Our “Racist” Society- Obama’s Election Proves a Point
I just heard former NYC Mayor David Dinkins say we are a “racist society”. Now, I know this man comes from a very rough era of Jim Crow laws, riots, lynchings, back-of-the-bus-this-is-your-fountain-this-is-OUR-fountain… BUT, this is not then, just as today is not 200 years ago when slavery was part of the American fabric.
Still today, we have people who won’t let go of those days. They (and I am talking about some blacks) continue to perpetuate old historical issues, and by doing so, in a twisted bit of irony, perpetuate the aura of racism in our Country.
Considering a man who is half black (even though everyone keeps insisting he is a black man) just got elected President of the United States, I think we can say one thing to those who say, like Dinkins, that America is a racist society:
HOGSHIT
Watching the election coverage yesterday, there was some reporting of Black Panthers on the steps of voting locations, wielding billy clubs.
Is America a racist nation? Absolutely NOT. Are there racists in America? Of course. You will find them everywhere. And clearly, as illustrated by the club wielding Black Panther(s), racism is not isolated to ‘one’ race.
Clearly, though, racist folks are in the minority. There is no way in hell you can elect a man, half black or “all” black, in a country where racism against blacks is prevalent. Not in a country where blacks are only about 12-13% of the population.
Speaking for myself, as much as I loathe the way the man got elected, and as much as I dislike nearly all of his positions, I am very proud of my country. On this site, penned by me, are often references and comments that may seem very racist* to those who are inclined to desire to accuse others of it, or are racist themselves… but I have no problem with a black man being in the White House. I have a problem with a liberal shifty lieing flash in the pan car salesman being elected by a hype driven media and public itching to prove something to themselves or about themselves, but I care not a wit about the race of an elected President. Had Colin Powell, or Alan Keys, or Michael Steele been elected, I would be far happier.
One thing I think that America and Americans have to all accept, now, is that the race peddlers like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton now have to change their rhetoric a little. They can no longer call America a racist nation.
There is now irrefutable evidence that it clearly is not.
*(I would like to note, for those that can’t recognize it, 95% of what I say on here that seems “off color” (pun intended) is meant to be tongue in cheek.)
While I appreciate your acknowledgement that their are most certainly racists among us, I disagree with your main argument. Our society is still very much struggling with race relations in this generation. One text I highly recommend to anyone is:
The Myth of Post-Racial America by Dr. H. Roy Kaplan
and for those who are not avid readers, and would like to further their knowledge on structural racism (among many other forms of racism and discrimination) I recommend watching any of Tim Wise’s videos on white privilege or institutional racism, etc. You can easily find these on youtube. He is a wonderful public speaker.
The perpetuation of the horrible events that took place before(and much after) Jim Crow laws were halted and the slow process of integration was put in place- this is not the obstacle that our society is facing today. Also, there are very important reasons for civil rights activists to tell their stories and educate as many young people as possible on the tragedies of such an unfounded form of hatred that discrimination embodies.
The obstacles that our society is presented with today, are of more silent forms of discrimination. Just because our laws are reformed does NOT mean that we, as a society, have been.
I feel qualified to comment on this for several reasons; I took several classes on racism and discrimination in college, I am also teaching a workshop on promoting equality for high school students, some of whom have already formed biases, taught by influences of their families or peers.
As for the “(and I am talking about some blacks)” comment, I will also mention that I am a white female- and I know that we are not a post-racial society.
I have to agree with you Erica. Racism is not gone from this country. I have to say it is not always white against blacks or other minorities. I have seen it go both ways. But for the most part you do see whites being racist. What bothers me is that even though Obama was elected you see right-winged assholes showing their racism in different ways. They try to find ways of discredit him i.e. the birthers and tea partiers. You can see it in how republicans are trying to shoot his policies down left and right. They do this because they are pissed a black man was elected. So, instead of putting the fact that we have a black president behind them and work together to fix this nation. This disgusts me. You know why he was elected? Because of the young vote and that more minorities voted in that election than any previous. Other food for thought is that most people who voted against him, voted against him because of his color. We as a nation need to just move on from racism.
One thing that I have noticed is that alot blacks have become racist towards whites. This comes from the older blacks blaming whites for their current state in society. Which was true for older generations. However, the younger black generations have the same oppertunities as younger white generations. Young blacks have every chance to move up in class we don’t hold them back they hold themselves back. With theories that the can only make it as an athlete, muscian, or some other form of fame. They also have a mindset that they can’t get successful jobs, so they sell drugs to their own community, or form gangs to make money. They need to stop blaming whites for their situation and start looking at themselves. They need to start lifting their society up instead of keeping it down. Now don’t get me wrong there are differences in the types of education different classes get, which is the governments fault. But it can be fixed.
So, yes there still is racism in America, but in my mind it will decline as older generations die off. And the younger generations learn that their parents were full of shit and look at each other as equals.
For the record I’m 28 yr old white male who comes from a middle class family, but my family taught me acceptance towards everyone.
While their are elements of truth in your analysis, the sad fact is most by percentage, most African Americans attend schools that are markedly inferior, suffer joblessness at disparate rates, and are incarcerated at rates that invite more than casual scrutiny.
Are most white folks racist?….. not in my experience. But do they enjoy a heightened level of privelege,largely because of their status in the majority/ wealth holding class? Absolutely yes.
Conservatives harp ad nauseum about the redistribution of wealth in this country, but in truth, wealth has been expropriated out of African American communities for centuries.
Try calculating the present real estate values of Soho, Greenwich village, a large part of Tulsa Oklahoma, and various other properties across the nation, from which blacks have been expelled(either by statute or conflagration) and you get a sense of the wealth gap which is the result of institutionalized racism.
You astutely observed that Obama has ascended the ranks of one of the most prestigious of country clubs, and that is true. But only because of a perfect storm put in place the failures of Mr McCain and his close associates.by two wars, and disastrous economy and a health system in shambles.
Americans were given a choice between someone with a game plan and the intellect and demeanor to execute it, and someone who was all over the map.
And lastly with respect to your assertions about Reverend Wright…. get over it. He hasn’t said anything that Frederick Douglas, or Martin Luther King would take issue with. And besides, for most African Americans, church is as much a social experience as it is a religious experience. It is one in which people often hold views that are not necessarily echoed from the pulpit. Plenty of Catholics practice birth control, although this is not sanctioned by their church, but they have an investment in a community that transcends other things.
In the final analysis, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge how far we have come, but you would be equally remiss if you did not acknowledge how far we have to go.
I appreciate what you are saying. It is a bit myopic however to conclude that whites do not experience the same kinds of things in certain neighborhoods. Are there racist or flat out angry assholes who use race to excuse violence? Yes. If I got mugged in Compton/Watts, does that make blacks racist against whites? No. No more than Obama having trouble getting a cab at 2am makes any part of America racist against blacks.
By the way, there is a large difference between racist, and prejudice, most of the time.
And if you did not notice, Obama just got into one of the most exclusive country clubs of all time.
Has his election expunged this country of racist bastards? No. What it has done, in my mind, is prove that the depth of racism in this country is far more isolated and certainly not mainstream. Pernicious is a great word for it. But pernicious is not a word I would use to describe mainstream racism of a nation, like we had 200 years ago.
As for the black family and cross, that sounds hideous, and is. But it is not exemplary of our nation as a whole, or even a fairly minor percentage. The number of people in this country will to do such a thing as represented as a percentage might be 2-3%. That sucks though, if you live in an area of the country where that percentage is more concentrated, making it feel more like 20-25%.
We have a lot of work to do. What will Obama do to help accomplish this work? His choice of Wright as a pastor certainly do not bode well- but we will see.
By way of information, I am a black man with no caucasian contribution to my gene pool for at least 3 and likely 4 or more generations. I am, nevertheless similar in skin tone and features the President elect. What the writer fails to acknowledge is that while Mr Obama is what you might charitably call bi-racial, he is , for all intents and purposes afro american. At 2:00am coming out of a downtown night club he would do well to get on the subway, because he is highly unlikely to get a cab. His prospects of getting into a coveted country club are limited, and he might find in an”all other things equal” housing or employment situation, that his white competitors fare more favorably.
Personally, I try to be as race neutral in my outlook as possible, but you and I would be niaive or stupid to believe that Barack’s election has expunged the pernicious evil of racism from our society.
In my own county, a suburrb of New York, a cross was burned on the lawn of a black family …this year!
I agree that while there are racists in the country, the country overall is not racist.
The liberal illuminati would have the public believe that anyone who disagrees with Obama’s policies is racist. But I would’ve been racist to vote for someone based on skin color without regard to his or her positions.
It is the ideas and beliefs of the left with which I disagree, not the race or gender.