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John McCain is absolutely right: Barack Obama should not play the race card. For things to be equal, we should give the same type of descriptor to each candidate. Obama will be "the first black Democratic presidential nominee." John McCain should be the (approximately) 40th white Republican male candidate or to be fair absolutely, Obama would be the first major party presidential candidate and John McCain is the 87th white presidential candidate. Works for me.
The elephant in the living room better not tell anyone he's an elephant. We don't want the whole elephant-rights movement to get a foot up. Barack Obama better button his lip about being black. White people don't want their delicate consciences strained; Obama is running on a post-civil rights platform, after all.
Just think, it would be so great to have a black president in November who doesn't talk about black-people stuff. It's so BET. Why can't we all just be white and get over ourselves. This is the great melting pot. Immigrants coming here -- whether they wanted to or not -- are here now so they should put up or shut up. If you don't like it here, go back where you came from!
Of course, people ripped from the bosoms of their families and the center of their cultures and sold into slavery may not know where they came from. All Oprah has to do is to pay for one of those fancy DNA tests for all of our black citizens so people can ascertain what their true ancestral homes were. It's okay; she can afford it.
But Obama hasn't said a word about r-e-p-a-r-a-t-i-o-n-s. We have to be careful of our language here lest my computer program warn me that my "message is the sort of thing that might get your keyboard washed out with soap, if you get my drift..." Most Americans know about slavery but I'd bet that not one in ten knows what Jim Crow laws were, that is, the laws that were passed after Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and the U.S. Congress passed and the states ratified the laws giving African Americans the right to vote, and prohibiting slavery. I bet that they don't know that after those Reconstruction Amendments were ratified, in many communities, blacks were prevented from learning to read and that it wasn't uncommon for those same jurisdictions to have literacy requirements for voters. Or that some communities imposed a poll tax: Prospective voters had to pay to vote. So voters who were poor -- many of whom were black -- couldn't vote because they couldn't afford it.
We all know how the American people venerate Abraham Lincoln; for a while he had his won holiday. The only other President to have his own holiday, George Washington, was a proud Virginian who, at the time of his death, owned 316 slaves. He only inherited 11 slaves from his father; his marriage brought another 20 slaves to Mount Vernon. To his credit, he set them free in his will but that is rather beside the point, isn't it? The growth of Mount Vernon's slave population gives a whole different cast to his title of "Father of our Country." Although, to his credit, unlike his fellow-founder Thomas Jefferson, there are no allegations of his engaging in sexual relations with any of his slaves.)
In the United States Constitution, slaves were counted as 3/5's of a person in determining membership in the House of Representatives; that, in part, is what the Reconstruction Amendments changed.
Can they tell you that until 1967 with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Loving v. Virginia, many states prohibited marriage between people of difference races? And if they know that such a law existed in America, even if they have never heard specifically about Loving v. Virginia, are they bothered by it? Or is it merely a curiosity to them?
Obama was lucky: Even though he was born in 1961 just a few years before the Loving ruling, he was born in Hawaii -- a state whose majority at the time was not white.
If you are white and live in the vacuum tube of the twenty-first century, I guess you can be presentist; you can just live in the moment, to hell with the past.
Maybe you can if you're white but if you aren't then the weight of history is on your bathroom scale, and your dark-skinned face, staring back at you, in itself, carries a history that cannot be ignored.
We understand that Obama has to tread somewhat delicately so as not to scare off the white folks but like it or not, his African American side is there.
Rosa Maria Pegueros
is an associate professor of Latin American History and Women's Studies at the University of Rhode Island.
25 Comments so far
Show AllThis entry from Wikipedia sets out Michelle Obama's comment in a fair-minded way.
From Wikipedia: On February 18, 2008, [Michelle] Obama commented in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback." Later that evening she reworded her stump speech in Madison, Wisconsin, saying "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country, and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change."[40] Several commentators criticized her for her remarks,[40][41][42][43][44][45] and the campaign issued a statement that "anyone who heard her remarks ... would understand that she was commenting on our politics".[46] In June 2008 Laura Bush indicated she thought Michelle Obama's words had been misrepresented in the media "I think she probably meant I'm 'more proud,' you know, is what she really meant," adding, "I mean, I know that, and that's one of the things you learn and that's one of the really difficult parts both of running for president and for being the spouse of the president, and that is, everything you say is looked at and in many cases misconstrued."[47]
To Mamabear, where do you see 'hatefulness' in what Mrs. Obama said? She may have pride in this country now, but that IS NOT EQUAL to hate before.
I don't care if Barack Hussein Obama refers to himself as black. At least he is telling the truth. It is his stand on the issues and the hatefulness of his wife that I find bile-inducing. She was proud of America when her husband got on the ticket?
Oh. Lessee: She is a graduate of Harvard. Hateful nasty America to send her to an Ivy League school. She is a lawyer. Yet again, another denial of opportunity both as a woman, and African-American at that. Yeah, she must have really detested America while she was going through college and passing the bar and so on. If she found America so dang hateful
before her husband got on the ticket, why did she bother sticking around and getting her education and law degree? Why didn't she go to France?
The Big Raven said "Quote you"except for the native americans through no fault of thier own,most have ASSIMILATED well and do not DWELL on thier ancestors past ill treatment" First we are STILL being mistreated and go try and tell any of the thousands of Natives I know that they assimilated well and they will tell you to go to hell period.
Dude, you misread this. "Except" means native american indians, through no fault of their own, have not been allowed to assimilate and do rightly dwell on the past as it continues today.
Garvey- your racism detector seems to work in only one direction.
The article touched on slavery which is not an issue, but some commenters showed an appalling lack of history to the extent some were discussing reparations. Hugh Thomas book is 800 pages of history focusing on the slave trade starting from the 15th century, why you would claim it is superficial work not knowing anything about is amazing. I am sure much of what I posted is news to you given the very sad state of Americas educations and media. We inherited slavery from the British. And only a minority of the Africans sent to the Americas went to North America. Also, whites were slaves throughout the history of civilization as well. Reparations talk is nonsense.
atheist - Just read his book Dreams From My Father. The question is why he considered himself black, given his upbringing. But it is very apparent from the book that he does, and thats his personal choice he is entitled to.
Now if you were 50% black and grew up on the streets of Chicago, or in the South, I can understand someone calling himself black instead of biracial, since you would have been treated as black. He grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia, raised by a white mother and grandparents, and his polygamous black father walked out on them when he was an infant. In Hawaii, blacks were a rarity, and whites a minority who were discriminated against as some renters would not rent to whites and had ads that read "No whites". He met his father one time when he visited Hawaii at the age of 10. His mentor in Hawaii is said to have been a card carrying Communist named Frank Davis, although in his book he is only referred to as Frank. His father was a Marxist as well.
Thats fine though, he is entitled to pick what race he identifies with. But given his Pastor and his Fathers views, and his mentor, you wonder if he adheres to their polical views.
Once again I say: Why is Barack Obama always considered "black" ?? His mother was white, why isn't he "white" ?
He is not "black" in my eyes. African-American, yes, in the truest sense of the word. But not fully "black".
MiMi,
I'm not sure why you dismiss the piece as racist drivel and then "support" that opinion with irrelevant facts.
The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and its legal framework have little to do with American Slave Codes and Segregation (Jim Crow) Laws. It is the latter that Americans should be concerned about. By ignoring the legal aspects of slavery and then countering with facts concerning people on the other side of the globe, you appear as an apologist.
This is even more so when you make the poor comparison between the experiences of European immigrants and post-Emancipation African-Americans. Again, the difference lies in the laws (the legality of the discrimination and injustice each faced).
I'm not familiar with Hugh Thomas' book, and by its title and the excerpt you provided it seems his book would only provide a superficial examination of the legal differences between American/British and other slave holding nations. I could be wrong, of course. But if I am, being more familiar with the book, why not provide a more relevant quote?
Dear MiMiccs,
You talk about racist drivel just what the hell does your line mean?Quote you"except for the native americans through no fault of thier own,most have ASSIMILATED well and do not DWELL on thier ancestors past ill treatment"
First we are STILL being mistreated and go try and tell any of the thousands of Natives I know that they assimilated well and they will tell you to go to hell period.
And as far as trying to get JUSTICE for all the stolen land and resources we will not quit until justice is brought.We natives will ALLWAYS be here on the land the Creator gave us to look after for the future generations to remind all of you as you complain about non-issues that you are all illegal no matter how and when you got to our lands plus you were never wanted or needed.
Peace
"The elephant in the living room better not tell anyone he is an elephant."
Amen! Even the term, "race card" makes me cringe.
Happy Emanciption Day!
Celebrating 1833 British Slavery Abolition Act of 1833!
Only took the USA over a hundred years to catch up...
Racist drivel. Articles such as this certainly do not help Obama. I am not a supporter of Obama, but mainly because of the views he expressed in his book Dreams From My Father as well as his policies.
Recently I read a book The Slave Trade by Hugh Thomas. A couple of facts from the book.
Slaves accounted for 3/4 of West Africas exports in 1807. Africans were exporting their own people for profit. The abolition of the slave trade by Britain, and the US in 1807 hit African nations hard economically. There were in fact more African slaves in Africa than in the Americas. Slaves used to be sacrificed upon the death of an African king. In fact, white men were taken as slaves in Northern Africa, sold by pirates, but in much fewer numbers of course. That was African culture then. Not much better than American culture. Perhaps if this were taught people would be more forgiving of the past.
A total of 11,328,000 slaves were delivered to the Americas from Africa. Only five hundred thousand went to North America, the vast majority before we broke free from the British. The vast majority of those African slaves are considered today as Black Hispanics. Many African Americans do not consider American Black Hispanics to be African American.
The newly formed US had inherited 500,000 slaves, but most were 2nd and 3rd generation. Keep in mind, the US did not include all of North America, there were large numbers of slaves in Spanish and French controlled territories that were not part of the US at the time and which were later absorbed as we expanded.
The constitution in 1787 prevented Congress from taking action until 1807, a delay of 20 years, preferring the states take a lead. Keep in mind this was a young country, with a Federal Government that was not very well organized, and not very powerful to enforce the few laws it had. It did however make the slave trade to foreign ports illegal. In 1807, Congress made it illegal to import slaves into the US starting from 1808, and made it illegal for any citizen to invest in the trade elsewhere. The handling of freed slaves was left to the states, and slavery was not completely abolished until after the Civil War.
Now, the KKK and treatment of the blacks after the Civil War in certain states was not good, no question. The KKK was organized by British loyaltists in the South angered at their loss and who sought to keep America weak, and also in part to intolerance that was prevalent in the 19th century globally. Our country expanded as a result of our Manifest Destiny for crying out loud. Many people in America have been treated poorly in our history, Irish- Italians-Chinese -Japanese-Jews-Catholics-Muslims- Native Americans- Mexicans. Except for the Native Americans, through no fault of their own, most have assimilated well and do not dwell on their ancestors past ill treatment.
America was not a kind country to those who were not well off or different, and is not much better today. The main difference is the elite see all of those below them as slaves, beasts which they have turned into debt slaves. The beasts that make good slaves and pay off their debt will get to stick around.
http://www.webofdebt.com/articles/debt-serfdom.php
As for reparations, they better go after the Queen whose ancestors bought the slaves and the African Kings who sold them.
So now that sneaky BLACK, I repeat BLACK man, is gonna snap his fingers and suck trillions of dollars from Decent God Fearing White Folk-
Fo ta git Mo Money Fo Hisself, him dat. Too.
For Christ's Effing Sake, Just Hide the White Virgin and be done with it.
"Whey da white womens at?" Obama Campaign Slogan. Get your Bumper Stickers Now. From Your Republican Friends.
Is Ms. Pegueros saying that after the election, Obama will force the payment of reparations in the typical amount its advocates suggest...
$10,000,000,000,000? (That's ten trillion dollars.)
Is this yet another surprise that the ever-changing Mr. Obama is saving for surprised Asian and hispanic Americans to pay, along with the relatively small minority of descendants of slave-owners in the United States?
Mr. Obama is full of surprises, but I don't see how recent immigrants, or even third or fourth or even fifth generation immigrants, all of whose ancestors arrived after the abolition of slavery...
I don't see how the other 88% of America, most of whose ancestors had no connection to slavery, are going to be happy to pay $10,000,000,000,000 in reparations to black Americans, including Mr. Obama himself.
And Mr. Obama's very weak "rejection" of reparations isn't much of a rejecdtion at all, and it's worth just about as much as his promises to filibuster the FISA bill, and accept public campaign finance limits.
How much would an Obama Presidency really cost the rest of America?
thank you, Nellemason!
jbs, traditionally (back in the days when this was very, very important) one drop of Negro blood meant that you were Black. Period.
widhalm, the legacy of slavery ain't over by half -- get over yourself!
Widhalm accuses Pegueros of reverse racsim. This is exactly what I'm talking about-- the kind of opinion that obscures the whole debate.
I'm against reparations, but I can see where advocates for reparations are coming from. I don't see how their racist. And what's wrong with being victim-centered. Aren't progressives advocates for the folks who are exploited by a lousy system?
I do not understand why Commondreams continues to post these racist, hate-inspired, victim-centered rants.
For once and for all time, slavery was a human evil. It was evil in Africa. It was evil in Arabia. It was evil in Asia. It was evil in the Americas. It was a human evil.
Rosa Maria Pegueros .... get over yourself!
What a joke it is to say, "he's playing the race card"
We just don't want to talk about race our inequality in America. Sure there are folks who try and say, "look at me I'm being exploited" and then use this to their advantage. But we will never have an honest discussion about race until we get rid of language like "he's just playing the race card" or "this is just reverse racism" such language only obscures the very real issue of racism.
jbs said "but choicing to identify himself with his african father over his white mother leaves me sort of confused."
Are you under 40? I know young people are more colorblind than us geezers over 45 but we all need to look at race through the history of this country. In the years Obama and myself were born a person like Obama would legally not have been allowed to enter the University of Georgia due to his race. A person like Tiger Woods would not have been allowed to play in the PGA in the 60's due to his race. People like Tiger and Obama weren't allowed to play on the U of Texas football team until 1970. Are we getting closer to your age? Need any more detail?
Race was a legal designation in large portions of this country. Even in the non-segregated North the military segregated people until 1948.
Race wasn't what you felt like calling yourself. It was legal reality. It was on your birth certificate and death certificate.
Got that too MilitantLiberal?
Sorry for the repeats! The website didn't seem to be accepting my comments.
Obama is a chameleon who takes on whatever color best suits his survival: black, white, eco green, or money green.
McCain is a boring, double-talking, old white man, perfect for those who value our national tradition of electing presidents who are boring, double-talking old white men.
Obama is a chameleon, taking on whatever color best suits his survival: black, white, eco green, or money green.
McCain is just a boring, double-talking, old white man, perfect for those who love our American tradition of voting in boring, double-talking, old white men for president.
I don't want to break the thread by pasting in a long URL, but FWIW, Obama did recently state that he opposes reparations.
And BTW, it's "Barack".
i have a hard time calling obama black or african american. i guess i will respect his choice of words, but choicing to identify himself with his african father over his white mother leaves me sort of confused. if not white, then black. if not black then white. i suspect that he is more than either.