OH DEAR MR OBAMA
Living in the United Kingdom, we have unfortunately been subject to continual coverage of the US presidential election.
Why do I say unfortunately?
I guess it is because I have no interest who ends up being president, and when some media channels seem to go overboard with the coverage, the analysis and the relentless poll ratings.
However, it did make me think of a few views that had also been spoken about in the news.
Warning-the views (and words) here are my personal views and are not meant to offend anyone, but no doubt they will.
1. He is the first black president, but it may well be a fault with the contrast on my television, but he does not look black and he does not have the typical features of a black man. He looks half white, half black….ish.
But regardless of my opinion of his actual skin colour, he is still regarded as black, which makes me think that the media attention to his colour has fuelled the debate of racism. FOR EXAMPLE - I have seen interviews with black people (and white), and some of them seen to see him as some kind of saviour or messiah who will fight for the cause of the apparent down trodden black communities in America.
Ideals and comments like that, to me at least, would not make me surprised to see comments that there is racism against whites, or incite more anti-black views amongst any white Americans sitting on the fence.
Just as a side note to this, I think in America, more than any other 1st world country, is there such an issue between blacks and whites that there are such deep rooted divisions that almost seem impossible to over come. It is like the THEM & US syndrome.
Yes, in the UK we do have race issues, but not anywhere near on the scale that America seems to have it, and we don’t seem to suffer the ‘them and us’ issue really .
2. Mr Obama has used some really powerful speeches to great effect in order to rally support for his campaign. He has been seen as someone who has inspired hope and self belief in a lot of Americans, something similar to what JFK had apparently done in his presidential campaign. But if I were an American, I would be very weary of being caught up in the euphoria of hope and high expectations.
From what I have heard from Obama, he has stated that it may even take 2 terms of office to bring back the economy (of America) to a more satisfactory level. But with all of his fine speeches of hope and belief, I do wonder if he may have installed some false hope (as most/all politicians do) into some of his supporters in believing that the current credit crunch can be resolved quickly. I cannot see what he can do that probably hasn’t really been tried before. Maybe there is and I am being a little cynical, but hey…I am talking politics here!!!!!!!!!!!
posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 11.13.08 (5:22 am)
Time will tell, RT, time will tell. I'm hopeful that a few new ideas will at least make me less cynical about the intentions of our government. I mean, really, when we got into the war in Iraq, the president we have now said that the best thing we could do for our country was to "go out and shop". That struck me as a tad shortsighted. Maybe Obama will do better.
posted by: raggedtiger (reply)
post date: 11.13.08 (5:28 am)
i agree with you, time will tell as to whether or not he can deliver the goods, and I dare say the media are sharpening their knives ready to carve him up when things dont go quite to plan
posted by: Ladyg (reply)
post date: 11.13.08 (9:36 am)
You know that Obama has a white mother and a black father, so he is mixed.
Blacks voted for him but also a lot of whites. The reason being that we really do need a change after the last
eight years. It took us eight years to get in this mess and nobody should look for and immediate change, it's
unrealistic, But we do have Hope.
posted by: truthserum42 (reply)
post date: 11.14.08 (10:35 am)
Reply to: raggedtiger Eugenicist say that if you have one tenth negro blood in you, you are considered all black so the half and half theory is null and void. That's power isn't it. Obama was forced to live in the ghetto of Chicago like other blacks he was a victim of housing discrimination just like other blacks, so the half white scenario was of no value in shielding him from racial discrimination. Now every body is stressing the half white and black theory has the prism that you view him through changed that much.
The media doesn't fuel thought,ideas,feelings or opinions they only report what people with certain ideas, opinions and thought say. Lets not shoot the messenger.
Do you realize that slavery existed in this country officially for over 400 hundred years and when it was officially outlawed the vestiges of it still existed in politics,education, housing, economic,sports and personal association. It's not easy to erase such a long history of abuse. Do you realize that only 43 years ago blacks were still fighting for the right to vote, but even as non citizens who was required to pay taxes on our meager earnings the same as whites we were drafted and forced to fight in five wars for freedom of others that we didn't enjoy here at home.
I noticed on one hand you accuse blacks of looking to Obama as a saviour and then you expect him to correct in four years what a white president screwed up in eight. Lets get real he is only the president elect not a magician.
As long as there are black people and white people on this earth we will always have the issue of race. The question is can we acknowledge our difference and foster an atmosphere of mutual respect for each other. When it comes down to basics we all desire the same thing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and irregardless of your race you should not be prevented pursuing it. There are only twenty two million blacks of voting age in the U.S. Obama received 56 million votes so where did the others come from, if only black voted for him he would have been defeated by better than a 2 to 1 margin.
posted by: raggedtiger (reply)
post date: 11.14.08 (3:44 pm)
Reply to: truthserum42
thanks for your comment.
As to first paragraph - the eugenist view of the one tenth theory is their view. If I see a white man, he is white, if i see a black man, he is black, if i see a half breed, he is a mixed race. So I think it depends on your own interpretation of what is black and what is white and what label you give to the area inbetween.
I think you are wrong...the media does fuel thoughts and ideas, through debates, new reports, news clips etc. It helps (if that is the right word) to see the arguements, thr policies etc of the political parties, which can also sway any voters who are sitting on the fence.
Your second paragraph - I am aware of some of your countries history, but what you have described are things that happened right across the developed world, some later than others. Denmark was the first european country to ban the slave trade in 1805, the UK followed in 1807 and the US was 1865 (after your civil war). It is a big issue when you talk about the fact that blacks were asked to fight in wars even though they could not vote, and for some countries, the right to vote came sooner rather than later, and America does seem to have been one of the last to allow it.
Your third paragraph - you obviously did not read properly what i wrote. I said "I have seen interviews with black people (and white), and some of them seen to see him as some kind of saviour or messiah who will fight for the cause of the apparent down trodden black communities in America." so i have said black and white people.
I never even mentioned about Obama being able to cure the problems of the US economy in 4 years....i mentioned 2 terms of office, which i believe is 8 years, to bring the economy to a satisfactory level!
You are right, as long as there are blacks and whites on this earth there will always be issues of race. But you must think I am stupid if you thought that Obama got in office just on theblack vote, Of course he had to have whites votes, as i am quite sure that his powerful speeches hit a cord with a lot of americans,be they black, white, red, hispanic, etc, but,I am sure he pobably had a higher percentage of black votes compared to McCain. Whether we will ever find out or not is another thing.
I appreciate and value your comments as I think all comments are good and important, but please can you read and understand what i have said before laying into me with your opinions and your insinuations.