Back in 2008 a popular political pundit cautioned that if Barack Obama were to be elected President, unlike claims it would lead to a less racially divided country, it would in fact lead to more racism.
At the time, I disagreed. I felt if Obama were to be elected, people with racial prejudices against blacks would see that blacks aren't that different than anyone else, are capable of leadership and posses the same intellectual faculties as anyone else all leading to a more harmonious racially diverse America less incumbered by fears, stereotypes and discrimination.
However, after hearing the pundit's assertions, I began to accept the idea that there was an outside chance we could see more racism but not because it didn't exist prior to the election of a black President but rather deep racist attitudes already existed but were suppressed and the election of a black President might bring those suppressed racist attitudes to the surface. At the time I thought even that would be a good thing since thinking any racist attitudes would be limited to speech, if its out in the open, we can discuss it, deal with it and help foster better understanding.
With the benefit of hindsight, what do you think? I for one, had no idea just how racist some of the people I considered friends and political allies actually are.
Back in 2008 a popular political pundit cautioned that if Barack Obama were to be elected President, unlike claims it would lead to a less racially divided country, it would in fact lead to more racism.
At the time, I disagreed. I felt if Obama were to be elected, people with racial prejudices against blacks would see that blacks aren't that different than anyone else, are capable of leadership and posses the same intellectual faculties as anyone else all leading to a more harmonious racially diverse America less incumbered by fears, stereotypes and discrimination.
However, after hearing the pundit's assertions, I began to accept the idea that there was an outside chance we could see more racism but not because it didn't exist prior to the election of a black President but rather deep racist attitudes already existed but were suppressed and the election of a black President might bring those suppressed racist attitudes to the surface. At the time I thought even that would be a good thing since thinking any racist attitudes would be limited to speech, if its out in the open, we can discuss it, deal with it and help foster better understanding.
With the benefit of hindsight, what do you think? I for one, had no idea just how racist some of the people I considered friends and political allies actually are.
Back in 2008 a popular political pundit cautioned that if Barack Obama were to be elected President, unlike claims it would lead to a less racially divided country, it would in fact lead to more racism.
At the time, I disagreed. I felt if Obama were to be elected, people with racial prejudices against blacks would see that blacks aren't that different than anyone else, are capable of leadership and posses the same intellectual faculties as anyone else all leading to a more harmonious racially diverse America less incumbered by fears, stereotypes and discrimination.
However, after hearing the pundit's assertions, I began to accept the idea that there was an outside chance we could see more racism but not because it didn't exist prior to the election of a black President but rather deep racist attitudes already existed but were suppressed and the election of a black President might bring those suppressed racist attitudes to the surface. At the time I thought even that would be a good thing since thinking any racist attitudes would be limited to speech, if its out in the open, we can discuss it, deal with it and help foster better understanding.
With the benefit of hindsight, what do you think? I for one, had no idea just how racist some of the people I considered friends and political allies actually are.
One thing is people getting sick of the race card being played even when top government officials are black. In particular, these officials like Obama and Holder are adding fuel to the fire with BS they say.
We have always had racists all over this planet,we still have them, and, unfortunately, that racism is not going to disappear tomorrow.
Most of the people on this planet are racists, some are more racist, some are less racist.
"At the heart of racism is the religious assertion that God made a creative mistake when He brought some people into being." ~Friedrich Otto Hertz
I agree that world wide racism is huge and America, despite our imperfections have advanced far ahead of most people in this respect. In China, it is the official government policy that no one can be recognized as a Chinese citizen unless they have Oriental ethnicity, regardless of where they are born. The Middle East is so filled with hate-filled bigotry, they make the Ku Klux Klan look like girl scouts; not sure if its race based or religion based, probably some of both. The most extreme racism I've ever experienced were from Indians of South Asian heritage complete with insults and death threats, who even have their internal human value system based on the lightness or darkness of the complexions of people within their own race. I do want to emphasize however, EVERYONE cannot be painted with the same same brush. At the same time I know people of Asian heritage who are some of the kindest people I've ever met, including family members. Just speaking in generalities.
I haven't noticed any kind of overt racisim among anyone that I know since President Obama was elected.
Then again, I don't really associate with assholes.
I suspect that everyone harbors some degree of covert racisim; that perhaps my white friends would be a little more inclined to lock their doors when stopped at a street light in Newark if they see a pack of black kids approaching as opposed to if it was a pack of white kids. Are ALL black kids going to commit some kind of crime? No of course not, but why take cances seeing as how you can't spot a criminal just by looking at a group of random people?
But you really have to ask yourself if maybe that isn't simple common sense rather than racisim, given that the overwelming majority of crimes commited in Newark are commited by black kids.
But it isn't like my Army buddies are secretely messaging me on Facebook, "Dude, don't invite the black guys to this year's reunion because, you know, President Obama is a failure".
I think most of the racisim I see is from the media and politicians drumming up controversy for personal gain and from idiots on the Internet who really aren't fit to be taken anyplace and who I wouldn't have as real friends in the first place.
It's not "simple common sense". People are much more likely to have a crime committed against them by someone they know than they are by a stranger. Therefore, by your implied definition of common sense, it would be "simple common sense" to lock our doors whenever we see someone we know coming up the steps. Since people don't generally do that, there's something more than "simple common sense" at play.But you really have to ask yourself if maybe that isn't simple common sense rather than racisim, given that the overwelming majority of crimes commited in Newark are commited by black kids.
"What other president was asked to show his birth certificate. And comments like Obama is unamerican, a communist, a dictator etc. are all about who he really is, BLACK."
It's mostly exposed racism that was already there although I would also add that it's intensified such racism as well.Back in 2008 a popular political pundit cautioned that if Barack Obama were to be elected President, unlike claims it would lead to a less racially divided country, it would in fact lead to more racism.
At the time, I disagreed. I felt if Obama were to be elected, people with racial prejudices against blacks would see that blacks aren't that different than anyone else, are capable of leadership and posses the same intellectual faculties as anyone else all leading to a more harmonious racially diverse America less incumbered by fears, stereotypes and discrimination.
However, after hearing the pundit's assertions, I began to accept the idea that there was an outside chance we could see more racism but not because it didn't exist prior to the election of a black President but rather deep racist attitudes already existed but were suppressed and the election of a black President might bring those suppressed racist attitudes to the surface. At the time I thought even that would be a good thing since thinking any racist attitudes would be limited to speech, if its out in the open, we can discuss it, deal with it and help foster better understanding.
With the benefit of hindsight, what do you think? I for one, had no idea just how racist some of the people I considered friends and political allies actually are.
I totally agree, there is very little overt racism in the USA now-a-days, there's still some racism, but it's mostly low key.
Moreover, people tend to criticize all presidents in terms of that president's characteristics. For instance, criticism of Bush and his policies was tattered with prejudice against Southerners. Similarly, criticism of Obama and his policies are tattered with prejudice against blacks. People just latch onto a characteristic that they can stereotype and run with it in their simple little minds, LOL. I do, however, think the latter has been much more intense than the former.
While I agree with you that people often lazily latch onto traits that they use to lazily stereotype politicians, I don't consider the role of the actual prejudice itself to be as minimal as you seem to. I wouldn't say that "it's less about race, region, et al." and I wouldn't say that "those are just means to an end." Instead, I would say of the people in question that racism, regionalism, et al. are a meaningful or integral part of their worldview and that they project such prejudices onto their political foes more intensely than they do their political allies.This kind of goes back to a thought I'd said before...people are often lazy.
I've suggested, often, that criticism of politicians 9 out of 10 times comes from a foundation of partisan disagreement. Upon that foundation all sorts of things can be used to build, but the foundation is partisanship.
When it comes to the question of "What to use to build off of it"...well, it goes back to people being lazy. People tend to grab onto what ever the low hanging fruit is. From relying on SNL material as a means of commonly making fun of a politician (think Palin or GHWB...yay Dana Carvey), to relying on pointless stuff (G Dub's "funny words" or Clinton eating hamburgers when he was larger), to things that seem more basely prejudiced ("Redneck/Cowboy/etc" George Bush, Thug/Gangsta Obama, etc)...people grab somewhat "easy" stuff.
But rarely do I think those things are the notions that are actually fueling the views. They're just things that a person grabs onto as an easy way to bash. Had George Bush been a well spoken Black and Barack Obama been a word-butchering Southerner I wouldn't expect that there'd be very similar complaints and jokes coming out from the opposite sides (though tweaked reflecting the wolrld views a bit of the group). Because it's less about race, or region, or talking ability, or waist size, or anything else and more about politics...those are just the means to the end.
People are much more likely to have a crime committed against them by someone they know than they are by a stranger.
Therefore, by your implied definition of common sense, it would be "simple common sense" to lock our doors whenever we see someone we know coming up the steps. Since people don't generally do that, there's something more than "simple common sense" at play.
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