesus was black.
You speak the truth, Feurix. I also suspect that fundamentalist extremists will be aiming more than sharp words at Obama, if IF he manages to get elected. I could go all conspiracy on you and point out that everyone is so damned busy trying to make it through this economic mess that no one would have the energy to bother - perfect timing for a repression, a distraction to get a black man in office.
ReplyDeleteAs for the culture, I've seen more than my fair share of white, latino and asian kids piercing body parts, dying hair black and wearing dog fight collars - something as equally ridiculous as the "act black" thing you talk about. Oh, and these kids are also handy with the guns and drugs.
You close is a perfect slap in the face to any idiot that is a white supremest! Well put!
@Jude, gender and age are two other equally volatile issues raised during this election. All we have to do is throw in creed (which I have no idea what it is), and all of the irons would be in the fire.
ReplyDelete@Pam, I just don't have the mind to cover all the possible angles on this issue! There has to be a lot I missed and a lot more to say!
Ew!
ReplyDeleteThis post was totally off in my opinion. I've been reading your blog for about a month now, and this is the first time that I felt this way...but I wanted to throw my opinion out there.
The article that you reference, and the way that the Obama campaign and the Obama family have been talking about race are very different from the way that you bring it up here.
If you honestly believe that African Americans in this country have greater opportunities than other people, I suggest you look at high school graduation data. I suggest you look at data about the race of those that are incarcerated in this country. I suggest you look at census data that shows that a predominate number of African Americans in this country are poor, and that a predominate number of the wealthiest of this country are white.
Your statement that African Americans do less and receive more is a joke. My African American friends have stories of doing far more than I ever would just to get decent service at a restaurant - forget about what kind of hard-work it takes for them to get an apartment or a job.
Your statements here are bigoted and make you appear much more ignorant than I had ever suspected by reading your other stuff. Until they shut up about the struggle they have endured, and pretend that their lives have been as easy as yours, they will never win your vote. Hmmm...says a lot about you.
For every black person struggling, there are 9 white people struggling. The rest of the data you cite is true, but only to the extent of the number of black people to the number of non black people. Except for the prison stats, that is.
ReplyDeleteAs long as race is the major issue of the campaign, it will be to elect or not a black man, not a man to be the president.
Your opinion is welcome, and valid. That my opinion differs from your is also valid. However, it is not an excuse for a personal attack.
And no, Obama will not get my vote based on his choice for VP. I believe that this race is not about the two candidates, but about the two VPs because either will likely become president themselves.
I completely agree with Mike. Your comments are off base and bigoted.
ReplyDeleteYou are right in that it shouldn't be about race, but it obviously is no matter what we do. It's bs to believe otherwise.
And in terms of not having any contributions to society, you need to do your research. Or just take a moment an look up the term "whitism." And sadly, you'd have to pick up a book, not just type it into Google, because it's an actual sociology concept that is taught in college classes. (Not the slang versions you'll get in google.)
Hey, I'm glad you guys are reading and considering a topic enough to comment on it! Thanks for your contributions!
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem I have with both Obamas is that I think THEY are racist. I think that my views as a not-black person wouldn't matter to them. It's not okay for them to be racist, either.
ReplyDeleteAnd when I think to her saying she wasn't proud of her country, despite all the privileges she has had... it infuriates me. I had to work my butt off to make my way to a better life from where I started. I'm very proud to live in a country where this was possible, despite the problems we have. Growl.
I hadn't thought of that, Wendy. I think you're right. It's hard to tell if it's the Obamas being racist, or the way the media keeps pumping the racist topic.
ReplyDeleteI must say, I disagree completely.
ReplyDeleteWho is focusing on Michelle or Barack Obama as being black? Certainly, it is not Michelle or Barack Obama. Instead, it is Darlene Superville and other pundits that are creating this false impression.
Instead, I would encourage you to go back and view Michelle Obama's speech, or even better, Barack Obama's speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
You can find a link here:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/convention2004/barackobama2004dnc.htm
With that, let me quote an important part of that speech:
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It is that fundamental belief -- It is that fundamental belief: I am my brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family.
E pluribus unum: "Out of many, one."
Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us -- the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of "anything goes." Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America -- there’s the United States of America.
The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an "awesome God" in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.
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Aldon, I saw Michelle's speech, and I came away impressed with her ability to speak, and moreso that she wrote her own speech. She's not just a talking head.
ReplyDeleteI've been watching the DNC on CBS, and every time they had the chance, the anchors brought up the issue of race. Unfortunately, it's that ugly word that tends to stick like glue to taint everything. Negative press is hard to shake, whether it's true or not.
Theresa, In 2004, I was one of the first bloggers credentialed to cover the Democratic National Convention in Boston. I was in the convention hall when Barack Obama delivered his speech there. I was at a breakfast for bloggers when he spoke to them. He and his wife are both very bright.
ReplyDeleteYet what struck me was how bad the talking heads were. They seem to live in some sort of alternative world, perhaps some of it is the 'beltway bubble'. What they talked about both in 2004 and 2008 seemed completely different from what I was experiencing.
So, I think these sort of discussions are extremely important. We need to be our own talking heads. We need to think about how this really relates to our own lives, and not some television fantasy.
So yes, negative press is hard to shake, but it seems to me that we must work hard, ourselves, to create a better media ecology.
As always, my two cents....
Aldon
Of course these discussions are extremely important! It may be the only way remaining to dig out of the mess this country is currently in!
ReplyDeleteThe Natural State Hawg pointed out quite a few more wrinkles, also from a realistic perspective, that should also be taken into consideration. His depression and sense of futility about this whole election is strong, and shared.
So, yes. We do need to discuss, and even more, we need to start using our voices to make real change.