timschochet
Footballguy
I did not put this in the Obama thread for two reasons: first, because it is really more about society in general than specifically about Obama or any issue he stands for, and second, because I realize this could be a very volatile topic, even though I think it needs to be discussed.
The percentage of African Americans who support Obama's candidacy is now 90%. We can therefore assume that at least part of this support is based on identity politics: they are voting for him, at least in part, because he is a Black man.
This by itself should be troubling to no one. It is not racist, at least in my opinion, for Black people to want to see a Black man accomplish what only white men have up to this point in the history of our country. Indeed, from a purely historical standpoint, Senator Obama's election would be a milestone that all thinking people should be proud of, and it's quite proper for African Americans to be especially proud and happy if this happens.
What's problematic is what takes place afterward. If elected, Obama will immediately become the most prominent African-American in the history of this nation, even surpassing Martin Luther King. As has happened to every president in my lifetime and before, he will be subject to an immediate barrage of criticism from every part of this country, some of it so vitriolic it will border on hatred. That's how we roll in politics in this country.
My concern is that African-Americans (and others) will regard all such criticisms, including the valid ones, through a racial lens. Unfortunately, there is precedence to suggest that whenever criticism is directed at a prominent Black person in this country, it has been seen as racist by many within the African-American community no matter how justifiable that criticism is (recent examples include Barry Bonds and Michael Vick).
In a way, I understand this phenomenon, partly. I was raised a Jew, and to this day I (and many of my Jewish friends) are immediately suspicious of any criticism of prominent Jews or of Israel. Is it anti-Semitic? we always wonder before we hear anything else, as an automatic reflex. And Jews did not suffer any of the trials and tribulations of African-Americans in this country. There is a reason that they look at many things through a racial lens, and that reason is for the most part justifiable.
But if the majority of African-Americans do respond to criticism of Obama in a racial way, what effect will that have? Will it become political taboo to criticize Obama? Will those of us who do have to constantly fear being charged with racism? (The way that certain people in the Michelle Obama thread were immediately charged with it). And if so, what dampening effect will this have on free speech in this country during an Obama administration?
Please do not take this as an argument for voting against Barack Obama. It isn't. I will not vote for Senator Obama, but my reasons are substantive, I have stated them elsewhere and will continue to do so. If someone used this argument to in order to convince you to vote against the man, I would regard that as racist, and my response might very well be to vote for him just to prove a point.
But that doesn't clear up the issue I have stated. It looks more and more like Obama has at least a 50-50 chance of being our next president. If he is, how should we deal with this issue? Or, if you think its not an issue at all and that I'm just being delusional, please tell me so.
The percentage of African Americans who support Obama's candidacy is now 90%. We can therefore assume that at least part of this support is based on identity politics: they are voting for him, at least in part, because he is a Black man.
This by itself should be troubling to no one. It is not racist, at least in my opinion, for Black people to want to see a Black man accomplish what only white men have up to this point in the history of our country. Indeed, from a purely historical standpoint, Senator Obama's election would be a milestone that all thinking people should be proud of, and it's quite proper for African Americans to be especially proud and happy if this happens.
What's problematic is what takes place afterward. If elected, Obama will immediately become the most prominent African-American in the history of this nation, even surpassing Martin Luther King. As has happened to every president in my lifetime and before, he will be subject to an immediate barrage of criticism from every part of this country, some of it so vitriolic it will border on hatred. That's how we roll in politics in this country.
My concern is that African-Americans (and others) will regard all such criticisms, including the valid ones, through a racial lens. Unfortunately, there is precedence to suggest that whenever criticism is directed at a prominent Black person in this country, it has been seen as racist by many within the African-American community no matter how justifiable that criticism is (recent examples include Barry Bonds and Michael Vick).
In a way, I understand this phenomenon, partly. I was raised a Jew, and to this day I (and many of my Jewish friends) are immediately suspicious of any criticism of prominent Jews or of Israel. Is it anti-Semitic? we always wonder before we hear anything else, as an automatic reflex. And Jews did not suffer any of the trials and tribulations of African-Americans in this country. There is a reason that they look at many things through a racial lens, and that reason is for the most part justifiable.
But if the majority of African-Americans do respond to criticism of Obama in a racial way, what effect will that have? Will it become political taboo to criticize Obama? Will those of us who do have to constantly fear being charged with racism? (The way that certain people in the Michelle Obama thread were immediately charged with it). And if so, what dampening effect will this have on free speech in this country during an Obama administration?
Please do not take this as an argument for voting against Barack Obama. It isn't. I will not vote for Senator Obama, but my reasons are substantive, I have stated them elsewhere and will continue to do so. If someone used this argument to in order to convince you to vote against the man, I would regard that as racist, and my response might very well be to vote for him just to prove a point.
But that doesn't clear up the issue I have stated. It looks more and more like Obama has at least a 50-50 chance of being our next president. If he is, how should we deal with this issue? Or, if you think its not an issue at all and that I'm just being delusional, please tell me so.
