Do black Americans claim Obama as one of their own?

by digderidoo 69 Replies latest jw friends

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  Greensleeves

  I don't honestly know what the average African American holds as a political view. I would hope that he is like me and doesn't feel race is a determining factor in a President.

  I look for the important things, and race is not important to me. If people want to vote for Obama because they think he represents their race, then they are ignorant and shallow. I know that some will decide on race alone. I already saw it happen in my own State of West Virginia. The majority voted for Hilary only because they were voting against a black man. Racism will be a part of the upcoming election. I wish that wasn't a factor, but it will be.
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  FreudianSlip

  I don't claim other people as my own except for maybe my husband.. I pretty much own him. I am voting for Barack, not because he is (1/2) Black.. but because he's hot. Let's get our priorities straight people!!!
• 

  hillary_step

  Cog,

  OMG! Is he white? Or is he black? How will America ever survive if we cannot stick a label on everything and stuff it into a neat little pigeon hole? How will the burning issues ever get solved if we cannot even solve the "problem" of what color Obama is?

  That is the point.

  A nation which claims to be the pinion of 'democracy in the world, so much so that it tries to export this democracy to other lands, (normally using aggressive tactics) gets into a frenzy at the thought that a black man, or heaven forbid a woman, might be a future president. A black female President would no doubt break the machine.

  It may have slipped their notice that many Muslim lands have, and have had had female leaders and high officials for hundreds of years.

  HS
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  Layla33

  I'm sure some would think those comments are racist or way off the mark but I don't think it's racism to point out that many blacks have deep prejudices of their own.

  As long as you realize that there is no group that doesn't have their own prejudices, the only issue I have with your comments is that you are NOT a black or African-American and yet there are you trying to suggest that somehow they are more or worse than white people with racism. I have listened to upper class whites dismiss lower class whites, I have seen whites dismiss other whites that were in interracial relationships, I have seen whites dismiss whites that are from the South or listen to HIP HOP, I have seen whites refer to other whites as "rednecks" and "trailer trash" and "poor white trash", I have seen whites not talk to other whites because of their hair color and other ridiculous outside appearance. And you surely don't want me to start a discourse on how whites have referred to other non-whites always like they are experts, but most always in a way that they are somehow better than them and know more about their experiences because they know a handful.

  Sure, it's okay to have comments or observations about racial or ethnic groups other than then you own, but please don't try to suggest you are an expert on it. And also be willing to realize that maybe the very position you are coming from is tainted in the first place. I really think that if people are to have an open and honest dialogue on race in this country THEY NEED TO EXAMINE THEIR OWN PREJUDICES before getting into discussions.

  I don't think it is off the mark or racist to point out that many whites have deep prejudices of their own...
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  Layla33

  I don't honestly know what the average African American holds as a political view. I would hope that he is like me and doesn't feel race is a determining factor in a President.

  Thank you for thinking out of the box and not being manipulated by the media. All these statistics, racial generalizations, playing blacks against whites and men against women is annoying. Individual African-Americans think various ways just like anyone else. I always admire when people think outside the box and admit that they really don't know.

  I don't honestly know what the average Asian-American, Hispanic-American holds as a political view, I surely won't get my information from the media or a handful of interactions.
• 

  Mincan

  Lets state our premises here:

  1) Obama needs to be identified as part of a group rather than part of the human race.

  2) "black Americans" need to claim people as one of their own.

  3) Any of this matters.
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  beksbks

  Layla,

  Sure, it's okay to have comments or observations about racial or ethnic groups other than then you own, but please don't try to suggest you are an expert on it.

  Dan did not try to suggest he was an expert in any way. Not only was he actually referring to a comment by Mrs. Jones, but he specifically said "in my observation".

  I see you go on the attack on this subject every time there is a thread that even comes close to discussing race. It's as though you scan through each post barely taking in the meaning, looking for anything that you can get on your soapbox over. How is this country supposed to forget race, if we can't be honest and sincere? If we must police our language and thoughts to the point where we are saying nothing? You contradict your own comment within it's very content. Do you have some deep need to prove to others possibly even yourself, that you, as a white woman, are NOT racist? This is not the way to go about it.
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  DanTheMan

  As long as you realize that there is no group that doesn't have their own prejudices, the only issue I have with your comments is that you are NOT a black or African-American and yet there are you trying to suggest that somehow they are more or worse than white people with racism.

  Of course I realize that every person regardless of their racial makeup has prejudices of varying degrees, and in no way was I trying to suggest that blacks are worse in this regard.

  Sure, it's okay to have comments or observations about racial or ethnic groups other than then you own, but please don't try to suggest you are an expert on it.

  I never did! Christ!
• 

  mrsjones5

  Mrs. Jones, did you see my neck snapping on that one?

  Yeah girl, I sure did
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  jaguarbass

  I was watching an interview with a black American recently about Barrack Obama. Interestlingly he said that black Americans find it hard to claim him as one of their own. He said that black people would much prefer to have someone who is from the stereotypical upbringing of a black American to be the presidential candidate. He went on that because he is mixed race and that his father was African rather than American, that he doesn't really represent black Americans.

  I can see the guys line of argument but i wondered how black Americans felt about this, especially in light of Jesse Jacksons gaffe that he'd "like to cut his nuts off". I must admit i laughed hard at that one, i'm sure i could see a smurk on his face when he apologised.

  But do black Americans feel that Obama represents them. I'm pretty sure that most are pleased to see this possibility of a black president, but on the other side is there a feeling of maybe resentment that he is not from the typical black family.

  Paul

  I am a white American, so I cant tell you what blacks think.

  I work in a jail and see a lot of diverse people.

  I and my fellow officers black and white dont really know half the time who is black and white.

  The way I see it, we have your dark skinned African or black, Americans who make up about 10% of our population.

  But we have mixed people like Obama, maybe they make up 50% of our population. We got Puerto ricans, and hispanics.

  So we dont know what they are and half the time they dont know what they are.

  I think in the old days they used to call them malados, but I never see or hear that term nowadays.

  Personally I want to see everyone get along and have peace. So I would guess that to a black man, not a brown man, a man who appeared to be somewhat black or half black would be more comforting and symbolic of having a voice than a man as white as McBush.

  Personally I think America is ready for an Obam black man.

  But it may be 100 years or never for a Jesse Jackson black man.

  Jesse Jackson is devisive He causes trouble and breaks people up into sides you against them.

  The way I see it the working black man is like the working white man he is too busy and tired to hardly think about it. He just hopes there is a change for the better.

  So saying that I think a Black American one of the 10% would rather see Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton be president than Obama and that's not going to happen with 10% of the vote.

  Obama is progress and a step forward in race relations and getting along.

  I hope he gets elected. And I hope the secret service protect him. Because we have too many problems in America and we dont need anything happening to Obama.