Today, I happily voted for whom I thought was the best US presidential candidate - Barack Obama. For the first time in my adult lfe, I am voting FOR a candidate, instead of voting against an a$$chunk, or the lesser evil of two a$$chunks. I fully realize his strengths are in charisma and rhetoric, but I do have a real hope he will surround himself with people more interested in progress than party control idiocy, which has plagued our country for far too long. I also hope he can break the stereotype of the incessantly-taxing-Democrat, and we'll have to see about that one. I, unlike some of my friends, do not think this country would go to hell in a handbasket if McCain was elected. I don't agree with him on several major issues, and he has the reputation of working with 'the other side' well enough. However, if he died, the country would indeed go to hell in a handbasket if Palin was president. What a right wing hypocrite, full of xenophobia and fear-mongering for self-benefit, let alone insistence on pure emotions-based mythologies.
My reasons are long, but I'll stop there. My main reason for this entry was to discuss the fact we here in the US insist on calling Barack Obama a black man.
Black or African American as terms make no difference to me or to my wife, who is black. I am white. We have two kids, who have a really nice permanent tan.
It disturbs me at some level we keep calling Barack black. Technically, he, like my kids, are bi-racial, or multi-racial if you prefer.
Now I understand the foundations of why we haven't matured as a culture, and insist he is just black. In the old days (and still in the South today - sweeping generalization, I know), if you had any African genetics in your blood, you were black, because part black just means black. It was meant as a very negative concept, as if being part-black was just as bad as being all black. What a bunch of moronic simpleton bunk! We still, as a society, are immature in that we don't feel like processing reality as many complex shades of gray - people are too lazy to think through things as the complex issues that they really are.
I applaud the fact that a multiracial candidate is likely to become our next president, given he is partially black, given our country's horrible treatment of blacks even in the recent past, and more predominant in less educated locales where irrational hate and fear oft fester. This isn't white guilt either - it's about time we got past that fear and hate and accepted a candidate for who he is. Like him or not, he's just a guy, regardless of skin pigment. Sure there are legit cultural differences in this country, but I hope with him as our next president, we can mature a bit and just refer to him as such - our next president, not our first black president. Historic it is, yes, and deserves recognition, yet simultaneously, I hope something like this isn't that big of a deal in the future.
(pardon the large-bold font for those that don't know me; not yelling - just legally blind)
4 comments:
I really do hope that an Obama victory will change a lot of our preconceived notions about how this government is supposed to work. I know he's not an omnipotent savior, but I would rather someone try to do the right thing and fail and not try and succeed.
Well put. I think we can safely say this election has given America a new (and hopefully, forward progressing) way of thinking about race, stereotypes, and character. Perhaps we can one day come close to the level of national identity acceptance many Europeans enjoy among their own particular citizenries, regardless of skin color.
I recently thought about Obama's skin color and wondered how the election might have been different if he were "white". (White is as silly a word as black. I'm kind of pinkish tan.)
I don't think it would have been that different in its conclusion, but the electoral balance between him and Clinton would have been different.
Barack Hussain (meaning "good" or "handsome" or "beautiful") Obama has risen to where he is not because of the color of his skin, but because of the content of his character.
completely agree. The treatment of any race (other than white) in this country has been deplorable. It is with hope that I say that is changing - but it has to be at an individual level. "Be the change that you want to see in the world."
And I have made sure that my kids are as color blind as possible. Race just isn't an issue in our house.
But I also would like to point out that there has been an increasing amount of racism going the other way. "All whites are racist. If you like the Chief you are a racist. If you DONT vote for O, you are a racist. etc, etc, etc"
I get sick every time I see the portrayal of a dorky white guy on a sitcom or movie. Racism or stereotyping is a bunch of crap no matter what color is painted on it.
And that my good friend, as I am sure you will agree, is just as much bunk as the other way around.
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