Reporter labels Obama 'much more white than black'
By Steve Benen Tuesday Jun 24, 2008 12:40pmIn 2004, in his keynote address to the Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama briefly touched on the scourge of racial stereotypes: “The people I meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks, they don’t expect government to solve all their problems…. They know that parents have to parent, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white.”
Nevertheless, not only do the stereotypes persist, but Obama’s detractors are applying the same standard to him personally. Yesterday, Washington Post political reporter Jonathan Weisman (who’s not a columnist or pundit) participated in an online discussion with readers during which he went to the same place.
Alexandria, Va.: Obama’s new ad (which plays a lot in Alexandria) shows pictures of his mother and grandparents, playing up his white family. Until now he’s been “African American”; now suddenly he’s a white Midwesterner? During the primary Hillary was criticized for changing her image too many times. Won’t Obama be criticized for doing the same thing?
Jonathan Weisman: I haven’t heard that criticism, but it is striking. Not a single picture of his father. Now, that really is consistent with his upbringing. He really did not become immersed in black American culture until he left college and went to Chicago. The great irony is that he is much more white than black, beyond skin color. [emphasis added]
The analysis is itself flawed. The ad talks about Obama’s background, and it’s likely he didn’t feature a picture of his father because he wasn’t a part of Obama’s childhood. But more importantly, the notion that — other than his “skin color” — Obama is “much more white than black” is utterly ridiculous.
What is a comment like this even based on? Black people are only really black if white Washington Post reporters perceive them as “immersed in black American culture”? Black people are whiter if they’re raised by white relatives? Who comes up with these rules?
And what does “beyond skin color” even mean? It’s like saying I’m much more short than tall, beyond my 6′1″ height.
I’d just add that Jonathan Weisman consistently seems to run into trouble when doing these online discussions. In general, I think it’s great that the Washington Post hosts these forums, and I appreciate the fact that so many journalists are generous with their time and participate in exchanges with readers.
But Weisman seems to really let his guard down during these chats, and reveals a little too much.
About a year ago, for example, in the midst of a congressional investigation into voter suppression allegations against Karl Rove-protege U.S. attorney Tim Griffin, a reader asked Weisman about Monica Goodling’s testimony on caging. Weisman responded, “So what is this caging thing?”
Last month, Weisman participated in a chat, and when five of the first 11 questions focused on John McCain, Weisman complained about readers’ interests. Asked about senior McCain adviser Charlie Black’s lobbying for Ahmed Chalabi, Weisman responded, “Oy, what’s with all the McCain questions?” Shortly thereafter, asked about a Democratic lawmaker, Weisman was relieved: “Ah, thank goodness someone in chatting land is a Republican.”
Around the same time, Weisman defended McCain’s “maverick” reputation, telling readers, “McCain has cultivated an image that has branded him as an independent maverick now for more than a decade. He fought the GOP over tobacco in 1998.” (Weisman either neglected to mention, or didn’t know, that McCain has abandoned his previous position on tobacco, and now agrees with the policy he used to fight against.)
And now, the same reporter wants readers to know that other than the color of Obama’s skin, the African-American senator is “much more white than black.” Why? Because the reporter says so.
The mind reels.
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oooooh...bad move I'm thinkin...
So now he's back to being not "black enough"? These wankers are giving me a headache with all this flippin' an floppin'.
I really think it's getting to be storm the castle time people.
Rhetorical question of the day: "How does one act Black? or act White for that matter?"
He's more white than black my ass......keep up the stereotypes, Jonathan Weisman, you fucking idiot.
OK Mr. Jonathan Weisman, the yardstick you use the measure someone's "blackness"...did you get that at your Bar Mitzvah?
I find the comment I just made inappropriate!!!
But it does ask the important question, wtf is black?? and what is white??, besides an amalgam of stereotypes and profiles, based
on bullshit.
Yeah. White people are such experts on black people and The Black Experience.
Jonathan Weisman What a ass.
my email to Mr. Weisman...
"I haven’t heard that criticism, but it is striking. Not a single picture of his father. Now, that really is consistent with his upbringing. He really did not become immersed in black American culture until he left college and went to Chicago. The great irony is that he is much more white than black, beyond skin color."
They pay you to write this?
The yardstick you use to measure someones blackness, did you get that at your Bar Mitzvah? That was inappropriate wasn't it?
How does it feel?
So What? Actually, he's sorta mocha.
I don't give a shit if he's green with purple polka-dots. If he knows right from wrong, he's light-years ahead of any Repiglican.
REgardless of what color they talk about, it is all called BIGOTRY. Why does it matter in any case. My parents were from Italy and Corsica (french) does it matter now? I am an American, true, I don't live there much of the time, but I was brought up there, went to school there and I vote there. But no one seems to worry that I might favor whomever the Italian Primie Minister (Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri) may be.
So it can only be looked at as a biased or bigoted remark.
this is a ridiculous comment for ridiculous small minded people and they do exist.......
Why can't we all just be Americans?
This race thing is just so stupid sometimes.
miss_kitty @ 5:
No shit, lol! I'm a southern white man...I think I'll write a book about how much the black folks in the south just LOOOOOVE being called n*&%#@....should sell like hotcakes...what do y'all think?
liberalDAPofJUSTICEmoderation @ 11:
Unfortunately it probably would sell in the south if you could get it published.
Now THAT is the real shame of it.
This is yet another example of the Fox-ification of the msm. Ugh.
One of the problems here is that it is racist to call Obama a "black" man at all. If your father is "black", and your mother is "white", then you are still considered "black". And then, if you were to reproduce with another "white person", the resulting offspring would be considered "black" as well, even though technically you are "mulatto" and your offspring is "half mulatto/half white". Oddly, "mulatto" is considered by many to be a racist term, even though it is not listed a deragatory in the dictionary and is used freely in many other cultures. In Haiti, for example, the "Mulattos" are the ruling class.
Great. Obama isn't suppose to discuss race ever, but ignorant race baiters like Weisman can spew shit like this 24/7.
Recent works, Bay Area:
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com/2008/06/war-is-lie-bay-area.html
San Francisco, North Bay tomorrow.
Chivalry is dead @ 3:
its the difference between ordering an iced tea, and a motherf*king iced tea.
this is also why Tony Soprano is a black Italian.
Oh come on, you know exactly what he means by that comment. Nowadays we define a person's "race" (a nebulous concept at best) as much by their behavior as by their skin tone.
He's saying "*winkwink* C'mon guys, we all know that a Black man who hangs out with White people and goes to an Ivy League school isn't really Black. Obama's just trying to play both sides of the fence here. *nudgenudge*"
It's a despicable comment and he should get slammed for it, but I can't imagine that it will really resonate with anybody but the most paranoid haters on the right fringe, who are obessed with making believe that it's Obama who's always playing the race card.
I don't really think it would really turn off anyone who actually cares about important things like, oh, what he would do as president, the exact numerical value of the hue of his blackness. :p
Oh, well...then it's okay; I can vote for a beige person!
Jonathan Weisman is just another bigoted RACIST
reichwingneocon bastard.......
♠Bangkok Bob♥ @ 12:
Yeah....it would sell, BUT if it was a tongue in cheek, satirical take on the south and race relations and co-written with my friend L&L ;) ....and marketed to the right demographic...might sell for different reasons than if was a "serious" book being purchased by racists.
Actually...that's not a bad idea...everyone! forget you ever read this!
[Deleted. Off topic. Site Monitor]
scarlet p. @ 16:
very cool........the truth
seagull.girl @ 13:
racists just don't know what to do when someone doesn't fit neatly into one of their little racial boxes . . . i would hope that obama's nebulous race identity will undermine stereotypical thinking, but alas, racists always respond to difference with fear, not enlightenment
....wait a minute.....Obabma is BLACK??!!.......shouldn't someone have put out a memo on this or something??
well I guess that's another reason to vote FOR him.....it'll piss off Rash Lameballs and Sean (ins)Hannity and the rest of those racist buttwipes.....can't wait for November 5th so I can call their radio shows, wait on hold for 2 hours, and when they get to my call I can say:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
When you hear what Ralph Nader said about Senator Obama today it will make this story pale in comparison.
liberalDAPofJUSTICEmoderation @ 21:
LOL.
To be fair to WAPO, that kind of argument is still an issue in the black community. In fact, Jesse Jackson didn't automatically throw his support for Obama for similar reasons.
pissed off patricia @ 26:
I'm starting to see more people pissed off when folks like Nader and Weisman get off on race or start in with the religion-picking. This is a way of avoiding the real issues we all need to be concerned with. MSM keeps trying to distract us with the shiny quarters of race and religion in order to keep the people from asking the important questions and finding the truth.
coco @ 14:
Weisman must be longing for the good ole days of the antebellum South, when being 1/8th Negro qualified a person to be an Octaroon. Still black enough not to be white, no matter what culture they were immersed in.
Fascinating anger directed at Weisman.
How about if he had just said, "Obama was raised mainly by the white side of his family."
Is there anything wrong with that? How different is that from what Weisman is saying?
Why is Obama's "blackness" of such importance to C&L readers? Physically speaking he is equal parts white and black. I think we should just refer to him racially as "Whack" or "Blight".
Stew Mulligan @ 25:
Kudos for the willingness to wade into the slime for us all. I just may bring myself to listen on the 5th (if I can find the strength) to hear you.
coco @ 14:
Well, hell, why don't we just go back to the good old days of quadroon and octaroon and the 'one drop' rule? That seemed to work for all the white folks. I'm waiting to see which member of the MSM drops the "n" word first - quoting someone else, of course
"The sheriff's a (BONG)!" - Gabby Johnson, Blazing Saddles
scarlet p. @ 16:
Nice work.
pissed off patricia @ 26:
"pale in comparison" Get it? Pale. Get it? Heh, heh, heh.
.
Show me where, in the Constitution, race matters when running for president...?
.
For those of you wondering what being white means I present to you
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/
And as a disclaimer, I'm half Mexican and half Brit so plenty of lily white people in my family.
Gretchen @ 31:
Hah. I have to say...that might be the ONE DAY I listen to right wing radio.
San Francisco ballot measure to name sewage plant after George W. Bush.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/washington/25rename.html
pissed off patricia @ 26:
I'm a huge Nader fan, but that's just fucked up, POP. I think they're equally bad, though.
shardanacles @ 30:
I think it's because the idea of "blackness" and "whiteness" is an artificial construct, a label, that as progressives ( label we made) try to avoid. WE ARE AMERICANS...that's all. We try to welcome all with no preconceptions. We feel that black and white are obsolete and negative. I think I speak for most of us.
miss_kitty @ 38:
Well, since Nader is a candidate, I hear his words louder than I hear someone like Weisman. That was my reasoning for feeling Nader's comments were worse.
In my world, people have changed their views about race. It doesn't matter anymore, and this kind of talk is a complete turnoff to us.
Ralph Nader says Obama wants to "talk white". Way to go, Nader, you OLD fool (older than anyone in the race, as a matter of fact). Not only are you a moldy every-4-years opportunist pig, you've stooped to the rethuglican tactic of injecting race into your opportunism.
I long for the day when these relics, these dinosaurs, are out of public life. They've overstayed their welcome.
Left&Left @ 15:
Exactly! When will fucktards like Weisman learn to shut their mouths so they don't expose their "wisdon" for the blatant ignorance and bigotry it is?! Weisman... time to learn this lesson... STFU!
What these political dinosaurs don't realize yet is most of America has moved beyond race. It's not an issue. But the media and political dinosaurs show how out of touch they are by bringing it up. My hero in this election so far is the audience member during the Hillary-Barack debate that was moderated by Tim Russert and Brainless Williams, both of whom kept asking race based-questions. The guy in the audience yelled "These are all race-based questions. Why are there so many race-based questions?" So long pundits and political dinosaurs. While you were in your insulated worlds, America's citizens took several steps to put the issue of race behind them forever. I for one am proud of my fellow citizens. Most of them, anyway. There are always a vocal few, of course.
I thought that Barack Obama only met his father a grand total of exactly twice after he left when Barack was two. There wasn't exactly much opportunity for the two of them to be in many photographs together, I would have thought.
Here by R.C. Lewontin, Professor Emeritus of Zoology at Harvard University:
Read on.
Lollimom @ 41:
Well said! I agree wholeheartedly!
Here's the quote from Nader that was so bizarre to me. This was Nader talking about Senator Obama:
“He wants to appeal to white guilt. You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as black is beautiful, black is powerful. Basically he's coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it's corporate or whether it's simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up.”
pissed off patricia @ 40:
Yes. You've got
aTHE pointmiss_kitty @ 38:
Nader is gone. He fell off the face of the planet on that one. There's no excuse for it. Either he doesn't know Obama's background and family history and he was shooting his mouth off without facts, or he knew and said it anyway, which is also fucked up.
The sad reality is that he probably figured it was the only way he could get free face time on tv, 'cause no one's been paying attention to him, and that's the most fucked up of all.
He's turning into a parody of himself.
Tequila @ 27:
Jessie Jackson is not a leader in the black community. Neither is that Doo Wop haired Al Sharpton. They're just opportunistic carpetbaggers who use other people's real life grief because they're addicted to the limelight. Personally, I really hope both of them stay the hell away from Obama.
Bonkers Fist Jab @ 37:
Hehehehe...yeah...but...nah...fuck those bastards...I ain't wasting my time on their stupidity.
i grew up in the white suburbs of denver colorado. i went to more white schools than black schools. i guess that makes me more white than black beyond my smooth chocolate brown skin :)
pissed off patricia @ 50:
If Nader thinks white bigots aren't threatened by Obama, he must have missed that campaign pin the GOP got caught getting ready to sell. It said, "If Obama wins, will it still be called the White House?"
ps. maybe now i don't have to worry about being pulled over by the cops as much.
When they announce in November that Senator Obama will be President Obama in January of '09, the inter-net is going to explode as all of us log on, half or wholly drunk, and start celebrating.
Are jews like Jonathan Weisman the ones who determine who is white?
To white folks, Obama is like Tiger Woods, of mixed ancestry. And like Woods, his talent allows people to overlook the tribal nonsense. Even my retired, upper-middleclass white golf-playing dad loves Woods, because of his awesome talent. And likewise, only small-minded and vested-in-corruption creeps don't like Obama.
Let Karl and his gangsters make all the closet-racist comments they want. Come on out into the light guys, so we can see you better. Chicken-shits.
pissed off patricia @ 58:
PoP! I am goin to be at the pub celebrating, and will be in the faces of all the naysayers!
According Karl Rove he is an elistist, country club, snide remark maker guy. Therefore since "blacks" aren't allowed into the club he must be white.
Embittered & Anti-Republicrat - Max-Hussein-1 @ 35:
the original Constitution didn't even recognize africans as people, let alone citizens, let alone voters, let alone office holders.
it took almost 100 years from the original draft to get an african american in office!!
remember, the US was founded on a double standard, we were founded by slave owners that wanted to be free.
Susie @ 62:
rooth angry black woman hussein @ 56:
wow . . . if white voters support obama, it's only because they have been duped by a black, political whore . . . i'm offended for us all
Hey Weisman, you ignorant putz -- it's akin to saying you're more Jewish than white.
Wow
I haven't heard anyone called an
Oreo
Since my school yard days.
Obly @ 18:
As a Black Guy, from Newark, NJ who went to an Ivy League school let me say this. The phrase "acting white" isn't necessarily a compliment. It means you've lost your identity and have forgotten where you came from. As an Ivy Leaguer myself, I can tell you that it is virtually impossible to forget you're black. As a matter of fact, the Black community on campus is usually closer, and the identity stronger because of the absolute lack of blackness.
Secondly, mulatto isn't actually a nice word either. It means mule in Spanish. If you can't think of a good characteristic that has been attributed to mules, maybe you don't want to apply that word to people of mixed (esp. black/white) race. As a matter of respect, I never use the word, and tell others who have used it that I find it disrespectiful. If you're curious.
marko @ 4:
it's kinda technical, but black and white are VALUES, not colors
first, you have to understand that we're talking about VISIBLE LIGHT, and all visible light is comprised of three primary colors; red, green, and blue (hereafter called RBG) this is called Primary Color Theory
every color you see is a different combination of RGB
balck and white are the opposing ends of the scale
black is the absence of all visible light
white is the inclusion of equal parts of RGB
so black is the absece of light, and white is the total presence of light
it's an "on-off", "either-or" type relationship
so black and white are not colors, they're values
black = 0%
white = 100%
color theory gets a lot more complicated than that. you gotta deal with primaries and secondaries, projected light versus reflected light, and when we're discussing light from stars, you gotta figure for red shift an blue shift, depending on the traveling direction of the source of the light and the receiving point.
but that is the basics of "Black and White"
it ain't about "color"
pissed off patricia @ 50:
That is so sad. Completely nullifying any personal achievement by Obama. This country will be so much greater when old men like Nader just pass on....and take their hatred with them.
Is this building up to eventually accuse Obama of the ultimate flip-flop?
Barack Obama - he was black before he was white
I just dropped a line to Jonathan Weisman asking about the comment and suggesting that it was ignorant and wrong headed. He immediately replied:
"It was a stupid comment, and I apologize for it."
Pretty hard to take it back but at least he admits he was wrong. Give him that much.
ysbaddaden @ 67:
I got called that, and much, much worse when I was in jr. high through high school for daring to have a black girlfriend in the 8th grade...in a small town in NC...which also happen to have a grand wizard for the kkk runnin the local texaco...good times good times...
"Obama is not white enough."
"Obama is not is not black enough."
"Obama is not Christian."
"Obama is not American."
"Obama is not wearing a flag pin."
"Obama is not old enough."
"Obama is not proud of America."
"Obama is not electable."
I am not amused.
Left&Left @ 70:
Wow!
That has to be the very first time i ever heard Nader talk about race in my lifetime and he got it wrong.
xoites defends Constitution @ 74:
You forgot one....Obama is the next POTUS!
I'm a Canadian. We believe in preserving, fostering and celebrating cultural differences in theory, at least. I see nothing wrong or racist in merely observing that there are cultural differences. Wasn't it Black culture that gave us Soul,Jazz and the Blues ,the very roots of rock. To say that Obama was more influenced by the culture of the white people around him or that their culture was different from Black culture (which has it's own diversities) is neither wrong nor racial stereotyping. It may be pointless and insignificant but it is not wrong.
scarlet p. @ 16:
Ahh, The Great Western States, California, Oregon and Washington, Where Liberty still Reigns.
Peter G @ 77:
good grief...your embarrassing us Canadians. This must from someone living in Moosejaw where there isn't an ethnic minority for hundreds of miles. You are judged on skin colour...end of story. Obama lives with his black skin and black ancestry every day of his life, regardless of how many white people are around him or what kind of music he grew up with. Give over.....
liberalDAPofJUSTICEmoderation @ 76:
Let's expand on this a little. Obama is too much, too little, and yes the next POTUS
xoites defends Constitution @ 75:
This is a real shock to me. Nader pisses me off every four years coming from seemingly nowhere to fuck up another Presidential election. What I didn't know was that during Ralph's hiatuses he was hangin with the Klan.
So...what does it say about me when I wear this shirt?
http://www.palmercash.com/product.asp?3=286
Left&Left @ 81:
Well...I used to like Nader...but after the last few elections...I lost alot of respect for the guy, now this BS....totally lost the last little bit of respect for him...gone...kaputt...finito...no mas!
coco @ 14:
How about this?
Let's tell the scum at Fox news to stop making it an issue.
In fact, if anyone has their own page, can write to the papers, can e-mail, or snail mail the media... or even post a video about it on YouTube or MySpace... they should do so.
Since big media seems to support racism, let's show them that the people do not. In fact, it would probably be best to boycott the shows that actively support the disgusting behavior that we've been witnessing.
I know I'm boycotting them. I haven't turned on my T.V. in months, and I'm a LOT happier for it.
After you've gotten the TV monkey off your back for a while, you begin to realize how stupid a habit it was in the first place.
An embarrassed Canadian @ 79:
Bullshit. As a person of very diverse cultural background I say you should speak for yourself. If you judge everyone by their skin colour it's your problem not mine.
pissed off patricia @ 43:
This is the problem that candidates of color have to face in this country. Either they are seen as "the candiate for their race" meaning they will take from the white people and give to their own or that they wholesale reject their heritage in order to gain favor. It appears to be inconceivable that a candidate of color is running on any particular platform. This is usually a lose-lose situation for them because it turns into a question of loyalty. Sort of like "Have you stopped beating your wife?" I don't believe for one minute that Nader's remarks aren't reflected in a lot of Americans.
As far as Weisman goes however, if I knew what school of journalism he graduated from I would demand they request the diploma back. If that is the best he could come up with then he owes a lot of hard working professors an apology.
marko @ 63:
Yeah, but the Constitution includes all the amendments that rectified teh omissions and mistakes, so technically he is correct. (OK, I'll step out of anal retentive mode now. BTW, is "anal retentive" hyphenated?)
what? you mean obamers white? whod oh thunkit
Left&Left @ 70:
Why is everyone so shocked over this anyway? By now everyone should be used to the fact that if a black male succeeds at anything he never gets full credit for it anyway. If there is no internal whiteness to explain the achievement then an external one is sought out to explain it. If none can be found then the story goes is that he has overcome his initial blackness in order to achieve. As if that explained anything. We will have achieved true equality in this country when skin pigmentation is no longer used as a reason for success or failure to account for one's character.
liberalDAPofJUSTICEmoderation @ 82:
Anybody? HellooooooOOOoooo?
Come AWN! That shit's funny dammit!
xoites defends Constitution @ 74:
add obamas for fisa!
Now I'm really confused because if Obama is white I don't know who to vote for in November any more.
its you obama backers fault , you kept stressing obama was going to be the first black president , and never even mentioned he was going to be the first black white president!
tyree @ 91:
Come on, Tyree. I said old men LIKE Nader. Maybe not you, but you've got to admit some of the guys in your age bracket ain't fond of dark "meat".
Left&Left @ 95:
hey i know some that dont like white meat or any meat at all!
Here is the MSNBC page with part of the Nader video. The MSNBC anchor gives more of a quote than there is in the video.
I would like to see more video.
I think there is a complete misinterpretation of what Nader said.
From my standpoint Obama IS seeming less and less threatening to the 'white power structure, whether it's corporate or whether it's simply oligarchic.'
That is particularly the power structure I would like to see threatened.
I am not concerned with what the person, the candidate, looks like who will take that power structure on.
I just want them to do it. I also want them to address the third world like conditions in our central major cities.
So, on both counts, I believe, does Nader.
Nader is way beyond crass racialism. I believe his point is that some part, maybe much, of the country isn't.
speaking of wich, i think ill go over and get a two brest chicken dinner at bi lows , now mah mouths watering, but seriously the two best combat outfits in the korean war were a tank batallion all black and the tripple nickel an all black artillery outfit, bravest outfits i ever saw, the muskigee airmen had nothing over thoes guys,
Why would his cultural influences be significant unless there is a culture that one despises?
♠Bangkok Bob♥ @ 78:
To some degree. We in Oregon are represented (or "represented") by Gordon Smith, after all--who came out with an ad this week linking himself to...Barack Obama. That was interesting. Every time he's up for re-election he pretends he's a middle-of-the-roader. He is, however, smart enough to know that Oregon's gonna go for Obama.
Obama gives white AND black americans the opportunity to think beyond race.
That is one of the most significant aspects of his bi-racial heritage.
BaScOmBe hearts Lara Logan @ 101:
Bingo!
Any and all attempts will be made to poison this democrat. Dirt is thrown at Obama by the shovel full. First a two week(pick a number)dusting with black face(Rev. Wright) to make him unappealing(scary ) to white folks then a fake left jab right hook dusting with cornstarch to make him unappealing(just another white - will ignore black conditions) to black folks.
Republicans can't run on the issues - haven't for over 30 years. On issues they lose.When it is reduced to name calling , they've got you where they want you, in close in a knife fight. Except they bring swords.
tyree @ 94:
I would like to point out, most, if not virtually all of 'black' people in the united states, are in fact; Mulattoes.
This was determined by genetics testing. Genes don't lie.
The closest you will get to 'black' people is in Africa, and even there, you'll find a lot of mixing.
You'd be hard pressed to find any 'pure' races ANYWHERE (which is a joke, since we're all far more alike genetically, than different). There has always been some genetic migration. It's unavoidable. Not only that, but it's a GOOD THING. Genetic diversity is healthy. Limited genetic variation can lead to many problems, including decreased health. It's also good for different cultures to exchange information.
The fact is, the whole race issue is nothing more than RACISM. Attempting to call it anything else is idiotic.
I will also point out, that on average, studies show that racists have lower IQ's than non-racists.
Just food for thought.
tyree @ 94:
[Deleted. Abusive. Site Monitor], back up your comment.
When and where do you see us STRESSING that point. Besides, Barack won't be the first!
SickupandFed @ 105:
[Deleted. Abusive. Site Monitor]
i am always amazed at how people will take other species into their homes as pets, care for them, play with them, snuggle wth them, and love them, but they cannot tolerate members of their on species who look or sound a little a different
Big Red Will @ 68:
Well, Quadroon and Octaroon aren't exactly terms of affection either.
Hey, Remember Richard Pryor & Chevey Chase on SNL doing that free association skit? Fuckin' brilliant.
I'm white, (or, in the words of the now immortal George Carlin, Caucasion - as in, "I'd like a pair of Caucasions in a 9D", or, "We're going to the Caucasions this summer".) But since my kids are half Puerto Rican, in the eyes of the law & everybody else, they seem to have no racial connection to me at all. They are Hispanic.
So don't tell me racism isn't still institutionalized here.
Do you think Rove is doing it to drive a wedge between "real" blacks and you book-carrying Ivy League wanna-be whiteys?
You know what - Rove, Bush, McCain - they don't know it yet, but they are already irrelevant. They are the last of the dinosaurs. They can roar all they want, but the young adults and kids, they've moved on. The so-called "mongrelization" of our culture has already happened - Thank God.
My kids and their friends can't be bothered figuring out or wasting time on the racial make-up of their friends. They feel a wider divide between themselves and the extreme right-wing bigots than they do a kid of mixed race. It's not even on their radar.
[tyree, it's time for you to get off of this thread. If you keep going in the direction you've been going, I'm going to have very few options. I don't want to put you into moderation or ban you, but I will do so if it's appropriate. Thank you. Site Monitor]
The race angle is here is heavily convoluted. Race as my pointy headed friends will explain is a social construct that varies from region to region.
I was surprised at Nader's comments but after some reflection I think there is a lot of truth in what he says and he's finally getting some press albeit very skewered. But at the end of the day the only guy talking truth to power is Nader and Ron Paul to a lesser extent.
Exactly!! How much more about Obama do you THINK you know.. His voted on the Patriot Act 2, for example.... Its like i've been fond of saying: 'optimists will always point out that Obama is half black, while the pessamists will only note that he is also half white.'
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[Refers to a deleted comment. Site Monitor]
will this poster be moderated allso?
[Yes. Site Monitor]
obama is an american and a senator from illinois running for president. end of story.
How about this: he doesn't talk much about his black father because the asshole left them high and dry when Obama was only two years old.
[Yes, tyree, you've earned our respect. But that doesn't give you the right to come to a privately owned site and spew the kind of crud that you spewed here. It was not political, it was racial. Again, you want to hash this out, please write us: sitemonitor1@gmail.com . Thank you. Site Monitor]
[Last chance, tyree. If you want to hash this out, write the site monitors: sitemonitor1@gmail.com . Thank you. Site Monitor]
"Until now he’s been “African American”; now suddenly he’s a white Midwesterner?"
He's both. I can't believe that his being biracial is being spun as a flip-flop! He's part black and part white. Why is that so hard to understand?
xoites defends Constitution @ 74:
If Dr. Suess has been a racist and a bigot, what a book this would have made!!
"I will not vote, he isn't white."
"I will not vote, it isn't right."
"His wife is mean, his wife is sassy."
"Not like that Cindy, she's so classy."
"Her hair is blond, her eyes are blue."
"Her every word must be true."
"She never, ever was addicted,"
"She's rich and white, she was afflicted."
"And John was brave and he was strong,"
"He's never done one thing wrong."
"It isn't easy to be right."
"Such a burden being white."
"So, no, I cannot vote Obama."
"Not even for his pure white mama".
If you listen to Rush & Hannity, it isn't any more complicated than that - or any more mature.
OK, I'm getting tired of silly season.
Last I checked, GOP shill reporters don't have the right to check Obama's "black" card.
He's a Rethug kiss ass who can't get his brain to wrap around the concept of someone embracing both cultures.
Yes, Obama "acts"(?) more "mainstream"(?) but that interpretation is open to interpretation.
He's running for the highest office in the land, not for a "who's black" contest. He appeals to all Americans, or at least tries to.
I'm getting tired of these McCain kissasses and their "one drop" arguments. They need to crawl back into McCain's ass or into Sarumon's castle.
Yo. first comment on this site for me, but here goes:
if a boy is raised solely by his white mother, because his black father is MIA, it makes some sense to call him "more white than black" because his childhood scene is going to be that of his single white mother, not his biracial parents.
The Weisman comment is based not on hate, but on the realistic (probable) upbringing of the child. It may be a bit ugly out of context, especially to those with an agenda to push, but it is not racist. Kudos to JW for having the balls NOT to tip-toe around a racial issue (...marketplace of ideas, y'all).
Its a dis on his MIA old man, not African-Americans.
To bring a cliche into the argument, I feel culture, especially as a child, is far more "nurture" than "nature". And for a child to be brought up by a single white mother until after college, well, let's just say her influences will loom large in his upbringing. Large enough to warrant some notation, in my opinion.
The point here is not to say Obama is more white than black. Not at all: the man's father is Kenyan, and he's lived 40-odd years in America as a black man.
My point is to defend legitimate commentary within the complex discussion of race in America. It's okay to say "white" and "black" in the same sentence without the word "harmony". There are still issues that need to be raised. Sorry, but race is not as simple as the "height issue"... there's a bit more involved, folks.
So, flame away... Come November, I'll probably vote Obama, but it won't be because you can successfully defend his "blackness" to me. It'll be because the man seems like an authentic human, who seems to recognize his own failures and listen to others' concerns.
Rock 'n' roll,
Nick
You know, just when I think I'm totally inured and blase' and "nothing could surprise me anymore," shit like this pops up and I'm all, "What the fuck is THAT supposed to mean??"
So...WTF is that supposed to mean? Anyone?
they don’t expect government to solve all their problems
I wish he'd take his own advice and quit trying to cram an unConstitutional FISA bill down our throats!
Oh yeah on topic media stupidity... yeah it's rampant, has been for quite some time.
rooth honky cracker hussein @ 118:
that deserves to go on your site.
classic!
If we had a rational conversation about race, it would be impossible for idiots to make statements like this.
"Blackness" is not about color, culture, or kinship. It is a social status assigned to certain people, just as other people, regardless of their appearance or background, are judged to be "white," so that the racism that drives our economy, especially real estate, and our criminal "just us" system, will work as expected
Because the reporter was not educated enough to grasp this (as is common among white USAns), he got all tangled up in Obama's kinship issues, which have nothing to do with his race assignment. Millions of people who are assigned "black" or "white" status have close relatives, often siblings or cousins, who have the opposite race assignment. And of course how one acts has absolutely nothing to do with one's racial assignment.
Yikes. Here's "Racism in Amurica" 101. People have culture (it's inside them somewhere, invisible from the outside. Said culture can be black, white, Native American, etc. People also have skin color. The two are not necessarily the same. That's what was meant.
OK?
Let me think this over. If Obama call for blacks to strive for education and the other trapping of western civilization, he acting white and isn't black enough. But, if he "get down", he's too black and unacceptable to whites. MAN, what a catch 22!
CoIntelPro for Pronktastic Democratic Party Victory Over DIEBOLD! @ 123:
This is geeeenius I tells ya!
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