See, I feel that the idea that one person of color "reaching the top" means that the dream has been realized is proof enough that there's so much more to do. I'm not saying what the article is saying shouldn't be stated... just that it should be recognized as saying little more than what's obvious, lol.
Actually, I would think any of the racist things the soon-to-be Vice President has said during the election, that Obama is the first "bright and clean" African American in politics is proof enough that we need to do more as a nation before we applaud ourselves for being "post-racial."
I'm not even disagreeing with you, Katya. I think I went "HA!" or snorted loudly when I saw the article title (luckily it was during a loud moment in the office and no one noticed). But if 2/3rds of the representative populace think that we as a nation have arrived, then clearly someone needs to be stating the obvious, even if they have to do it as a revelation. Who knows, maybe folks are just so star struck right now they can't see that this is clearly not the end all and be all of race relations in the US. Or maybe all the people polled were folks who really don't have much racial interaction. I read another article in the New York Times yesterday, written by a white journalist, that even though he'd grown up in DC during the 60s and went to public schools, he was still sheltered from the realities of racism in his own town. And he was, in his own way at the time, trying to shed light on DC issues. How must it be for people who have lived truly sheltered lives? For them they probably think this really is it. Hopefully running across an article like this will be a bit of an eye-opener.
I'm not saying that someone shouldn't state the obvious... more like if you need someone to state for you the obvious, you're an idiot. :P And I don't even think "living a sheltered life" is really an excuse. Because, if you just logically think about it, you can't help but realize that Obama's win isn't "we're beyond race now." Even if you could say that for African-Americans, there are other non-whites not encompassed in this victory. I mean it would be weird to say that Obama has made it possible for an Indian-American or Chinese-American to become President. And I don't think you have to be unsheltered to realize that.
Really, I'm becoming convinced that Obama is the nation's way of saying, "I'm not racist; I have black friends!"
more like if you need someone to state for you the obvious, you're an idiot.
I think it's more that so many ppl in the US are blind to how race works in America. For them (a) racism isn't really an issue anymore and (b) Obama getting in is the affirmation of that. But just about every Black person I know has been seriously, honestly concerned for his safety ever since he was campaigning. The realities of racism don't really mean anything to someone unless they've experienced or witnessed it themselves. Otherwise it seems that most ppl think that the racism they hear about is just a one-off aberration.
Really, I'm becoming convinced that Obama is the nation's way of saying, "I'm not racist; I have black friends!"
But just about every Black person I know has been seriously, honestly concerned for his safety ever since he was campaigning. And rightly so. There have been... at least two that I can recall off the top of my head plots to kill him. To claim to be unaware of that, I think, doesn't make you "sheltered" as much as it makes you a dumb ass. :P Cause you can be sheltered but still pick up a newspaper or catch the 30 second blurb advertising the news while you're watching How I met your Mother, LOL.
I mean there's sheltered, and then there's people who want to be completely disengaged from the world.
The thing is you don't have to be disengaged from the world to not have an awareness of racism. Not in this country. A white person can definitely live their life without much, if any, contact with people of color except in a very peripheral kind of way. That's probably not true for someone of color.
I'm telling you from what I've seen of people: just watching racism happen on TV does not necessarily equate to the understanding that racism is deeply embedded in American society, especially since America isn't open about its racism. As you said, there's the "I'm not racist, I have Black(Chinese, Hispanic, etc) friends" thought in people's heads.
I'm not saying that it's impossible for a white person to live through much of their life without much, if any, contact with peoples of color. One could argue that I grew up as one of those individuals; but I would like to think that I am, at least, aware that racism exists and that it is pervasive. Now, maybe I'm not a great example, having grown up in Klan territory and, as a result, being exposed to racism in a different way. I don't know.
I'm also not saying that watching Roots equates to a deep understanding of racism. However, you only have to pay the slightest bit of attention to this most recent election to know that racism is alive in well. I think you really do have to be completely disengaged to believe that a). there's suddenly no more racism because of Obama or that b). those individuals are random aberrations. The fact that there have been a couple acknowledged plots alone should be proof enough that it's not just one person. Now, I'm not denying that even then a person might not be aware of how embedded racism is in American culture.
But I'd still say that's different than what a lot of these idiots are saying, that somehow Obama's success is representative of success for all minorities and that there will never be any racism again. One may lend itself to the other, but I still think you have to be completely disengaged from the realities of the world to think that racism is now gone.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2009-01-19 08:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-19 09:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-19 09:12 pm (UTC)Actually, I would think any of the racist things the soon-to-be Vice President has said during the election, that Obama is the first "bright and clean" African American in politics is proof enough that we need to do more as a nation before we applaud ourselves for being "post-racial."
no subject
Date: 2009-01-20 02:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-20 04:18 am (UTC)Really, I'm becoming convinced that Obama is the nation's way of saying, "I'm not racist; I have black friends!"
no subject
Date: 2009-01-20 08:50 pm (UTC)I think it's more that so many ppl in the US are blind to how race works in America. For them (a) racism isn't really an issue anymore and (b) Obama getting in is the affirmation of that. But just about every Black person I know has been seriously, honestly concerned for his safety ever since he was campaigning. The realities of racism don't really mean anything to someone unless they've experienced or witnessed it themselves. Otherwise it seems that most ppl think that the racism they hear about is just a one-off aberration.
Really, I'm becoming convinced that Obama is the nation's way of saying, "I'm not racist; I have black friends!"
To some extent, yeah.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-20 09:05 pm (UTC)I mean there's sheltered, and then there's people who want to be completely disengaged from the world.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-21 02:09 am (UTC)I'm telling you from what I've seen of people: just watching racism happen on TV does not necessarily equate to the understanding that racism is deeply embedded in American society, especially since America isn't open about its racism. As you said, there's the "I'm not racist, I have Black(Chinese, Hispanic, etc) friends" thought in people's heads.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-21 03:02 am (UTC)I'm also not saying that watching Roots equates to a deep understanding of racism. However, you only have to pay the slightest bit of attention to this most recent election to know that racism is alive in well. I think you really do have to be completely disengaged to believe that a). there's suddenly no more racism because of Obama or that b). those individuals are random aberrations. The fact that there have been a couple acknowledged plots alone should be proof enough that it's not just one person. Now, I'm not denying that even then a person might not be aware of how embedded racism is in American culture.
But I'd still say that's different than what a lot of these idiots are saying, that somehow Obama's success is representative of success for all minorities and that there will never be any racism again. One may lend itself to the other, but I still think you have to be completely disengaged from the realities of the world to think that racism is now gone.
But what do I know? :P
no subject
Date: 2009-01-21 01:38 pm (UTC)Everything. You're Snape