After Obama’s phenomenal speech on race yesterday (Michelle Obama above seen crying afterwards), it is inevitable that the defensive, entitlement class blacks and whites (from opposite sides of the fence), and ready to serve blacks would come out, and show their true colors. It is so apparent how many of them missed Obama’s point. Rather than consider the whole speech holistically, and in the context of this presidential race, and race relations in America, they will find one itty bitty thing to pick on in attempts to undermine Obama and the very strong and relevant statements he made while addressing the country.
Some are claiming that he “threw his grandmother under the bus” completely ignoring or missing the point he is making about himself as a person, his stance on race, and what makes him who he is in regards to his racial and American identity. Rather, they would prefer he threw his pastor under the bus, so that they feel better, less guilty, less racist, and himself more like them; one who doesn’t experience racism nor one who see it as still existing in American societies and cultures even if reality says otherwise.
Others are claiming that they are simply concerned about his association with his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Although I seriously doubt that they are all of the sudden anti-Obama, and were probably avid supports of his before. The recently publicized soundbites of Jeremiah Wright now serve as their passports to “outing” their dislike, and distrust for Obama. If Obama wants their vote, he has to renounce his pastor, who dares speak on race and racism in America. But weren’t they concerned when Michelle Obama’s thesis was made public, and everyone learned that it was on race?
He must be blind to Billary’s racist tacticts within this presidential race, and if black people speak of any injustices to them by the larger American society, he must “throw them under the bus” Bill Cosby style so that he can become president.
Yeah. Missed the point completely.
It appears that Billary pulled multiple tricks to remind racists (notice that I didn’t say whites) that Obama is Black and therefore not American. After all, when one refers to another as an American, aren’t they really saying white? Meaning, to vote for Obama is to vote for a non-American? Fortunately, none of the their tricks worked, and often seemed to backfire.
Luckily for Billary and their fellow racists, out of over thousands of hours of sermons, 30 second soundbites were extracted from Reverend Jeremiah Wrights’s preaching, magically absolving Billary and their supportive racist followers (both left and right) of any social responsibility in regards to race and allowing them to feel at ease about their past racist actions. They knew it all along, and were punishing him for attending a racist church for 20 years, and so all of their actions have now become justified.
And nothing he said regarding race relations in this country was heard, except that his pastor is wrong but still like family (to the discontent of many), and that his white grandmother was racist. It’s almost baffling.
One thing I found particularly striking and relevant item in his speech is the fact that racial discrimination towards blacks isn’t simply a figment of black people’s imaginations.
No really, it does exist.
And there are issues on both sides of the fence – anger and hostility, which are issues that must be worked through. Is that too much to process for the average bigoted mind?
My theory is that most of these people missed the point because they don’t care about racism, they don’t want anyone to acknowledge that there is racism including perhaps within their own immediate families, and because at the end of the day, it’s not their problem, so they would like to think. Disillusioned they continue to perpetuate the cycle of racism, blatantly or subtly, while it continues to corrode the American social core. Depriving us perhaps of one possibly awesome president, ever.
Sadly.
Back To My Roots 
[…] Read the rest of this great post here […]
Interesting post. For other observations and opinion on Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, politics, election 2008, and the road to the White House, visit http://bolsonon.wordpress.com
[…] not so sure. One blogger counts me among those who “managed to miss the points” of Obama’s speech and pointed to my playful post over at “Chris Matthews’ […]
Sunkissed, I couldn’t agree more. Barack Obama’s speech is as articulate as a president of a country should be. He could’ve done just as he said – followed standard political procedure to distance himself from the pastor and bury it simply condemning the statements, but instead he made a thoughtful soliloquy which brought up the finer points about racial tensions of the 21st century.
I think it was integral to his speech that he did denounce what Reverend Wright did say without any question about whether it was acceptable in any sense, as he admits it wasn’t. He also brought up the very contorted racial view of many white Americans.
He spoke of choosing words of unity instead of division and openness instead of hidden angst. We still live in a time where race is a determiner of personality and culture simply for the simplicity of identifying friend or foe by skin color. No side that still views this country in the form of race is without its prejudices. It is those who do not allow race to come in to judgment at all but instead focus on character and actions that are going to solve this racial divide… and I believe Obama is one of those people.
For white America (in general terms) this is a frustrating topic and why so many whites have tried to pick it apart for racial prejudice. It’s frustrating because whites see such a statistically high level of violence, poverty, broken families, and immoral actions in areas of high black concentration. Many whites will then wrongly assume it’s every individual within the race that has contributed to this. Whites tend to feel a bitterness that they aren’t “allowed” to criticize blacks for these shortcomings but instead are told to stop being racist – generally not by blacks (while blacks are not exempt)- but by other whites. To many race-focused whites this leaves them to turn internally bitter and resentful that his/her “free speech” must be kept to himself/herself in most public places – white or black.
For black America (in general terms) the prejudice lies in using whites as a scapegoat for the problems that occur within the black community. It is easier to criticize a group than it is to criticize an individual and it has been a way to unify the increasingly internally divisive black culture. Within this racial culture there is a generational battle as young black males take on positions of power earned through violence while the older generation feels helpless to control it. There are high levels of blacks who have personally been responsible for more problems than solutions within their community than any white person can take credit for. This leaves a defensive mindset because blacks shudder to think about becoming the oppressors that they’ve rallied against for so long.
For the younger generation of both black and white community materialism has seemed to inundate both cultures. From Brittney Spears to Hannah Montana for the “white” subculture to DMX to Soulja Boy for the “black” culture. I think it’s important to see that these images – of flawless young beauty (for whites) and cold rich power (for blacks) – are profitable if they can be maintained. These are the images that are propagated and allowed because they fund so many sales from clothing styles to personality.
It is the market that is shaping todays youth and it is us as adults that have let it come this far. It is the market in fact that forces both blacks and whites to see blacks as a single culture (as if there shouldn’t be a progressive variety within the race) The thoughtful, unique person (regardless of color) is not profitable because their interests could lie anywhere on any number of spectrums and plains. We must emphasize on every level of community that it is personal actions that speak louder than any style of sneakers, hair, or cars. And these manufactured personalities in which both blacks and whites have supported for far too long need to be looked at as vehicles for those who did not have the ability to make their own life – something more sad than anything else. They chose to follow what seemed to be popular but is ultimately divisive and lonely (look at Brittney Spears today, look at the violence gangsta rap has promoted). Manufactured personalities do not bring happiness regardless of their claim – unity, progressive mindsets, and positive and moral attitudes do. And I think Obama recognizes this and he wants to make that happen.
Hey appreciate the comments. Obama is a refreshing choice and change, but I’m not holding my breath on the kind of changes he can make. I do think he is 1000 better than Hillary though.
You said it!