From what I've heard, Barack Obama racked up the nomination today. He's gonna be the Democratic Party's candidate for the presidential election this fall. I'm all excited about this. I think he (in contrast to Hillary Clinton) is in the race for the right reasons. He wants to make a difference.
While there is no doubt a difference has already been made, the question is if that's gonna be enough. I like Obama, and I think he could contribute constructively to the current political debate. Sometimes he is the debate, especially when it comes to questions of race.
What's up with this bloke's being black? His mom is as white as mine. I'd say that whoever calls Barack Obama a black guy is a sexist because he's nefariously denigrating his mom's contribution. He's as white-washed a Midwesterner as anyone. He could be Bob Dylan if he knew how to sing. Even if he couldn't, he's still not black. Of course, racism has never been characterized by sophistication and complexity. It's one look, one judgment, and that's it. It's usually wrong, also.
On the other hand, for all my admiration of Obama, I can't help but doubt his qualifications. If I were an American – I'm not and happy about it – who would I vote for? It might just be that a country at war needs a soldier at the helm, someone who (in contrast to the incumbent) doesn't take battle as lightly as a drunk fratboy might. I'm not living in the US anymore, but I'm still interested in discussing the topic. Drop me a line.
1 comment:
part of what is going on with the perceptions of this race is that one cannot be white if one has any black parentage
and the popular opinion demands that black people be ashamed of/deny white parentage
As for qualifications--I don't know;
politics is back-scratching
Post a Comment