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     Tonya "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Tonya Post Number: 5114 Registered: 07-2006 Rating: |
Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks Candidate faces first test on handling issues of race By Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, Globe Staff April 11, 2007 WASHINGTON -- With the Rev. Al Sharpton leading calls Monday for radio host Don Imus to be fired over racially insensitive remarks, Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign avoided the controversy throughout the day. Not until Monday evening, five days after Imus's comments were uttered and hours after CBS Radio and MSNBC announced a two-week suspension for the radio host, did Obama weigh in, saying in a statement: "The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds." Obama did not address whether he thought Imus should be taken off the air. The episode is the first test of how Obama -- who is of mixed-race background -- is handling the contentious issue of race in his presidential campaign. Even as polls have shown other Democrats attracting a large share of the black vote, Obama has steered clear of the kind of activism symbolized by Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who were both highly visible in the Imus episode but whose aggressiveness on race issues has alienated some white voters in the past. But with Obama battling other Democrats -- most notably Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York -- for the support of black voters, the candidate's reticence on the Imus issue set off alarms yesterday among some black activists who are anxious to see him more forcefully push for racial justice. Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, said Obama missed an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus. "This was so easy, and his unwillingness to touch it tells me this is going to be his third rail, and race never goes away in politics," Harris Lacewell said. "Black people want to love Barack. They're doing everything they can to love Barack. We want to believe that Barack is better than this. But they will turn on him." The Obama campaign declined to comment yesterday on its handling of the issue. One adviser pointed out, however, that Obama issued a public comment before the other major Democratic candidates -- including Clinton and former senator John Edwards of North Carolina. Obama represents a break with the presidential candidacies of forebears such as Sharpton, a Democratic presidential candidate in 2004, and Jackson, who ran in 1984 and 1988. Obama is the son of a white mother and a black father from Kenya, and grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia. He is part of a generation too young to be shaped directly by the civil rights movement; he was 6 years old when Martin Luther King Jr. was slain in 1968. Obama told CBS's "60 Minutes" earlier this year that he is rooted in the African-American community, but not defined by it. In a closely watched speech last month in Selma, Ala., Obama declared that he was part of the "Joshua generation" -- likening himself to the Biblical successor to Moses who led the Jewish people into the promised land -- and thus located himself in the post-liberation generation. While acknowledging debts to civil rights pioneers, Obama has made clear that he represents a different kind of politics, rooted deeply in coalition-building, not anger and outrage. "He's cut from a different cloth, and that doesn't make him less black," said Joyce Ferriabough, a Boston-based Democratic consultant who is African-American. "His way of doing things is a lot more measured, less fiery, but that doesn't make him less effective. He needs to be the candidate of the people, and the people aren't just black." Ron Walters, a former top campaign aide to Jackson and now a politics professor at the University of Maryland, said that if Obama took on a issue like Imus's comments, he could undercut his appeal to the broad electorate. "There are people that are just waiting for him to jump out there in the crosshairs and be a race leader," Walters said. If Obama spoke out, "that would put him in a different role: a race leader. And that would pull back the covers for those who don't see race when they look at Barack Obama." Yet Obama's promise to take up the mantle of past civil rights activists and his showing in the polls have not assuaged the concerns of some black leaders, including Sharpton, that Obama isn't sufficiently committed to the causes they hold dear. With Clinton also earning significant black support and her husband, the former president, still widely popular among black voters, those qualms among prominent blacks could have electoral consequences for Obama. Sharpton has repeatedly said that Obama did not learn the lessons of the civil rights movement, including the value of bold stands and dramatic action. "I agree with him that we are part of the Joshua generation, but Joshua came from the ranks of Moses to continue the struggle and not to abandon the struggle," Sharpton told the Washington Times last month. "Being a part of the Joshua generation is based on your work and not your age." Though Jackson lined up behind Obama two weeks ago, Sharpton has pointedly refused to endorse Obama, sparking speculation that he will support Clinton -- his home-state senator -- instead. Sharpton has said he will not endorse any candidate until hearing more about their views on civil rights and other issues at his National Action Network convention next week in New York City. Michael Eric Dyson, a University of Pennsylvania professor and author, said he supports Obama's campaign but questions why he did not speak up more forcefully about Imus. He added that the other presidential candidates had the same responsibility. "Here's the point: Paying attention to the issues of race is an American concern," he said. "It looks as if he's being so careful and cautious not to ruffle the feathers of the mainstream that he may inadvertently raise the hackles of the black majority." Harris Lacewell, the Princeton professor, said Obama's willingness to cede the spotlight to Sharpton on the Imus issue could leave such veteran activists more powerful in the black community -- and therefore tougher to win over. Ferriabough, the Democratic consultant, said Obama's campaign is tied to the candidate's personal energy and charisma, rather than those who are declaring their support for him. "Endorsements won't make or break this candidate," said Ferriabough, who said she has not committed to supporting any candidate but is leaning toward Obama. "Obama doesn't need to go on the soapbox," Ferriabough said. "Others are doing it, led by Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. He's nipping at Hillary, so he's playing for real." © Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_ala rms_some_blacks/ | ||
| Abm "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Abm Post Number: 9150 Registered: 04-2004 Rating: |
Obama Calls for Imus' Firing By NEDRA PICKLER 04.12.07, 12:25 AM ET Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday became the first presidential candidate to call for radio host Don Imus to be fired for making racially and sexually charged comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team. The Illinois senator told ABC News he will never appear again on Imus' show, which is broadcast on CBS (nyse: CBS - news - people ) Radio and MSNBC television. "I understand MSNBC has suspended Mr. Imus," Obama told ABC News, "but I would also say that there's nobody on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any ethnic group. "He didn't just cross the line, he fed into some of the worst stereotypes that my two young daughters are having to deal with today in America," said Obama, the only black candidate in the presidential race. Democratic presidential candidates stepped up their criticism of Imus, one week after he called the Rutgers players who had lost the national championship "nappy headed hos." New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who also has been on the receiving end of Imus' insults, launched an online petition drive to support the Rutgers players. She said Imus' comments "were nothing more than small-minded bigotry and coarse sexism." Clinton's online petition allows petitioners to ask for e-mail updates from her campaign, which could expand the reach of her political message and provide new names to solicit for contributions. Two other Democratic White House candidates - Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd - also criticized the comments. But they said they would wait to see how the controversy will be resolved before deciding whether they would appear on the show again. Dodd had announced his candidacy on Imus' show in January. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/04/12/ap3604809.html | ||
| Renata Veteran Poster Username: Renata Post Number: 1973 Registered: 08-2005 Rating: N/A |
LOL....."But they said they would wait to see how the controversy will be resolved before deciding whether they would appear on the show again." Translation: Well, I guess IF he gets fired we CAN'T appear on the show again, can we? Otherwise, if no one's bothered enough to fire him, why should we be bothered enough to not appear on his show again? NORTH CAROLINA AND CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS TAKE NOTE. | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 8234 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
If Al Sharpton was running for president, his getting Imus fired would be a feather in his cap. NOT! Al may think he kicked ass, but he doesn't have his finger on the pulse of white middle America. | ||
| Chrishayden AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 4094 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: |
If Al Sharpton was running for president, his getting Imus fired would be a feather in his cap. NOT! Al may think he kicked ass, but he doesn't have his finger on the pulse of white middle America. (Gangs, drugs, promiscuity, AIDS, OOW births--add to the reason for the shape of the black race tired old apologists Negroes. Granny. We know you ain't got it no more. We know you're tired. Give it up. Step out of the way and let people fight who still got some left in them! | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 8236 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: |
And your point is? None of the drivel you drooled disproved what I said, chrisayden. I guess you think Al Sharpton could be elected president. Your red herring didn't work, you fished-eyed whale. | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 8237 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: |
Poor ol chrishayden. All anybody has to do is disturb his comfort zone and he craps on himself. That's the only way he can eliminate the bull s h i t he's full of. LMAO. | ||
| Abm "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Abm Post Number: 9164 Registered: 04-2004 Rating: |
Anyone else notice how Tonya created this thread to dig at Obama but when I presented an article that states Obama's the first (and to my knowledge, ONLY) presidential candidate who called for his firing, she's hasn't posted anything here since? | ||
| Tonya "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Tonya Post Number: 5121 Registered: 07-2006 Rating: N/A |
Abm, I posted my response on the “Michelle Obama needs a makeover” thread, dear.  | ||
| Abm "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Abm Post Number: 9168 Registered: 04-2004 Rating: N/A |
Tonya, Why not HERE, Baby Boo? Hoping to avoid having to directly acknowledge what you failed to do HERE? | ||
| Chrishayden AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 4098 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: |
Poor ol chrishayden. All anybody has to do is disturb his comfort zone and he craps on himself. (Imus was talking about YOU too unless you didn't notice! | ||
| Tonya "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Tonya Post Number: 5125 Registered: 07-2006 Rating: N/A |
I don't know what you're talking about ABM. My article was fair and balanced. And it was obviously written before Obama FINALLY stepped up and said he wanted Imus fired. You're just pulling shit out of your ass and your reason for you doing thus has nothing to with my article, I bet. Because your argument doesn’t make any sense at all. Why don't you say what you mean and mean what you say for once...like I did to you on the Michelle Obama thread. | ||
| Abm "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Abm Post Number: 9174 Registered: 04-2004 Rating: N/A |
Tonya, Your article is bunch of bvllsh*t. Just amongst the MYRIAD cheap, talent-deprived attempts to unfairly smear or cast baseless doubts about Obama. Tell me. Have your beloved Hillary Clinton and John Edwards called for Imus' firing as well? Do you even require that they do such? Or are you amongst the chorus of fool Black foks who would hold Obama to a HIGHER standard than they do Clinton and Edwards and the rest of the presidential candidates? | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 8245 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
Do you ever have anything of relevance to say, crissyboy?? What does what you just posted have to do with Al Sharpton not having his finger on the pulse of the white voters he would need to get elected?? You need to go back to sucking your thumb. | ||
| Ntfs_encryption "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Ntfs_encryption Post Number: 2038 Registered: 10-2005 Rating: |
Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday became the first presidential candidate to call for radio host Don Imus to be fired for making racially and sexually charged comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Well, there ya have it. Thanks ABM. The counter punch to yet another cheap attempt to besmirch and create further racial divides with incredulous Negroes and Obama. How pathetic. | ||
| Ntfs_encryption "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Ntfs_encryption Post Number: 2039 Registered: 10-2005 Rating: N/A |
"Your article is bunch of bvllsh*t. Just amongst the MYRIAD cheap, talent-deprived attempts to unfairly smear or cast baseless doubts about Obama." Thank you..... | ||
| Abm "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Abm Post Number: 9177 Registered: 04-2004 Rating: N/A |
Ntfs: Well, there ya have it. Thanks ABM. The counter punch to yet another cheap attempt to besmirch and create further racial divides with incredulous Negroes and Obama. How pathetic. Kneegrows sho' can be some self-sabotaging mofos. Then they wannna later complain about how massah won't let them git ahead. Ntfs: Thank you... You're welcome. Anytime, brougham. | ||
| Tonya "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Tonya Post Number: 5127 Registered: 07-2006 Rating: N/A |
It's only "bvllsh*t" if you're one of Obama's pusillanimous butt boys. That’s the real deal, so there YOU have it...RIGHT UP YOUR BUTT. | ||
| Abm "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Abm Post Number: 9179 Registered: 04-2004 Rating: N/A |
Tonya, Aight. You got me with the "pusillanimous butt boys". I'm too busy laughing at that sh*t to tender a clever rebut. Hahahahahaha!!! | ||
| Mzuri "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Mzuri Post Number: 4460 Registered: 01-2006 Rating: N/A |
Imus made his racist comment on Thursday, 5 April 2007. Obama addressed it on/about Wednesday, 11 April 2007. For those of you who can't count real high, that's SIX WHOLE DAYS. And for someone who isn't totally Black, that sure is some serious ass COLORED PEOPLE'S TIME RIGHT THERE! Your BOY ain't got no BACKBONE. Yet another reason he shall NEVER BE PRESIDENT!!! | ||
| Ntfs_encryption "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Ntfs_encryption Post Number: 2048 Registered: 10-2005 Rating: N/A |
”Kneegrows sho' can be some self-sabotaging mofos. Then they wannna later complain about how massah won't let them git ahead.” So true. I laugh when I hear Negroes spew their petty carping and disingenuous name calling against this man. Don’t get me wrong, I believe they have every right to question and critique every candidate regardless of his or her skin color or race. Voting or openly supporting someone simply because they are black is not necessarily in the interest of black people. Ward Connerly, Alphonso Jackson, Clarence Thomas and Condoleezza Rice are perfect examples of such misguided thinking. And as I said before, I’m not an Obamanite but I can’t get with the racist comments by self anointed Negroes who are cheap shot gurus. The man should be evaluated by his platform, history and performance. But the peanut gallery residents won’t settle for that….”He don’t be black enough!” Got it? | ||
| Enchanted Veteran Poster Username: Enchanted Post Number: 769 Registered: 11-2005 Rating: |
Tanya always did point fingers too fast. Is that typed correctly Miss Tanya? | ||
| Renata Veteran Poster Username: Renata Post Number: 1992 Registered: 08-2005 Rating: |
I'm still waiting to hear what the other candidates have to say on this issue. Or maybe they're working on "white folks time"? Which means they may ask for the firing in about 60 or so years. Keep us posted. | ||
| Abm "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Abm Post Number: 9196 Registered: 04-2004 Rating: N/A |
Renata: "I'm still waiting to hear what the other candidates have to say on this issue." Me too, Boo. Me too. | ||
| Tonya "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Tonya Post Number: 5173 Registered: 07-2006 Rating: N/A |
Shades of black If the man who could be our first black president has a white mother, and yet Toni Morrison says we already elected one in Bill Clinton, then what's black and white is pretty gray. By ERIC DEGGANS Published April 15, 2007 Since before he started a historic run for the presidency, Barack Obama has told the world he considers himself a black man. It's not the kind of statement most men of color have to bother making. But because his mother is white and his father is Kenyan, Obama has spent time explaining a choice some find unusual - embracing a culture that neither of his parents actually grew up in. What is really astonishing is what happened next: Some black folks didn't believe him. "When black Americans refer to Obama as 'one of us,' I do not know what they are talking about," wrote noted cultural critic Stanley Crouch, who is black, last year. "While he has experienced some light version of typical racial stereotypes, he cannot claim those problems as his own." In a January column for Salon magazine, Debra J. Dickerson, who is also black, was more blunt: "Barack Obama would be the great black hope in the next presidential race - if he were actually black." Which prompts a compelling question, as Obama visits the Tampa Bay area today for an Ybor City fundraiser: What really does determine your racial identity in today's society? And if a guy with caramel-colored skin, an African father and a black wife isn't considered authentically African-American, then who is? One man who might be considered an authority, longtime black civil rights activist and former presidential candidate Al Sharpton, thinks all the Obama-doubting is an awkward way of asking a more complex question: Can black people trust him to champion their interests effectively? "Those who are ambivalent and nonsupportive as of yet ... it's not about his genealogy, it's about his policies," said Sharpton, calling from Miami. "It's a clumsy way some of us black people are asking about this: What is it that you're going to represent?" But Julian Bond, chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, isn't so sure. "If that's what people mean, then they ought to say so ... instead of saying that because his father's an African he's lacking in some kind of racial authenticity," said Bond. "Whether or not he's committed to the same values we expect is going to be determined by what he says now and what he's done in the past." Complicating things further for Obama on questions of race is his unique political situation. In the past, significant black politicians mostly have come from two camps: the nation's civil rights/protest establishment and the Republican Party. Whether you're Sharpton, Condoleezza Rice or Colin Powell, voters often guess where you stand on issues important to people of color based on those associations. But Obama hasn't risen through any of those ranks. And while his message of racial inclusion seems to reach white supporters in ways that more confrontational words do not - he has said "rightly or wrongly, white guilt has largely exhausted itself in America" - Obama's evenhandedness muddies another huge characteristic black people use to judge the racial identity of politicians. Namely, aggressive advocacy for issues considered important to black people. Ask Sharpton whether Obama is too easy on white people and he says: "I've heard that from some black people; I don't know if that's fair or not. "I think what I resent is there being a different rule for civil rights advocates," added Sharpton, irritated that some view his hesitancy as a political attack. "I want to see public policy statements ... on what kind of Justice Department we should have, police brutality, questions of corporate discrimination. ... Why would anybody assume I'm going to endorse anybody without knowing the answers to those questions?" While some may view race identity as something handed down through families, experts agree that race is a delicate balance between how society perceives you and how you perceive yourself. Tiger Woods, for example, learned the folly of trying to carve a new race identity for himself without society's permission - once insisting on Oprah Winfrey's popular talk show that he was not African-American but "Cablinasian," a mix of Caucasian, black, Dutch, Native American and Thai (both Woods' parents are from mixed-race heritage). But Woods quickly found trouble: Some black people assumed he was denigrating their culture by refusing to be a part of it, and white sports commentators didn't seem to know how to handle a guy who didn't want to be the first black golf legend. "He came out too early on. ... America wasn't ready to take it," said Carmen Van Kerckhove, a New Yorker of Flemish-Belgian and Chinese heritage who serves as president of the antiracism training company New Demographic. "I think mixed-race people exist in this space where their legitimacy is constantly questioned," said Van Kerckhove, who recalled a discussion with friends who insisted mixed-race people must "choose a side" when defining their racial identity. "Different communities try to claim you, depending on how well you're doing at that point in your life." Woods, it seems, has learned his lesson: He rarely talks openly about race anymore. But Obama, in seeking to become the nation's first black president, doesn't have that luxury. And when he does talk about race issues, his style is striking: He isn't confrontational. He doesn't shame people. He isn't particularly aggressive. In other words, he isn't angry. Is less guilt good? "What's unique about Barack Obama is that ... because he doesn't come from the traditional civil rights background, he does not make white people feel guilty," said Sylvester Monroe, a former correspondent for Time magazine who serves as senior editor of the black-focused magazine Ebony. Still, Monroe expects there will come a point when traditional black voters will not allow Obama to walk that fine tightrope between the aggressive advocacy they expect and the inclusive consensus-building that draws nonblack support. Sooner or later, they will ask: How can a guy who talks about consensus and a rising tide lifting all boats stand up to those who want to kill affirmative action and reduce Equal Employment Opportunity law enforcement? "If Obama does well, it takes a lot of juice from guys who have made a life of fighting for civil rights," Monroe said. "Some of the people in that tradition say, if you don't keep white people's feet to the fire, they can act like everything's fine. (Soon, traditional black voters will say) you're black, we're black, you're our guy. You have to represent." It's that kind of talk that worries Syracuse University professor Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn. Author of a 2001 book called Race Experts: How Racial Etiquette, Sensitivity Training, and New Age Therapy Hijacked the Civil Rights Revolution, Lasch-Quinn resists what she calls the "myth about what blackness is." "I'm talking about the idea that there's one black response to things ... the idea that it is basically rage," said Lasch-Quinn, who is white. "Part of the question about whether Obama is black enough seems to be asking, 'Is he angry enough? Is he devoted to the idea that black people are separate enough?' It's a notion of uniformity - that there's only one black identity, and it's one of rage." It seems possible this dynamic is reciprocal; that black people have learned through experience that rage and confrontation are often the surest way to see their concerns addressed by the white mainstream. Definitions of blackness can be inclusive; Toni Morrison called Bill Clinton America's first black president in a New Yorker essay for his stands on race issues and persecution by conservatives. And Lasch-Quinn's vision of minimizing race differences may sound to some black people suspiciously like a call to play down their culture in favor of white, mainstream values. But Lasch-Quinn blames modern race experts for developing a vision of blackness that is separatist and divisive. "(It includes the message that) every black person is totally responsible for their community and what happens in it ... there's this image of someone who always has a bone to pick, doesn't believe in reconciliation," she said. "If an issue of race comes up in an interracial setting, the white people will often yield to the most aggressive position. ... (But) why should it be that people have this idea that there's just one black opinion?" Black like him Back in the late 1940s, aspiring art student Peter B. Hammond decided to try an experiment. A free-thinking 19-year-old blond, blue-eyed white man, he was traveling through South Florida telling people he was black - referencing the old "one- drop rule" of segregated America that said if you have even one drop of black blood in your heritage, you were considered black. Though he didn't look the least bit African-American, everyone who heard this fib believed it - even black people. Their reasoning: Being black was so tough in a segregated South, who would claim to be a Negro who wasn't? "I was thinking this whole system of segregation was pretty idiotic, and that kind of confirmed it for me," said Hammond, now 78, who was inspired to become an anthropologist after experiencing the crushing racism of Florida in the 1940s. "Race is a social construct. ... (And) it may defy any type of scientific definition." Now teaching at the University of California, Los Angeles, Hammond said black people who remember those times might have difficulty accepting a politician like Obama - whose family may never have faced such circumstances - claiming to be black. "They may feel it's as if he's taking advantage of being black without paying his dues," the professor said. "Black folks might be saying, 'Here's this guy who is presenting himself as a brother, but he was raised in Indonesia.' ... (And) on the other hand, white people may say he's not a real black person. ... You can pat yourself on the back because you voted for a black person, but (think) 'Thank God he's not really black.' " Van Kerckhove, Hammond and other experts agree there is a long list of characteristics others often use to judge someone else's racial identity. And these details can be crucial cues for others - sometimes given more weight than what the person actually says about his or her own racial identity. Some characteristics: physical appearance/genealogy; language (do you have an accent or speak in a vernacular?); race of your romantic partner; race of your friends (an area which is often segregated in people's lives); music you enjoy; your history of activism, if any; your name; where you go to church (churches are still highly segregated); your assertion of culture at your job. For example, Halle Berry self-identifies as a black woman and reinforces that assertion by dating and marrying black men, playing black characters in film and TV and talking about race issues from a black person's perspective publicly. Nicole Richie also self-identifies as a black woman, because she was raised by two black parents, pop star Lionel Richie and his ex-wife Brenda. But she was adopted and actually has Hispanic, black Creole and Caucasian heritage, she has blond hair, has often dated white men and her onetime best friend, Paris Hilton, is a white woman. To the world, she is likely considered a white woman, no matter what she says about her own heritage. "We need to be honest as a society about how we let people decide who they are," said Jonathan Holloway, a professor of history and African-American studies at Yale University who is black but was raised by two black parents light-skinned enough that some people assumed his mother was white. "I have no problem with the fact that (Obama) decided to be African-American ... the honesty of it shows how complex this issue is in society," Holloway said. "Blackness is a slippery kind of thing. ... It depends on where you are, how you speak and what group is judging you. My politics are - a lot of them have been socially determined, because I identify as black very consciously." Unite and conquer? Of course, there are some who say the whole question of Obama's blackness is a political smokescreen - allowing some black leaders and other political opponents to hold back without looking selfish or racist. Once the nation gets to know Obama better, some say, questions about his allegiance to black culture will fade. "People like Sharpton, whose profession is being black, they have a dilemma because they are supposed to choose the black person over the white woman, but (Obama) is not beholden to them," said Monroe Anderson, who is black. A columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, he also writes the Obama Watch blog for the Web site of Ebony and Jet magazines. But Sharpton is quick to say that expecting him to support Obama simply because he is black also sounds racist. And a growing controversy over the candidate's slow reaction to racist statements by radio/TV shock jock Don Imus - Obama didn't issue a comment criticizing Imus until CBS Radio and NBC News had already suspended him - may lend credence to those who wonder if he can effectively address racism when necessary. And activists such as the NAACP's Bond resist the idea that black politicians who handle race issues like Obama does present a new way of talking about race and culture in America. "(Obama's) message has more wide appeal to whites than say the Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Julian Bond message ... (because) many people wrongly believe that the three of us are divisive and that he is a healer," said Bond. "I think that's probably true about him, but it may not be true about us." Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Eric Deggans can be reached at (727) 893-8521 or deggans@sptimes.com Got a comment? See his blog at blogs.tampabay.com/media. How do we decide blackness? On the cover Using the criteria cited by experts, Eric Deggans outlined the cues signaling race identity for several notable people. Comparing the characteristics that signal blackness to those that don't provides a little perspective into how we all perceive race.1. Eminem: Problack characteristics: Music - Pioneer in rap music, which is rooted in black culture; Friends - Counts major black artists such as Dr. Dre as mentors. Nonblack characteristics: Genealogy - Born to two white parents; Romance - Ex-wife is white; Personal image - Self-identifies as a white male.Conclusion: Familiarity with black culture aside, Eminem is white.2. Bill Clinton: Problack characteristics: Friends - Counts prominent black people such as Toni Morrison as friends; Profession - fought to improve affirmative action and oppose racism. Nonblack characteristics: Genealogy - Born to two white parents; Romance - His wife is white; Personal image - Self-identifies as a white male.Conclusion: Morrison's anointing as the first black president notwithstanding, Clinton is a white male.3. Halle Berry: Problack characteristics: Romance - Dates, has married black men; Personal image - Self-identifies as black. Nonblack characteristics: Genealogy - Raised by white mother.Conclusion: Berry is considered a black female.4. Nicole Richie: Problack characteristics: Genealogy - Raised by two adoptive black parents; Personal image - Self-identifies as black woman. Nonblack characteristics: Appearance - Has blond hair, light eyes (apparently of white, black Creole and Mexican ancestry); Best friend - Paris Hilton, a white woman.Conclusion: Richie is considered a white female.On the WebWhat does the phrase "African-American" mean - and to whom? Go to links.tampabay.com © 2007 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times http://www.sptimes.com/2007/04/15/Opinion/Shades_of_black.shtml | ||
| Renata AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Renata Post Number: 2020 Registered: 08-2005 Rating: |
BULL-FUCKING-SHYT. Every president before had a white mother (and father) and it hadn't been a problem before. No president before ever faced problems during segregation, and it hasn't been a problem before. NOW, suddenly NIG-GERS think it's IMPORTANT that the president have had suffered during segregation and have a black mother to be a worthy president? It's never been important before....FUK THAT SHYT. Hell, he did marry a black woman....will they enforce that as a rule for the other candidates? He isn't black enough....Well, point me out the candidate that IS. DUMB NIG-GERS. | ||
| Renata AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Renata Post Number: 2021 Registered: 08-2005 Rating: |
I wasn't even sure if I was voting for him before or not. I may just vote for him now because I can see how UNFAIRLY BIASED people are against him because he isn't a blondie and he didn't marry a silky-haired ho....which is apparently what it takes to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate. | ||
| Tonya "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Tonya Post Number: 5186 Registered: 07-2006 Rating: N/A |
Sweetheart, this is an article about color. Of course is going to seem unfair and biased, "dumb nig-ger". What the fuk do you expect?? | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 8305 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: |
How do you figure every preceding president having a white mother and a white father wasn't a problem?? It was, indeed, a problem but black folks didn't have any choice so they had to vote for what was available If they'd had their way there would've been a black candidate to vote for. And every black person has the right to exercise their own judgment when it comes to voting for Obama. Nobody has really earned the right to dictate to black folks who they should vote for. We do have freedom of choice. | ||
| Renata AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Renata Post Number: 2023 Registered: 08-2005 Rating: N/A |
I can certainly understand your argument, Cynique. But at this particular time, I'm just seriously angry that this man's COLOR is such an issue with black people that they would PREFER to vote for a white man for something so fucking SHALLOW. When it was ANYONE ELSE, the ISSUES were the deal. Now DUMB NIG-GERS don't care about issues as much because this man's (gasp!) having a white mother is keeping them from taking him seriously. Ms. Tonya, since you have such an issue with this man's skin color and with him not being black enough....WHICH CANDIDATE WOULD YOU CONSIDER BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU? Or are you judging the other candidates on their political stance ALONE? | ||
| Renata AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Renata Post Number: 2024 Registered: 08-2005 Rating: N/A |
I don't even have an issue with black people voting for anyone else. I just want this man to get a fair chance and not be judged for being too white WHEN NO ONE ELSE IS being judged for it. LOL....Ironically, you would THINK that his being too white would make him about EQUAL to the other candidates, if anything. | ||
| Ntfs_encryption "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Ntfs_encryption Post Number: 2091 Registered: 10-2005 Rating: N/A |
"I don't even have an issue with black people voting for anyone else. I just want this man to get a fair chance and not be judged for being too white WHEN NO ONE ELSE IS being judged for it." I agree. I have no problems with people criticizing or holding Obama's feet to the fire for his politics or his proposed agenda - not his skin color or his genetic heritage. And I also agree that black people should not be obligated to vote for a candidate solely and only because they are black. But the relentless chicken shit race and skin color trash talking by confused racist Negroes has past the point of tedium. It's now become a broken record with the same stale ridiculous accusations and nonsense. |
