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Has the election of a black POTUS led to more, no or less racsim in America?

Has the election of a black POTUS led to more, no or less racsim?

  • Having a black President has caused America to be more rasict

    Votes: 10 34.5%
  • Having a black President has caused America to be less rasict

    Votes: 1 3.4%
  • Having a black President has exposed racism that was not as apparent prior to his election

    Votes: 18 62.1%

  • Total voters
    29

Smeagol

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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.
 
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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 agree and although people claim there is no increase in racism with a black president that is simply not true. 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. I think people who are true racists were appalled that a black man could become president. They think they are better because they are white.
 
I have to say I have become more racist since the election of Obama. I think most people have and I don't think it will ever change. As long as we look and act different than other people there will be an element of racism, by everyone.
 
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.
 
I think the question in the poll is incorrect, I think Obama's race
has little to do with his encouraging racial divide.
It is not because he is black, but because he is Obama.
 
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.




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
 
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I think having a black president has caused the far right wingers to become more verbal about it, but it was always there.
 
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.

Well, I think what's happened is that people are pointing to us having a black president as being evidence that racism is dead. It isn't, of course. But only among the ignorant; and that will always be the case. I think it's infuriated whites that charges of racism continue to get levied by the likes of Sharpton and Jackson -- pointing to Obama as clear and convincing evidence that we've come a long way, baby!!

What I'm most disappointed in re the Obama presidency, is that the First Lady didn't set her sights on saving generations of black children being thrown away by a society that hasn't yet found a way to get them a satisfactory education.

Oh! The difference she might have made in eight years...
 
I don't know if racism is any more common or widespread than any other time, but I do think it's more publicly expressed than it has been in the past. I don't think it's because white people hate black people more or less because of Obama, but rather the fact it can now be acceptable to say and there are "clever" ways to say it. As someone else noted, and I agree with, "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.", not to mention the constant insistence Obama is a Muslim trying to ruin America. Those are cloaked attacks of racism, but they are acceptable forms, because they are disguised in the form of political attacks.

In the end, I don't know if racism has increased or not, but I do think it's been more publicly apparent.
 
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.

I think Herman Cain could be accused of using "the race card" in saying the accusations made over sexual harassment that were made during his 2012 Presidential bid.

Prompted by conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer in a television interview, Cain answered yes to the question of whether "race [and] being a strong black conservative has anything to do with the fact you've been so charged."

Herman Cain plays the race card, unfortunately - Los Angeles Times

However, I cannot think of anytime when President Obama or AG Holder have done so. Could you offer some specific instances?

On the "race card" debate, I personally find the matter a convenient conservative political correctness ploy to shut down any discussion of possible racism that does not rise to the level of people showing up in white robes and burning crosses. In other words by use of "the 'race card' card", only extremely serious displays of racism are fair to even discuss while less severe displays of racism get a free pass.
 
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.
 
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.




My experience from over 70 years of living all over this planet is that most people are good-hearted and empathetic, it's the few bad guys who create all of our problems.
 
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.




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.
 
Can't vote as no option fits me.

Having a President whose black does nothing for or against the notion of "racism" in this country. A singular instance like this isn't going to have any kind of gigantic shift in a societal sentiment. There's too many other factors constantly pouring in. The way his race was politicized throughout the run up to his presidency, and during his presidency, undoubtably both helped racial views for some people and harmed them for others.

The issue about race is that the more you focus on it the more you have difficulties suggesting people need to look beyond it, and yet it is through that focusing upon it that so much action is taken to attempt to combat racism. Understandably, because earlier on it was such an over the top and wide spread thing you gained more confronting it in a frontal, blunt fashion. At this point however I think often it does as much harm as good to racial relations when coming at it that way.

I largely feel that Obama's Presidency has ben a wash, largely thanks to people on both sides of the racial divide and due to both sides of the political divide as well. For those racially moderate types who just don't really care too much what color people are, the bat**** racists on one side and the "OMG EVERYTHING IS BECAUSE HE'S BLACK!" people on the other both tend to just rub you the wrong way and put you off from their arguments.
 
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.
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.
 
"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."

This rather overlooks the fact that Obama had a rather atypical background regardless of the issue of race, and doubt someone during the 1st or 2nd red scare would escape attacks if they were fathered by a foreign national with a background in the communist party.

Especially if they were running for president.

Also, we shouldn't overlook that Obama's background as a black man and citizen were first questioned in the democratic primary, further underlining the notion that politics is a dirty business and you use what you have.
 
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.
It's mostly exposed racism that was already there although I would also add that it's intensified such racism as well.

I don't think that many white people consciously said, "A black man has been elected president, I must now express my racism openly." In any case, I think it's made a lot of white right-wingers uncomfortable because the mere existence of a black President brings racial issues to light that a lot of white people and conservatives - according to polls - don't consider relevant or don't want to talk about. I also think having a black president has also freaked out those white people who feel that they need to "take their country back". To see a black man in such a high office in this country is probably too much for them to take.

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.

I would also like to add that I think racism/prejudice between blacks and Hispanics has actually decreased during Obama's terms, probably in response to both groups feeling attacked by white conservatives.
 
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.

I think it became more overt in the last five years, though. At least compared to the decade or two before that. Obviously less so than in the 50s, for example.
 
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.

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.
 
The election had no direct effect on racism either way. What has become more apparent is that we are more divided by politics and people are using race as a political weapon. So while it seems racism may be worse, it's a lie. It is nothing but a political stunt.
 
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.
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.

In other words, Democrats making fun of Bush's accent probably do have genuine, meaningful prejudices against Southerners. Republicans who think Obama is uppity probably do have genuine, meaningful prejudices against black people. They just tend to let it out more when they're talking about people they consider - for lack of a better word - enemies.
 
People are much more likely to have a crime committed against them by someone they know than they are by a stranger.

I'd like to see some empirical evidence supporting that claim.

I know it's true for certain classes of crime and among certain demographic populations but I've never seen it stated so broadly.

I'm not sure that you're correct in making such a claim and you'll forgive me for not taking your word for it simply because you feel like claiming it.

Anyhow...

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.

You did take note that I gave a very specific example, right?

Here's the scenario again:

I'm sitting at a streetlight, at night, in Newark, NJ.

(A little background: several hundred carjackings and incidents of armed robbery of motorists occur in Newark, NJ every year. 99 times out of 100 the perpetrators of those crimes are black males between the ages of 15 and 35.)

Back to the very specific example...

So I'm sitting at the streetlight and I observe a gang of young black males approaching the intersection.

(More background: I don't know anything about this particular group, or anything about any individual member of the group. As I said in my earlier comment, I realize that not all young black males are criminals. But, again, I also know that when a motorist is robbed in Newark, NJ the perpetrator is almost always a young black male.)

Given what I know, and what I've observed, I consider it perfectly prudent to lock my car doors at this time, at a minimum.

I know that the odds are very slim that I'm going to be the target of any kind of crime. I've been in this situation 100 times before and I've never been carjacked or robbed at gunpoint.

But why take a chance? Why not err on the side of caution? It seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to do, from my perspective.

Again, it seems like simple common sense.

Now, if I were to do the same thing when being approached by a handfull of 13-year-old black girls, or a pair of middle aged black men in business suits, then yeah, sure, I'd say that there's something more to that than simple common sense.

Clearly if I had used one of these scenarios, knowing that teenaged black girls or middle aged black businessmen are the perpetrators of virtually no carjackings or armed robberies and that the only apparent trait they share with the people who are is the fact that they're black, then yeah, there's some kind of dicked up racial stuff going on there.
 
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