The Harder Question for 14 July 2010
The Harder Question: Why is it that when a white person speaks against President Obama the automatic assumption is that the person is racist?
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Why? Because calls of racism is the easy out. No one wants to accept criticism of programs or policies based on the issues.
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LikeDislikeIts true that racism will forever be alive in the universe we live it. How.we as a people or you as a person, handles it it what will make or break us. We( thoses with slave ancestry & former slave owner) know our history and are clear that we will never be enslaved, in that manner, ever again. So I don’t focus on racism on a daily, though I am aware of it presence. I enjoy my freedom and the life that tha Lord has blessed me to have. Now from a different angle, does my world of sistas and brothas truly believe that Pesident Obama did not wonder, during that beautiful swagger down the red carpet to be sworn in, if there were snipers in the mist just waiting to take him out before he could be sworn in as the” HNIC” of the United States? Of course he did. Then he keep steppin, took his rightful place in history and in time and kept it movin! That’s what we need to do. Its aiight ta question stuff on a racial tip but don’t thank fo a min dat every comment, complaint or statement bout tha pres is racially motivated. It ain’t gon do nuthin but giv ya a headache! Oh, fo tha record, the last few sentences were spoken in the way I speak with the homies on purpose!
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LikeDislikeUnfortunately, until racism is truly dead – and it would be unrealistic to expect that to happen EVER – this is just one of the many hurdles a person has to jump in order to hopefully get at the truth of who someone else really is. For some people, they are jumping the hurdles of thinking certain people are racist. Some people are jumping the hurdle of thinking if someone else isn’t Christian, they aren’t worth getting to know. Some women are jumping the hurdle of thinking all men are dogs. Is it fair? Nope. But it’s real and it would be great if we could all cut each other some slack while assumptions are acknowledged and dealt with. In return, we could give people the benefit of the doubt, just in case they aren’t the horrible thing we’re assuming.
As a people, we African Americans are still jumping the hurdle of trust, but we need to realize that and at least try to see if there is validity in someone’s point when that person is of another race. It’s not easy. There’s a lot to be said for experience and our experience is our own just like the Jews, Native Americans, etc. have their own. But while we’re giving that room, the other race needs to be honest with themselves too and make sure their bottom line ISN’T about color or difference. (Sometimes this stuff runs so deep you don’t even know it’s in you.) Because really, every president gets slammed. But is it me or does it seem like Obama gets slammed just because he’s can’t do things like dive to the bottom of the ocean and plug an oil leak? Let’s just make sure those great expectations of our presidents are across the board, shall we?
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LikeDislikeI think the comments have been very rational so far. But, we all know when somebody says something with racial overtones… It’s too obvious. I have many friends who make comments here and there, and I can tell (whether rational or not) from where these sentiments come.
True, not everyone who dislikes the President is a racist. But we’re not so stupid to not being to see them when they are.
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LikeDislikeThat’s because you are a racist if you don’t love Obama.
Ok, j/k, but the thought does cross my mind. We live in a racist country. Black people especially, have race on the brain more than white people because most of us are struggling with it every day.
Everyone has a right to their opinion on Obama’s performance but, especially given the actions of certain primarily Caucasian groups that I won’t name, I definitely evaluate arguments against him made by non-blacks with racism in mind. It just depends on the person talking, though.
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LikeDislikeYes, until Obama is truly thought of as “our president” rather than our “first black president” we really haven’t moved forward very much. I think people who call everyone who disagrees with him a racist set this country’s racial growth further back than actual racists.
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LikeDislikeI think that when a white person speaks out against Obama, whether the comment be racist or not, that black ppl automatically assume that the white person is racist simply because it’s easier to dismiss the comment rather than really think about what’s been said. Sometimes, I think, the comment warrants a thought, rather than a quick dismissal. Simply because we have a black man in office doesn’t mean that that man won’t make some of the same mistakes we’d assume a white guy would make. However, most of the black ppl I know would rather believe that the white person harbors some racism, than to think that the white person has made a valid point.
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LikeDislikeMany times I hear racism being decried in response to a question or assertion which which begs for a rational response.
The concept of racism in this country is so subjective that it’s invocation seems to supersede any further argument in the minds of many. (I’m NOT asserting that racism does not exist in this nation, by the way.)
So it has become my opinion that, in many cases, the concept of racism is used to categorically invalidate another’s argument. In this way, the merits of an opposing opinion do not have be weighed against truth, facts, or cogency.
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LikeDislikeI don’t assume that every Caucasian person that speaks against President Obama is racist. BUT I don’t understand the deep seated HATRED that some people have for him. The President has saved our country from slipping into another depression and he gets no appreciation for that fact.
Not everyone that dislikes the President is racist but I suspect that quite a few people dislike the fact that our President is African American.
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