# Because he's black of course! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 18, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901 "2012-01-18T13:58:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/1 "2012-01-18T13:58:50Z")
What’s the best example… by the most prominent person…who’s said or acted the most negatively …toward Obama because he is black? What’s the worst example… by the most prominent person …who’s claimed that Obama has been dissed because he is black? ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/2 "2012-01-18T14:21:22Z")
Why did you do that? You know what. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/3 "2012-01-18T14:41:39Z")
I think polls go in IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/4 "2012-01-18T14:43:19Z")
I’m confused by what “best” and “worst” means in this context. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/5 "2012-01-18T14:45:53Z")
I think the birther thing was partially, but not totally due to Obama’s race. As there were several Senators, GOP primary candidates and one VP candidate who suggested that Obama wasn’t born a US citizen, I think thats probably the “best” example of Obama being dissed due to his race, where I’m taking “best” to mean “involved the most prominant or visible people.” ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/6 "2012-01-18T14:52:42Z")
Well, for the first part, got to go with the whole Birther thing, really, although Gingrich’s recent attempts to establish the catchphrase “food stamp President” are an impressive effort as well. Second part, no opinion, except that such blatant misuse of ellipses makes the Baby Jesus cry. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/7 "2012-01-18T16:15:31Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > What’s the best example… by the most prominent person… “Most prominent person”? That seems a bit dodgy, since you can expect that prominent people are the most likely to express racism relatively subtly or anonymously or through proxies. And the Republicans are deeply, pervasively racist; there’s no individual “racist guy” who is the main source of the problem. And I’ve no idea who came up with some of the really obnoxious stuff, like the image of the White House surrounded with watermelons or portraying Michelle Obama as a monkey. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/8 "2012-01-18T18:47:28Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Why did you do that? > > You know what. No I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/9 "2012-01-18T18:50:42Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I’m confused by what “best” and “worst” means in this context. Sorry… 1. Looking for the best argument/examples that liberals can make for the often made allegation that Republicans hate Obama because of his skin color rather than his policies. 2. Looking for the worst example of making that allegation by somebody who owes the country better. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/10 "2012-01-18T18:55:18Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I think the birther thing was partially, but not totally due to Obama’s race. As there were several Senators, GOP primary candidates and one VP candidate who suggested that Obama wasn’t born a US citizen, I think thats probably the “best” example of Obama being dissed due to his race, where I’m taking “best” to mean “involved the most prominant or visible people.” Why does the birther thing even partially have to involve his race? Obviously any background provided by even the fairiest news media is likely to mention Kenya but that doesn’t mean anything. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/11 "2012-01-18T18:55:26Z")
Still don’t understand your #2. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/12 "2012-01-18T18:56:43Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Well, for the first part, got to go with the whole Birther thing, really, although Gingrich’s recent attempts to establish the catchphrase “food stamp President” are an impressive effort as well. > > Second part, no opinion, except that such blatant misuse of ellipses makes the Baby Jesus cry. Food stamp president… doesn’t have to involve race at all except for those that want it to… does it… well?? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/13 "2012-01-18T19:00:32Z")
For #1, you’d probably have to go with one of the state level folks who forwarded on the various racist monkey/gorilla/watermelon emails. I don’t remember any national level people doing that. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/14 "2012-01-18T19:02:24Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Food stamp president… doesn’t have to involve race at all except for those that want it to… does it… well?? When Gingrich wants to have the food stamp conversation at the NAACP national convention (and apparently no place else), it seems fairly clear that he at least thinks food stamps are a race thing. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/15 "2012-01-18T19:03:40Z")
Can I ask what you are trying to convey by constantly using … in your sentences? ---
**Author:** ![Condescending\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@Condescending\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Condescending_Robot)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/16 "2012-01-18T19:07:11Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Why does the birther thing even partially have to involve his race? Obviously any background provided by even the fairiest news media is likely to mention Kenya but that doesn’t mean anything. Because there was never a literal belief that Obama was not born in America, just an easy opportunity to repeat that he’s “not a REAL American” and “not LIKE YOU” while winking hard enough to sprain an eyelid. It always was code for “this black man holding power over us whites is not acceptable.” ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/17 "2012-01-18T19:31:18Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Why does the birther thing even partially have to involve his race? Obviously any background provided by even the fairiest news media is likely to mention Kenya but that doesn’t mean anything. That’s my point. It doesn’t mean anything. Obama’s actual connection to Kenya was minimal. But obviously it did mean something to a lot of people, in a way that McCain’s Panamanian birth or Romney’s father’s Mexican birth didn’t. It meant something to the point that a bunch of people were willing to espouse an obviously false conspiracy theory to draw attention to it. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/18 "2012-01-18T19:33:19Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > What’s the best example… by the most prominent person…who’s said or acted the most negatively …toward Obama because he is black? > > What’s the worst example… by the most prominent person …who’s claimed that Obama has been dissed because he is black? Well obviously… most people don’t overtly say… that it’s because he’s … black. It’s all kind of… between… the … lines. … ya know? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/19 "2012-01-18T19:49:43Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Food stamp president… doesn’t have to involve race at all except for those that want it to… does it… well?? Don’t you think you ought to wait a moment for an answer before adding the gratuitous ‘well?’ Meanwhile, here’s the thing: since you’ve apparently decided it’s more important to dick around with people who respond to you than to hold a conversation with them, I’ll leave you to talk to yourself. Cheers. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901/20 "2012-01-18T20:04:01Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Don’t you think you ought to wait a moment for an answer before adding the gratuitous ‘well?’ > > Meanwhile, here’s the thing: since you’ve apparently decided it’s more important to dick around with people who respond to you than to hold a conversation with them, I’ll leave you to talk to yourself. Cheers. Sorry to nitpick, but it shoud be: Don’t you think you ought to wait a moment…for an answer…before adding… the gratuitous ‘well?’… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/because-hes-black-of-course/609901.md?page=2)