One of the saddest aspects of this country now

[JanMichael]

is that Obama's perceived "race" is even something to comment on.

How sad.

How stupid.

What a bunch of uneducated dolts we Americans are.

[salin]

1. agreed - 100%.

[JanMichael]

4. mind boggling, isn't it

I mean, damn. Just damn.

[melody]

12. Please see my definitions then ask yourself the "racism" question. n/t

[melody]

2. Yet you commented on perceived race by calling all Americans uneducated dolts

That is as sad as the racism Obama is fighting ... and just as uneducated.

[salin]

5. were we a bit more sophisticated...

then would it be an issue?

[melody]

9. It is always an issue everywhere. It's always a battle

I suggest you find one race anywhere won by a person of color that wasn't fraught with racist ignorance,
especially in a large population like the US not given to direct cultural influence.

[UndertheOcean]

6. most Americans are uneducated jolts then.

[melody]

11. On what are you basing that estimation? A personal belief?

race: noun
1. a group of persons related by common descent or heredity.
2. a population so related.
3. Anthropology.
a. any of the traditional divisions of humankind, the commonest being the Caucasian, Mongoloid, and Negro, characterized by supposedly distinctive and universal physical characteristics: no longer in technical use.
b. an arbitrary classification of modern humans, sometimes, esp. formerly, based on any or a combination of various physical characteristics, as skin color, facial form, or eye shape, and now frequently based on such genetic markers as blood groups.
c. a human population partially isolated reproductively from other populations, whose members share a greater degree of physical and genetic similarity with one another than with other humans.
4. a group of tribes or peoples forming an ethnic stock: the Slavic race.
-->>5. any people united by common history, language, cultural traits, etc.: the Dutch race.<<--
6. the human race or family; humankind: Nuclear weapons pose a threat to the race.
7. Zoology. a variety; subspecies.
8. a natural kind of living creature: the race of fishes.
9. any group, class, or kind, esp. of persons: Journalists are an interesting race.

racism: noun
1. the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races

[UndertheOcean]

14. They Elected Bush, QED.

Thats 50% just there.

[melody]

16. No "they" didn't.

"They" elected Gore the first time. The second time "they" elected Kerry -- there's plentiful evidence
(to those without bias who'll look at it) that both elections were stolen.

But if you need to believe fictions about "them" so you can feel superior to "them", you'll believe them.
My crazy uncle thinks black people aren't completely "evolved".

[UndertheOcean]

20. then your uncle is an ignorant racist,

you should hide this shameful fact about your immediate family rather than touting it in here as a speaking point.

Election Fraud my ass , Kerry should have landslided Bush by more than 70% percent , then no amount of fraud would have worked, but alas , the public are ignorant pawns.

[melody]

23. It's not shameful - it's a fact. My point is, there's a lot of that mindset going around ;)

And replace your comments about the "American public" with "blacks" and you'd sound like one of my idiot uncle's
emails.

What makes it intellectually wrong in one instance, makes it wrong in ALL instances. Racism isn't merely morally
wrong, it's intellectually wrong. It's ignorant -- in all instances. ;)

[JanMichael]

8. Could you elaborate?

Yours is just one of the hundreds of posts on DU that leave me scratching my scalp and thinking "wtf is this person trying to say?"

[melody]

10. Certainly

It's the third time in several days I've reposted this dictionary definition so I'm pleased I saved it:

race: noun
1. a group of persons related by common descent or heredity.
2. a population so related.
3. Anthropology.
a. any of the traditional divisions of humankind, the commonest being the Caucasian, Mongoloid, and Negro, characterized by supposedly distinctive and universal physical characteristics: no longer in technical use.
b. an arbitrary classification of modern humans, sometimes, esp. formerly, based on any or a combination of various physical characteristics, as skin color, facial form, or eye shape, and now frequently based on such genetic markers as blood groups.
c. a human population partially isolated reproductively from other populations, whose members share a greater degree of physical and genetic similarity with one another than with other humans.
4. a group of tribes or peoples forming an ethnic stock: the Slavic race.
-->>5. any people united by common history, language, cultural traits, etc.: the Dutch race.<<--
6. the human race or family; humankind: Nuclear weapons pose a threat to the race.
7. Zoology. a variety; subspecies.
8. a natural kind of living creature: the race of fishes.
9. any group, class, or kind, esp. of persons: Journalists are an interesting race.

racism: noun
1. the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races


Any comment that one race (see definition 5) is inferior to another is, by definition, racism.

[JanMichael]

15. I am trying not to be sarcastic in my response, as is my nature.

I am well aware of the definition of "race."

I would like for you to specifically clarify your last statement. What did you see in the OP that was racist?

I was referring to ALL Americans. Every bloody one of us. All.

[melody]

17. Your reference to all Americans is what I find problematic

Americans are a race unto their own. Your superposition of your own prejudices on who and what we are,
and adjudging us therefore "uneducated", is the problem.

[JanMichael]

19. I see.

nt

[avaistheone1]

3. Kudos to Obama.

He hasn't race baited us either. I give him tremendous credit for that.

However, the same is not true of some of his followers.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

31. I don't know about race "baiting"

but he mentions "race" from time to time. Depending on his audience.

If he's nominated, both parties will play various "race" cards in the race to the election.

[UndertheOcean]

7. K&R

[BlooInBloo]

13. I loves me sum colorblind racism.

http://www.bc.edu/schools/law/lawreviews/meta-elements/journals/bctwj/24_2/07_TXT.htm

[JanMichael]

18. the title of your post is horrid. You should change it.

and I have read your link before, and agree with the findings of that study. That was sort of what the OP was about. I do think it's sad--all racism. Horrible. I am sad we have to deal with it in 2008. I thought maybe it would be possible for me to see a time when it was no longer considered an issue in this country, but that thought was 20 years ago when I was young.

However, I can still see and comment on the sadness of humankind.

[melody]

21. I love the title of your post - don't change it! :) n/t

[JanMichael]

22. You are a flame baiter

Interesting. I don't remember you being like this before.

[melody]

24. Not in the least n/t

[catnhatnh]

25. I try to take a long view and to appreciate how far we have come...

just 12 elections ago we questioned whether a rich white male from a different christian sect could be elected (JFK)....10 cycles before that women could not vote in national elections (and the first time they could in 1924 we got Calvin Coolidge)...Obama has both close African and Muslim connections and I think were doing fine....

[Wizard777]

26. How amazing! But I'm 76 and I actually lived in the days of REAL racism.

Not this pseudo racism you bemoan for simply acknowledging the fact that he is black. The bad old days when people were killed for simply being black. I really don't see a whole lot of difference between the America we have now wondering if Obama is fit to be President because he's black and the America of the civil rights era that wondered if JFK was fit to be President because he was Irish Catholic. There is a time to be grateful for what you do have and what you don't have. That time is NOW. I'm grateful too see Obama not only running but doing well. I'm grateful to see those once megalithic race barriers eroded to ant hills easily ignored, steped over, or crushed.

[JanMichael]

27. my wife and I are not spring chickens

and we live in the South.

We know what you are speaking of; however, do not make the dangerous assumption that what we see in the US today is "pseudo racism."

No, the Klan doesn't gallop past our house at midnight, but that does not make racism "pseudo."

[Wizard777]

33. I know what you mean. But at some time you have to yield to the truth. Obama is black.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with acknowledging that truth. If your no spring chicken. Then I guess you remember when white america fell into an intellectual trap. How do we live with and get along with blacks with out mentioning that they are black. Those were just damned stupid awkward times and I'm not going back there.That was because we tried to deny or conceal the truth. The truth is they are black and they know it. We know it too. So why not acknowledge that simple truth? That way we both don't look totally stupid trying to ignore the blatantly obvious. On a positive note the only thing that I really see being attached to Obama being black is him running for President. Which, again, is the truth. So it's not a bad thing. It can never be a bad thing to speak the truth. Obama is black man running for president and I don't have a problem in the world with that.

[krabigirl]

28. Totally agree. It's not even on my radar, though. But sad that it has to be discussed.

[JanMichael]

29. I think it's the realization that I will not outlive it

that makes it personally sad. Really, that's the whole crux of my post; I realized that as I read the comments made in response to the OP.

[sarge43]

30. Let's see. The year I was born 1943 African-Americans

were either de jure or de facto segregated in this country. They were banned from most universities, many professions and most of the better blue collar jobs. The segregation in the armed forces was particularly vicious. (Read up on the building of the Alaskan Highway during WWII. It's heartbreaking.) Even donated blood was labeled by race. Lest we forget, the lynching of African-Americans wasn't even newsworthy in some parts of this country.

Tonight this country has an African-American making a serious and forceful run for the Presidency. The amazing thing is his "race" is commented on so seldom. And this in one life time.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

32. Along with Hillary's gender.

I'm not a Hillary fan trying to "infiltrate" your thread; rather someone who is reading a Joan of Arc bio thinking jaysuz, in the 1400s a teenage girl saved France, and in 2008 I'm being asked by a Corporate Media news bunny whether the country is ready for a female president.

Do most Americans really care that much about race, gender, hair cuts, Botox, height (or lack thereof), etc.? Probably not, until they're beat senseless with it by Corporate Media.

I'm not even sure it's education levels: I'm more impressed with urban-radio-listening cabbies with 9th grade educations than the Ivy Republicans I've come across in my four decades on this planet.

[treestar]

34. Your second paragraph contains the big question

And really, I think it might have more to do with Botox. Obama looks good. Maybe that shouldn't be something that helps him, but with that huge unreachable majority that doesn't decide who to vote for until the week before the election, having name recognition and looking good is probably the best you can do, race notwithstanding. There are few in that group who would just dismiss him for being black. Those who would are unchangeable repukes anyway.

We have a black Supreme Court justice (I don't like him, but it's not because of skin color) we have black Senators and Representatives and Secretaries of State. So it really may not be a big step to most of the voters. If they know who Obama is and think he looks and sounds good, he'll have as good a chance as any of the others.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

35. If he does win, I wonder how long in to his presidency...

the news bunnies will chirp on and on about his race, or Hillary's gender, should she win. Rather than pesky little issues like illegal war, injustice, recession, unemployment, crumbling infrastructure, health care, etc.

I was in a waiting room today watching a CNN interview of a voter in NH, an independent who had still not made up her mind between, get this, McCain or Obama. Others waiting were rolling their eyes and muttering under their breath: three days, lady! My guess is she'll go with Obama, thanks to that youthful quality and radiant smile. So be it.

[brazos121200]

36. It has always been this way in America. "Race" has always been a dividing line

between people in this country. I think maybe this country is improving, it would have been unthinkable say 50 years ago for a black to win any state's caucus by such an overwhelming margin as Obama did in Iowa. I know Jesse Jackson won some primaries in some southern states back in the 80s but he was never considered a serious candidate by the party as a whole, today Obama is. Race shouldn't have to be a subject for discussion I agree, but I'm just saying I think I see some improvement.

[Thothmes]

37. No more so than discussions of a candidates religion