This is my biggest argument for "birthers" not being racist. We have people who watched people walk on the moon on color television and still not believe we did it. This is the equivalent of millions of people watching Obama being born on live TV in front of the Lincoln Memorial and not believing.
Except a white guy named Dan Smith would not be questioned about citizenship the same way a black guy named Barack Hussein Obama is.
I disagree as I feel the main reason is the time Obama spent growing up and going to schools in other countries.
Walking on the moon was an extraordinary circumstance. The more extraordinary/challenging of people's perceptions of normalcy, the more of these falsity theories they come up with. It's hard to believe it's a coincidence that the first non-white president with a funny sounding name is the first president to have his origins called into question. It's a suspicion so obviously couched in racism/xenophobia, or at the very least, a very convenient excuse for people to exercise their racism/xenophobia while passing it off as some other concern.
So if he was of the white race, had the same name, and was raised in the same locations, it is your argument these conspiracy theories would not exist?
You can be racist/xenophobic about people according to their names, not just their skin color. And if Obama were white, it would certainly lessen the amount of birther nuttery.
I will grant you xenophobia but that is not the argument. The argument is racism which is totally unrelated to a name. What if his mom was alive?
Wow, really? So if some dude is named "Juan Gonzalez", that doesn't spark a little racial bias in your thinking about who/what that person is?
If he was white why would his name be hispanic in origin? His name is religious in origin. Also why do you prefer to debate this instead of food costs? I would love to get a thread going on that because I hate the arguments that poor people have higher rate of heart disease because they cannot afford healthy food.
I think it would be a large factor along with the others. Blaming it entirely on racism is intellectually lazy.
You say people's names have zero bearing on racial bias or perceptions... that is just beyond silly. Change Barack Hussein Obama to John Paul Smith and yes, the racial/ethnic bias against him and suspicions of his nationality/origin would certainly be lessened. Quite frankly, Casey, I don't have any desire to argue stuff with you. Based on the exchange above (which is an excellent reminder of both how dense and obtuse you can be), and multiple ones in the past, I really dislike discussing things with you. So, I'm not going to waste my time having a philosophical back and forth with you about food and public health when I know it isn't going to lead anywhere. Sorry, but that's just how I've come to feel about you over the years.
casey: hi, what's your name new acquaintance: mohammad saladin casey: based on the limited info you gave me I would have to say you're born in the US casey: hi, what's your name new acquaintance: jason smith casey: sounds like you were born in the US new acquantance: I currently live in the US and for the most part of my life but I went to UK take some classes during college casey: I take that back you definitely weren't born in the US
You wasted 3 pages arguing a much more dumb issue with FranchiseBlade! Plus you already told me you basically have a doctorate in nutrition so you should be able to pwn me right? Lets do it in the Handout to keep it actually civil. i agree a major sticking point would be what is junk food what is wholesome but if we can get past that point it would be a fun exercise. Give me your definition of what defines a junkfood diet what defines a wholesome diet and lets go at it. As long as it doesn't mean organic food for wholesome and as long as the vast majority of your junkfood diet is prepackaged, I am pretty confident my diet will be cheaper. With great variety.
