Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
How Is It That A "Halfrican" American Can Be Successfully Promoted As "Black"? Is judging a candidate by race fair to the candidate?by * illumin8d1
(libertarian)
Monday, January 14, 2008
How Is It That A Halfrican American Can Be Successfully Promoted As "Black"?
I really like Barack Obama. Although my political leanings are far more Libertarian than Democrat, Sen. Obama has a lot going for him and he is by far the most dynamic of all the current batch of Presidential candidates. He may not be my choice for the Oval Office, but he certainly is the choice of millions of other concerned Americans. God Bless Him if he wins the political Super Bowl.
With that being said, why is Barack being labeled the "Black" candidate? All day long we are besieged by media pundits comparing the two democratic front-runners as a contest between a potential first woman, and a potential first black President. As far as can be discerned, Hillary is all woman; Bill, any objections? Yet Barack Obama is only half black. He is also half white, or Caucasian, or of European descent, or whichever politically correct moniker "whites" should be labeled. Had Senator Obama had been born with predominately white features, would we even be talking about the race vs. gender race? There might be whispers about his having a black father, but those would be insensitive remarks made in back rooms.
The greatest golfer in history (in my humble opinion) had the courage to stand up and say "he wasn't actually black." Later when Tiger Woods was asked by Oprah on her show if it bothered him when he was referred to as an African American, he replied, "It does. Growing up, I came up with this name: I'm a 'Cablinasian.'" Tiger, whose father is half-black, one-quarter American Indian, one-quarter white, and whose Thai mother (actually half-Thai, half-Chinese) does not identify with the "black" label being applied to him, regardless of his features. "I'm just who I am," Woods told Oprah Winfrey, "whoever you see in front of you."
As far as I'm concerned, Barack Obama is who he is. And that should be the mettle on which this wonderful person should be judged, as a candidate, and as a man.
See No Evil
http://illuminated1.blogspot.com/
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The views expressed in this
article are those of * illumin8d1 only and do not represent
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Although I am not offended by this title, there may be some who are. The only censorship that should be aloud is self-censorship, so please for the good of the site, change the title and opening line of your article. Otherwise the message of individuality is well recieved. A man should be judged by the content of his character. The only problem is that your message will be lost by many when they read the opening sentence. I read the entire thing, and feel that your point will be greatly missed.
Posted By: Christopher Espinal
Date: 2008-01-14 22:46:30
Barack Obama is black. When you look at him he's a black man. That is what makes him black. It's that simple.
When Woods made that stupid statement, he was actually referring to a cultural identity rather than an ethnic identity. He doesn't relate to mainstream black culture but he is still black because he is what he is.
I am sorry, but I strongly disagree with Mr. Espinal that Obama is black because “he’s a black man.” I suppose using that logic many East Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Samoans, Natives of New Guinea, and other indigenous peoples who look black are black? I think many of those would strongly disagree if you told them they were black and that was that.
Not too long ago, a Chinese person was discovered in upper Mongolia that appeared to have overwhelming Negroid features. Local officials and anthropologists met with his parents and others in their town who verified a long ancestry of Chinese only descendants. Was he black because he looked black? Then again, are offspring of black parents who are born with white features, white?
Tiger was most certainly referring to his ethnicity when he “made that stupid statement” saying he was Cablinasian, because of his Caucasian, Black, Indian, and Asian roots. He didn’t want to be labeled simply as “black” which would have neglected a substantial part of his ancestral heritage. He made that point perfectly clear.
Our genetic code determines who we are racially and how we appear to others. It does not determine who we are as human beings.
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