How'd you come to be a Rockets fan btw? Just curious since you've never been here and I don't think you're from China either
I find it pretty suprising that Obama wouldn't be enthusiastically supported by the African-American community.
Why? Sunni's and Shiites look the same and they are mortal enemies. Aggies and Longhorns are both from Texas ...does that mean they are buddy buddy? Just cause Obama shares the same skin shade doesn't automatically mean he'll be accepted. His background is anything but "typical." America not recognizing that race relations means a lot more than superficial stuff is exactly how we underestimated the chaos in Iraq. ...and no, it's not racist. It's reality.
I saw Blood Diamond and I think Africa is not in a very good state right now. This may seem horrific to say but in the end the descendants of the slaves in America have ended up with at least an opportunity to succeed, though generations of slavery were a hell they had to go through to get there.
so because he is not a son of slaves he is not as worthy to the black community even though he is black too?
Worthy of what? He doesn't share the same upbringing as most black American's so there isn't an inherent TRUST that he will champion their causes. Why is that a difficult concept? I haven't heard Obama say much. And what I have heard, he hasn't once mentioned anything about Civil Rights. So why should blacks automatically embrace him? Skin color alone?
As an African who lives in the US, I think it may be "reality", but it is still racist. How is this different from a group of white people claiming that a black man cannot represent them because he doesn't share their heritage? What is this, black/african american supremacism?
The article isn't saying that black American's shun the guy ...they are simply saying that they don't know what to think about him. It's 50/50. Obama is new to the scene so I think that is a perfectly reasonable response for a new candidate. How is that racist? Just because he has dark skin shouldn't automatically mean that blacks should overwhelmingly support him. They are waiting to hear what his positions are on issues that matter to blacks. How is that 'supremacism'? Like anything else, the devil is in the details. Just cause the man is black doesn't mean black Americans will support him. Racial issues are more complicated than simple skin tone.
Miscegenation a felony in 1960 when Obamas practiced it Miscegenation. The word is humpbacked, ugly, portending a monstrous outcome: like antebellum or octoroon, it evokes images of another era, a distant world of horsewhips and flames, dead magnolias and crumbling porticos. And yet it wasn't until 1967 - three years after Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize, a time when America had already begun to weary of black demands for equality, the problem of discrimination presumably solved - that the Supreme Court of the US would get around to telling the state of Virginia that its ban on interracial marriages violated the Constitution. Source: Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p. 11 Aug 1, 1996 The civil rights movement was a success As segregated as Chicago was, as strained as race relations were, the success of the civil rights movement had at least created some overlap between communities, more room to maneuver for people like me. I could work in the black community as an organizer or a lawyer and still live in a high rise downtown. Or the other way around: I could work in a blue-chip law firm but live in the South Side and buy a big house, drive a nice car, make my donations to the NAACP, speak at local high schools. Source: Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p.254 Aug 1, 1996 African-Americans vote Democratic because of issue stances I don't think the Democratic Party takes the African-American voters for granted. I'm happy that the president spoke at the Urban League. He should have spoke at the NAACP. I want Republicans to compete for the African-American vote. They're not getting the African-American vote not because African-Americans aren't open-minded, but because Democrats have consistently championed those issues-civil rights, voting rights, concern for working families-that are of greatest concern to African-American voters. Source: Meet The Press, NBC News Jul 25, 2004 Just a few quotes I found in about 5 minutes. Make of it what you will. D&D. Happy New Year!
champion their causes? so wait he's not going to champion their causes because he not black like them or black enough? that isnt so much racist against themselves as it is stupid. no wonder jesse jackson is the closest to a black president we've seen.. If they cant find the community amongst the black votes for obama then what is the point of even swaying some of the non black votes? without black unity obama will be lucky to win one state
Africans can claim they aren't black, but that wouldn't have worked for Amadou Diallo when he was staring down the barrel of guns by white cops. Hakeem is black and Mutumbo is black. Barack is black. When other people see him, they first thing they will see and think is black man. The other politicians will prejudge him and treat him as what they see him. That's America. As Colin Powell said, 'In America, which I love from the depths of my heart and soul, when you look like me, you're black.'
That's not what I said. I didn't say he WON'T champion their causes. I said he hasn't demonstrated that he WILL. Big Difference. I will give you $100 if Obama ever publicly states that he will NOT champion the causes of blacks. That would be a political death sentence. But actions speak louder than words. Why? It's stupid that blacks don't throw at least 90% of their votes towards this guy based only on the color of his skin. It seems to me a lot of people say blacks ARE stupid for supporting guys like Jesse Jackson simply because he is black. And you are taking the opposite stance. Funny. I have no idea what this means. As of right now, the non-black votes are his biggest supporters. So because blacks don't support him, he should shun the votes that he DOES have?
This is interesting to me, because I spent the summer working with a woman who's parents are Jamaican immigrants. You wouldn't necessarily know this as a typical white person when meeting her, but eventually she would make a point of telling you that she was Jamaican. It was interesting to learn of the cultural differences and class differences that I didn't know existed between slave-decedent blacks and immigrant blacks. I think that there is a legitimate difference culturally between the two groups, and a lot of it has to do with class differences. My Jamaican friend is loaded, her parents paid for her undergrad at the University of Chicago, where the tuition is 40K a year. She's a law student, and about half of the black law students I know are immigrant African-American. Of course I also go to school with Warren Moon's daughter, so there are other ways for a black family to get rich enough to be successful in politics in this country. There just aren't that many self-made men and in politics, no matter what race or culture of the politician. It's both a class and a race issue if you ask me, and I believe race is slowly taking a backseat to class in this country as a means of discrimination.
That's a very good point to illustrate what I have been saying. If you are a black immigrant but live in America, then often you work to DIFFERENTIATE yourself from others because you are PROUD of your heritage as an immigrant. You mention that it is about race and class but it is ALSO about culture. Black Americans have their own culture and Jamaican's have their own culture. Race is important but so it culture and so it class. While we are at it, religion is just as important too. So Obama shares Race with African Americans but he does NOT share culture and he is probably considered 'upper class' so many blacks don't identify in that regard. ...and look at Obama's name, religion also is a factor since he has an arabic sounding name. 1. Check: check 2. Class: No 3. Culture: No 4. Religion: Probably not too. THAT is exactly why African American's arn't lining up behind this guy. They don't have much in common with him. And frankly people vote for who they like. GWB realized that by playing up his fake cowboy image to get the southerner vote. So until Obama portrays an image that black folks can identify with, he'll get a luke warm reception. It isn't racist or stupid ...it's human nature.
See, funny you bring up culture, because my friend is a total chameleon when it came to culture. She's Jamaican, but you rarely see this part of her culture. Usually, she acts like a rich white girl when around rich white people, and black when she's around black people. I just think that's human nature. She can operate fit in in both worlds because she's had access to both cultures growing up. I think Obama is similar because he's probably had experience in both cultures. Whether he can win over the black vote is yet to be seen, but I think he has it in him. But lets face it, winning over the white vote is the first hurdle. As far as his name and religion, America embraced Mohammed Ali, and he converted to Islam. Obama is Christian. People who won't vote for Obama because he isn't Christian enough are probably going to vote Republican anyway. I think his name can be overcome. His race? We'll see.
Uh, the guy represented the south side of Chicago in the Illinois state senate for 7 years. He worked as a community organizer there before law school and a civil rights attorney there after it rather than taking a high paying job. Again, it boggles my mind as to why people feel the need to "outblack" him. It doesn't get much blacker than the south side, where he has lived and worked and represented for his entire adult life. He has had absolutely no trouble winning black votes in the past. I don't see why that would be a problem in the future. Ouch, now I see you know absolutely zero about obama. Read and learn. http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/040531fa_fact1?040531fa_fact1
Don't shoot the messenger. The article is saying that blacks CURRENTLY are not falling in line behind the guy. I'm simply speculating why blacks arn't singing the praises of the guy. My guess, should he win the Democratic nomination, blacks will overwhelmingly support the guy because the alternative will be <I {INPUT REPUBLICAN NAME HERE}. But for the time being, black Americans don't know what to think about the guy. He's a newcomer that most people don't know much about and skin color alone OBVIOUSLY isn't the sole indicator about how blacks vote. Class, culture and religion are, IMO, equally as important.
Who? Rocket River? Stanley Crouch? Yeah he's in real trouble. I could list all the african americans who support him but I''d be typing until 2008.
You are correct ...I know virtually nothing about the guy. ...and that is EXACTLY my point. Most black Americans know virtually nothing about the guy as well. I could read your link but how many average Americans legitimately are doing background research on 'potential' presidental candidates. IF Obama should run for president, his public speaches and his platform will be the primary factor of winning over black Americans. As of yet, he's only had public speeches where he addressed mostly white audiences. ...and that's what I'm saying. Average black Americans don't have a reason to trust this guy yet and skin color alone won't do it. Obama has to give them a reason to get their vote. So far, he hasn't (mostly because he hasn't started campaigning nationally ...only for local races which don't count for much on the national level).
