Is White America TRULY And REALLY Ready For A Black President?
I am truly skeptical of all the polls and talk about America being ready for a black president. I'm not buying it at all. America is still a very racist nation. People of all races may be lining up behind Obama's campaign and singing his praises, but the racism directed toward Obama has slowly and steadily continued to rise to the top.
For example, yesterday on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, an employee "mistakenly" flashed a picture of Osama Bin Laden up on the screen when Matthews was discussing Barack Obama. How exactly does that happen? This is not the first time either. I want to see how many more times Obama's name is "mistakenly" stated as Osama or he is accused of being Muslim when he is clearly a devout Christian.
Rush Limbaugh's racist slur of "Halfrican American" should have been widely condemned, but it was not. If Barack Obama becomes president, will Limbaugh be allowed to refer to the President of the United States in such derogatory terms? How about the various news and magazine pundits referring to Barack Obama supporters as a "cult." Where in the hell is this coming from? If Obama's supporters are a cult, what do you call all those folks getting all misty-eyed over the Ronald Reagan years? Are they past members of a devil's coven, because I'm pretty sure that most black folks felt completely bewitched during his presidental years.
Barack Obama is clearly the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination and it would truly be a historic moment, but I wonder at what cost? If African Americans are expected to overlook racial slurs in order for Barack Obama to become president, I'm not sure it's worth it.
9 comments:
lol, uknow, when i read this the fist thought i had is, i bet the people that were thrusted into slavery were not ready for that! but it happened.
lol
so i would say, if he is to be president, and takes the office-they will have to live with it-even if they are not ready for it.
they know what they are doing when they "make those mistakes" with his name and pics.
that will come back on them. i believe that person got reprimanded for the pic thing.
as my gma always said,
'it is what it is, that's all i know!"
lol
another thing....
lololo - i just had the picture of their black little girls running through the white house playing and they are not going to be with a tour group!!!! LOLOLO
i dont think he will be worse than bush....
**close your eyes and picture those little girls running through the whitehouse playing...now go ahead and smile and laugh! lolo
America is as redy for a Black president as it's ever gonna be. There is no "right" time for it to happen.
Black Americans are always expected to overlook racial slurs. Hell how often are we told racism doesn't exist. Will that theme ratchet up if Obama becomes president..yes. Will it make the statement any more true...no.
Are white people ready for a Black President...I think that's the wrong question...peopel are ready for real and substantive change. And Obama is the only one offering that...in more ways than one.
Sorry, I disagree. If black people are going to be criticized for not being patriotic, then racism must be attacked as well. People are not ready for change if they are not ready to confront racist ideals, values, and language.
It's not about whether America is a ready as it's going to be, it's about whether America is truly ready to accept black people as they truly are and not as some safely packaged item they can live with. And that is certainly the right question to ask about the so-called love for Obama.
t's not about whether America is a ready as it's going to be, it's about whether America is truly ready to accept black people as they truly are and not as some safely packaged item they can live with. And that is certainly the right question to ask about the so-called love for Obama.
I disagree. Change comes in many forms and not being ready for racial change doesn't mean you aren't ready for other types of change.
Will Barack change the way white folks view black folks overnight. No. White people have always been adept and loving certain black people and despising he masses.
So I don't see why a precondition to a Black man being president is for America to see, "black people as they truly are." The fact that given the racist nature of this country that they could see past any Black man to possibly make him president is a step in the right direction.
But I'm less concerned about White people. What I do think is Obama in the White House does for Black people. Having a Black man as ruler of the free world does a lot for how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. That to me is worth whatever white backlash may be.
There is NEVER a good time for these things to happen. They just happen. People had the same concerns regarding slavery and our civil rights. Hell, we'd listen to some we'd still be waiting.
Now is the only time that matters.
You know something... maybe we shouldn't care if they are ready or not. We should pursue our goals (whatever those may be) and to heck with what racist people think.
I'm not 100% pleased with Obama, but frankly he turns me off a lot less than the other candidates. And if white folk can't handle it, tough! :-)
Hi Professor Tracey,
I hope you are having a nice day.
I'm really not sure if America is ready for a Black President. Every time Sen. Obama wins another Caucus or Primary and garners a significant portion of the White vote I'm surprised.
As far as those entertainment people like Limbaugh, I think they are desperate because they see there stage slipping away every time Obama wins another Primary.
Just wanted to say that your "coven" line was really great.
There will always be racism in America. That's just how it is. We could have ten black Presidents and hundreds of black CEO's of fortune 500 companies. There will always be racism.
At the same time, you cannot allow your fear of racism to hinder progress. You have to challenge conventional thought in the present to reap the benefits of it in the future. I don't have a crystal ball, but if electing Obama to the Presidency in 2009 has a significant positive effect in regards to race relations--not necessarily in the immediate present, but the not so distant future, than I think it would certainly be worth it.
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