4 ms·

Even if it seems sort of trite and artificial to many people (including myself) having a black President with a name that sounds like "Osama" is a big achieveme

Even if it seems sort of trite and artificial to many people (including myself) having a black President with a name that sounds like "Osama" is a big achievement.

deleted 18y ago
[deleted]
LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago
I had a long discussion a few days ago with a close friend about racism in America. It's real and does exist, but it really warms my heart to see the nation come together in spite of that to elect their new President.
- hugh 18y ago
  What about the point of view that Obama won partially because of pro-black racism? Both among blacks and whites, there were people who admitted voting for him because of his "race". Now, I myself don't believe in this "race" concept that other people seem so obsessed with, but I still find that a disturbing thought -- just as disturbing as the thought that some people were voting against him for his "race".
  - rw 18y ago
    Call it affirmative action. There isn't a problem with so-called "reverse racism" when it is being used to repair centuries of injustice.
    - fallentimes 18y ago
      People of today shouldn't pay for the crimes of people of yesterday (even if it does end up happening a lot). That's why AA/Title9/etc are great in theory, but pretty awful in execution. If only we were all color blind...
  - LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago
    You have a good question, and I don't have an answer to it that fully satisfies me. I also find the idea of making race a deciding factor in one's voting choices disturbing. I won't deny that some individuals will have voted along those lines, either for or against a candidate. Despite that, I still find it heartening that a solid candidate from a long-marginalized group can have such success in today's political climate. I feel like I can finally start believing that we as a nation are overcoming the old and poisonous biases that were alive and well in my grandparents' time.
  - olefoo 18y ago
    People make voting decisions based on all sorts of irrelevant irrational prejudices and on rational, well thought out, heavily researched grounds as well. The guy who bases his vote on a coin flip has as much right to vote as the person who runs detailed financial simulations of the candidates declared policy initiatives. That's what makes it a democracy.
wensing 18y ago
I was living in Chicago when Obama first ran for Senator. The first time I saw "OBAMA" on a billboard, I thought there was no way in the world he would get elected in our post-9/11 world.

Even if it seems sort of trite and artificial to many people (including myself) having a black President with a name that sounds like "Osama" is a big achievement.

deleted 18y ago

[deleted]

LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago

I had a long discussion a few days ago with a close friend about racism in America. It's real and does exist, but it really warms my heart to see the nation come together in spite of that to elect their new President.

hugh 18y ago
What about the point of view that Obama won partially because of pro-black racism? Both among blacks and whites, there were people who admitted voting for him because of his "race". Now, I myself don't believe in this "race" concept that other people seem so obsessed with, but I still find that a disturbing thought -- just as disturbing as the thought that some people were voting against him for his "race".
- rw 18y ago
  Call it affirmative action. There isn't a problem with so-called "reverse racism" when it is being used to repair centuries of injustice.
  - fallentimes 18y ago
    People of today shouldn't pay for the crimes of people of yesterday (even if it does end up happening a lot). That's why AA/Title9/etc are great in theory, but pretty awful in execution. If only we were all color blind...
- LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago
  You have a good question, and I don't have an answer to it that fully satisfies me. I also find the idea of making race a deciding factor in one's voting choices disturbing. I won't deny that some individuals will have voted along those lines, either for or against a candidate. Despite that, I still find it heartening that a solid candidate from a long-marginalized group can have such success in today's political climate. I feel like I can finally start believing that we as a nation are overcoming the old and poisonous biases that were alive and well in my grandparents' time.
- olefoo 18y ago
  People make voting decisions based on all sorts of irrelevant irrational prejudices and on rational, well thought out, heavily researched grounds as well. The guy who bases his vote on a coin flip has as much right to vote as the person who runs detailed financial simulations of the candidates declared policy initiatives. That's what makes it a democracy.

wensing 18y ago

I was living in Chicago when Obama first ran for Senator. The first time I saw "OBAMA" on a billboard, I thought there was no way in the world he would get elected in our post-9/11 world.