President Obama’s Racial Catch – 22
Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University , MSNBC’s TheGrio.com
A few years ago, Dr. Cornel West wrote an outstanding book called "Race Matters." In the book, he explains why a post-racial America is not yet a reality. Race certainly matters in our nation, and we don’t need to look any further than the anti-Obama lynch mobs to find evidence of this fact.
What is most interesting is that the people who hate Obama for being black don’t even realize that this is the reason they hate him. That’s how the social sickness called "racism" sneaks into the very fabric of the social infrastructure on which our country operates.
President Obama’s recent experience is yet another reminder that the disease of racism has its greatest impact on those who think they’ve been cured. In spite of his continuous efforts to "just get along" with those on the right wing, they have insisted upon engaging in some of the most pathetic, thug-like behavior imaginable, creating a climate unlike anything our country has seen in the last 30 years.
If you think this has nothing to do with Obama being black, you need to open a history book. Lynch mobs rarely attacked a black man just for being black. They attacked him for being black and doing something that white people found to be unacceptable.
Click to read on MSNBC’s TheGrio.com.
Grading on a curve? President Obama is “The First Black President” but he is not the first one to “Screw up!” America is angry because he gave money to Bank CEOs blackmailing America. He has bypassed the Constitution appointing all his “Czary-Leaders.” President Obama abandoned the “Yes, We Can” adopting a new policy of “I Can Do No Wrong.” He’s wrong and America is pissed. Things were so bad in America that we the people collectively decided a “Black Man” could do better. We had a safety net in the fact that Obama is half-White. His policies are hostile to the poor, under-educated and those not in the Harvard Class. Obama is just as “White” as any President we have ever had if you look at his policies and harsh words. Blacks are using race as an excuse. America is mad because this is “Bush’s Third Term.” Nobody expected this and it has nothing to do with race. We can is in the Trash Can.
Hi,
Obama is stretching for the “race” Card. It is his swan song. From my view point Obama is a racist.communist..natiz..he is being viewed from the people he associates. As he said should be done. I think Obama is the racist..He views “white America” in a sqwed perspective.
Thanks,
Ruth
hmmm now let’s think about this. you’re saying people hate obama because he’s black ? odd, I thought that was THE ONLY REASON PEOPLE ELECTED HIM ! You know since he’s taken office, I haven’t heard a single peep from all the outspoken, moronic, obama supporters… why could that be ? maybe because in the end they sat back and realized “oh sh*t we gone done and f*cked up… bad…”
human beings in general amuse me, but especially when we get to the point where the so called “oppressed” are 100x more racist and whiny than the so called “racists” aka all us rich, harvard educated, perry ellis wearing, crackers… oops I mean cavemen… oops I mean whities… oops, i mean whites.
the fact that black’s can’t even notice the disgusting double standards they indulge in, is more of a credit to your statement that “we do not live in a post racist america”… you’re right, we sure don’t, because you replaced all of “us”, who’s ancestors fought to free you instead of saying “hmmm cheap labor….. inhuman of us to keep it… but cheap labor just the same”. You really think one man, the president, could have managed to end slavery if ALL white people wanted slaves ? Don’t be naive. Don’t insult us either by typecasting us all as hood wearing Klansmen and toothless rednecks, and I won’t typecast you as illiterate douches eating watermelon, fried chicken, and carrying a glock (sp ?).
Seriously, grow the hell up.
Sincerely,
Anonymous white guys who doesn’t want sued, or harassed by the NAACP also known as the new nazi party.
Where are all the supporters of President Barack Obama? What happened to them. I am very disappointment that we are not out there supporting our president. I think this is a matter of race. Its the reason why he was voted in, to show the world that we are not racist, and it is why he is having a problem now. White voters, voted for Barack Obama, because they did not want to appear racist. The same white voters are now, calling him names, because he is black. I am glad that he is our president. He is smart, educated and is very confident. We need that in a president. We also need to stand up for him, and show support.
“Racism” is being used as an excuse by the Black Community. Racisim that does not exist to the extent that the black community is fanticising. Barack Obama’s problem is that the American voters did not vet his background. Now, we’ve found out his background of close socialist ties, cummunist leanings, and constant use of the word racism when he is unable to control the situation. The community organizer cannot bring politicans left and right together. Obama has inserted the world “racism” whenever he fails. This is actually creating racism. White voters getting more and more disgusted with the constant-complaining black community. Is this being done on purpose? Is this what Obama wants? A greater division?
We all knew that going in he had a mess to clean up, and none of us realized how large that mess was. Give him a chance!!!!!!! John McCain and Hilary Clinton would have the same mountain to climb. Do you think they could have done any better? As far as Health Care Reform goes, the insurance companies are making too much money, and they are not willing to give up the profits. The CEO’sa are making 100% more money than President Obama. They don’t care about the workers who make their job look good on paper. I also believe that there is racism involved. There are people who are not looking to the future but would rather dwell on the past. No matter how well educated he is, or his past accomplishments, HE IS A BLACK MAN, AND NOT QUALIFIED TO LEAD US INTO THE FUTURE.
It is so sad that so many of you will try to turn this around to suit your own hate. It is so many whites that will scream that I’m not racist, but yet you will fall back on it is his policies. Many of these things such as the monies for banks was started and put into place before he took office. Since the last president drained this country dry. Then you have the queen of racism palin. She was the cheer leader of hate, with her pro American comments. It is a known fact about some whites if you can’t control it destroy it.That sure in the hell what has happened. I love it when the dummies talk about NAACP, if these groups weren’t put in place the whites would still try to keep blacks and other races of color on plantations. These groups wouldn’t be needed if people understood that people are all created equal’ but so many whites think they are superior over others. The ones that haven’t grown up yet.
For all the white or otherwise bloggers who believe that African Americans are doing nothing more than crying “wolf” when they raise the racism issue, you need only spend one day in the life of an African American. A few years back, a white writter posed as an African American to write a novel. She was taken back by the slights that were visted upon her daily – yes, she did not experience this second class behavior when she led her life as a white person.
Of course not all whites are individually racists. However, there is no denying that yes they reap the benefits from this systemic pattern of institutionalized racism that exists in America. I can only imagine how some whites resent being labeled as a racist simply because they do not believe that they are (not to say that some are not).
The solution lies within both sides coming together in open meaningful dialog. You may not agree with the other side’s position but we can all learn to respect each person’s respective position. Until we walk in another person’s shoes, it is extremely difficult to judge what that person should or should not be feeling – Nelson Mendela (when he left prison).
P.S. Abraham Lincoln did not free the slaves because he felt that they should be freed. He freed the slaves to keep the Union together (the Confederacy had defied him and threatened to suceed from the Union)! After freeing the slaves, it is reported in his memorars that he said “what are we going to do with these people”.
i think with all thats going on in our world and we need to give PRESIDENT OBAMA a chance most of the things wrong was wrong before he toke office.
as he try to fix anything he is not giving the same respect we game other Presidents in the past. i think if every stop thinking he will fixed thing fast then take the time out to let him do his job we hired him to do thing will improved.
and race do play a big part of it even if people close their eyes think about some of the thing being done when he try to reach out.he not giving the respect we all should give him as President of the USA .
people have warn gun to speakes and bad mouth him before even hearing his side our past few Predidents that would not even have happen so stop and think if he was a full white person not mix or black at all would he get treated like that.
and stop and think he is always looking out not for himself he thinks about everyone both rich and poor and midclass.
if we give him the chance to do his job i bet we have a wonderful life in our country and improvements will come to help all of us not just some.
most of the powerful and rich people have forgotten our past as the usa was not made the most powerful land over night it toke time.and if they look at when the poor and midclass was doing better the country was stronger. but with so much greed they think that only if i have it all will i be ok stop and help the little man then see it from his side.
so if you look at what Obama is doing him helping the little man will make the usa a powerful country even more because think about it when it come to wars and work being done its the poeple with the least that is giving more for our country not the rich.
so let the man do his JOB!!!!!!!! as we Hired him to do. we let our last President do his job and he is why most of this is going wrong so give Our President Mr Obama his chance and let as a nation meaning all get behind him to give him the helping hand he need so we can be a better nation !!!!!!!!
What is amazing to me about this article and the whole premise regarding President Obama is the misguided notion that he is the nation’s first “black” president. He’s not. He’s the nation’s 44th white president. The same logic regarding his bi-racial parents that allows the majority to “consider” him black is the same logic that dictates that he is white.
I challenge anyone who reads this comment to disprove my theory.
What makes his supporters think that this president is immune from criticism? Was a disclaimer located next to his name on the ballot stating that a vote for Obama meant that if he were to be elected, any criticism by a white person could only be based on racism?
By claiming that opposition to the president is based on racism, intelligent debate and analysis of his policies is cut off.
Those who use this line of reasoning are usually those who have no intellectually based argument regarding the president’s job performance.
In order for the president or anyone else to speak about RACE. WE need to learn the history of RACE. Scientist and archeologist have found that all humans alive today share a DNA that is 99.9% the same. That all humans come from AFRica. Reference: Journey of MAN this information can be found on-www.YOUTUBE.com Also in National Geogrphic magazine March 2006. African populated the entire GLOBE. It was the Africans that made civilization possible. We have been taught to be ashame of our dark skin. If we did not have dark skin we would not have the civilization we enjoy to day because humans would have died from skin cancer. It is the MELANIN in our skin that has protected us from the ultra-violet rays from the sun. RACE is a recent illness. It was concocted to justify SLAVERY only 500 years ago. There was a time when the BLACK AND MEN WOMEN RULED THE ENTIRE WORLD. This is what the Europeans are fearing now that we have an African-American president. The Europeans were in the “Dark ages” until the Africans ,the Moors, came to teach the Europeans how to speak,read, write,take a bath and to use a weapon. That was only 500 years ago. Please learn Ancient World History and Pre-history. Useful information can be found on-line on Hyper-history on-line. Written history began 3200 BC. by a Pharaoh name Narmer. This came be found on-line. We need to learn about the 3000 years of history that has to kept from us. We also need to try to visit KEMET (Egypt) to see the evidence that our ancestors left for us. I made the tour with Ashra and Merira Kwesi you can find them on-line at http://www.kemetnu.com.
We also need to learn our “Bill of Rights” we will understand why Dr. Gates case is so important. We must not let this fade away. His 1st amendment, 4th amendment rights were violated along with many other violations in the 6 minutes that the incident took place.
Please remember African-Americans that we survived when NATURE was our only teacher. We will overcome whatever is in our path now. We need to learn this information so that we can support our president.
Hotep
No matter how you look at it, unfortunately in many cases………… race does matter. In grade school on up to pro sports. It shows in everyday life whether it’s socialism or just being out and about race really does matter. But black people shouldn’t worry racism coming from people from other ethnic backgrounds when we’re the most guilty of it towards one another.
We criticize one another moreso that anyone else , but that’s ok right? LET’S CLEAN OUR OWN BACK YARDS BEFORE WE GO TRYING TO CLEAN THE YARDS OF OTHER.
Thank you…..
> The only way that the race card can be put away is you must tell the TRUTH about the race deck
of cards and who the black man is to the human family > White people must learn who their daddy
is and that they did not evolve up from no APE > PEACE B2U <
Race will always be a factor in everything. As will gender. As will age. As will height and weight. As will class and education.
Some of the opposition to Obama is doubtless racially motivated. I don’t think that most of it is racially motivated At All–but assume that all opposition to his policies are at least flavored by racism: it is still not the main issue at hand.
I favor a single-payer system for health care. I don’t think we’ll get that. I hope that Obama ends up pushing through something that provides better coverage at a lower cost–possible in theory because of all the money wasted currently, but actually making it happen will be another story.
I also understand people’s very real fears (founded or not) that our country is becoming more socialist. I think that this is a question of spin–the term “socialized medicine” was even thought up by a PR firm…
Regardless, the debate is not over race. It’s over health care. And the larger debate is an ideological one–about how people view our country–past, present and future–and the sort of government they want, etc., etc…race plays a role in that. But let’s not belittle or ignore the overriding issues by focusing only on the undertones.
Obama is smart to distance himself from the race-insisting comments. Strategically, yes. A marketing blog published an interesting piece on the importance of Obama distancing himself from Carter’s comments: http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/09/22/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-fox-news-and-jimmy-carter.aspx
I would argue, moreover, that Obama does recognize the debate as an ideological one, in which race plays only a very small role, at most. But if he says it and means it, you apparently won’t believe it anyway. Isn’t this, very strangely, another form of saying “You Lie!” Ridiculous.
OBAMA IS HERE FOR BETTER OR WORSE.
RACE IS AN INSIGNIFICANT ,TIRED AND WORN OUT ISSUE, UNLESS YOU KEEP THAT WELFARE STATE OF MIND.
EVERY BIT OF FREE GOVT MONEY/ HANDOUTS/ FREE PROGRAMS WEVE ALREADY GOT.
HOW ABOUT WE USE ALL THIS BRAINPOWER SUBVERTING THE SYSTEM AND GET AN EDUCATION,PAY OUR TAXES
AND BECOME MAIN STREAM AMERICANS. QUIT LOOKING AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND LOOK AT THE WORLD. BACK OFF ON THE GOLD TEETH AND GET YOUR CAVITIES FILLED..ITS FREE OR CLOSE TO IT. QUIT USING EMERGENCY ROOMS 20 TIMES A YEAR FOR STUPID S___, ITS THE COUNTRIES MONEY JUST PISSED AWAY.
GROW UP
Yes race is alive and well in the usa…as for 44,i hope he knew what he was in for but he is a politician and will do what it takes to get reelected….he is also a child of the same machine he professes to clean up….how do u go to the fox and ask him to not eat the chickens anymore?
wall st will do what it does unless they are seriously restricted and putting ppl in jail…but the ppl who run the country dont go to jail they pay a fine then doit all over again…
remember he won only 56% of the vote…meaning 44% did not vote for him as well as the right who stayed home…so yes a lot of ppl did not want him in office….
But to the faithful if u think any politician will do ur bidding ur wrong…u see u dont belong to the club…they just let u vote to keep u quite
the right acts as one while the dems act as a dysfunctional family…..
so if it is btw u and getting reelected u will loose every time.
apparently ppl do not know the definition of a racist……one who can affect and control anothers life based on skin color….hence forth the word race.
Black ppl can npt be racist as they do not even control their own lives let alone affect the lives of whites
Blacks do not hire or fire….approve bank loans…..gerrymander cities/counties or say where u can and can not live
in the usa this term racist is reserved for “Whites Only” who do affect the lives of blacks every day
President Obama or anyone else needs not fret about RACISM because our President is a MULATTO.
The MEDIA, younger Generation,minority folks are the people who think he is BLACK, look up MULATTO in the english dictionary, give his mother some credit for his birth,his father abandoned him when he was very young.