By “it’s always”, I’m pretty sure they mean “it would have”. Just having a half-black President doesn’t make the nation on a whole any less racist; it just proves that at least a 2% majority can overlook race for more important considerations, which we already knew.
Now I’m not saying that no one voted against Obama because he was black, but you have to be careful there as we really can’t know why people voted for McCain.
I voted for McCain and I thought Obama’s blackness was a plus to his candidacy, but disagreed with him on an issue dear to me.
To address the OP: I think oppression in this country is largely a passive thing caused by a history of active discrimination and so it won’t disappear overnight due to the monumental success of someone of that race. Also, we can’t take Obama’s success as a sign that all is well because, as far as I understand, he didn’t grow up in the environment of toxic poverty that far to many black children grow up in.
Are things better now? Yes. However, if you think of racism like a pollutant this country is like a factory that has drastically scaled back on how much it has produced, but we still have to clean up all the residue that is left over from before.
Also people can’t just declare or expect racism to vanish because a member of a group or even a group as a whole has obtained power. Like some people seem to expect/claim.
For example I was once told to my face that I wouldn’t be hired for a teaching job because I was a white male. The students didn’t like white males you see… :rolleyes: Now it cannot be denied that white males have power in this county, yet racism/sexism can still exist and it can still harm members of the group. Now it didn’t harm me overmuch because I just mentally said ‘screw them’ and found a position at different school, but shrugging off such idiocy cannot be so easily done by everyone and can, even if it is a minority view, significantly harm members of a group.
I suppose you mean well, but what? Are we back to the “whoever doesn’t vote for Obama is racist” thing? You’re saying 48% of voters were racist because they didn’t vote for your guy? Have you ever heard of Republicans and Democrats? 52-48 isn’t uncommon.
What is this half-black thing I keep hearing? Seriously, what is that about? Why does Obama always have to come with a half-black caveat? What does that mean?
He looks all black to me. So what?
“It would be facile to conclude from Obama’s election that racism is completely a thing of the past” ≠ “Everyone who didn’t vote for Obama was displaying racism”
More importantly, millions of African-Americans (by no means all of them) still suffer from a lot of problems which racism made, but which would persist for generations if racism vanished overnight and that were the only change. Let’s make sure it’s not.
And only 45% of white people voted for Obama. We have no idea how many white people voted for McCain for racial reasons, but this election only proves that at least 45% of white people can overlook race in a Presidential election. Much more did overlook race, of course, but that’s all we can prove, and it doesn’t say much.
However, I agree with the rest of your post (except for the part about who you voted for, of course).
Nope. Try reading for comprehension:
You tell me. Am I saying that, or did you just pull it out of your ass?
I suppose it would have been more meaningful for me to say “Just having a President doesn’t make the nation on a whole any less racist”?
So nothing. Why do you ask?
Who’s that?
I submit that there are still large areas that are racist, but a lot of the work has been done.
You’re the one who feels the need to call him half-black. Are you ever going to explain why, or just keep typing question marks?
I don’t believe racism and discrimination aren’t still issues for blacks in the U.S., but how come black leaders are always saying “There’s still A LOT of work to be done.” A lot? Really? I could buy “a moderate amount of work,” but “a lot?” You’re saying there hasn’t been significant progress? In any case, isn’t it more a matter of the older generation dying off than any sort of concerted societal effort?
Perhaps, astro, you should come to the Pit and read the thread about some of the racist comments people are hearing-if anything, it seems this election is bringing the jackasses out even MORE.
Hell, go read what the Freepers have to say.
I don’t feel any need to call him half-black. I prefer to call him President. I suppose I’ve referred to him as both black and half-black when his genealogy has come up. I’m wondering why you care so much; it was just the nearest relevant adjective when I typed that statement.
How did you make that connection? 
Those aren’t mutually exclusive. I think it’s fair to say that there’s been significant progress and there’s a lot of work to be done.
I keep hearing “half-black.” I’m curious why Obama is the “half-black” president. It’s the “nearest relevant adjective” to you. Why? Not just you, but everyone who keeps saying “half-black.”
Headline from the Onion: Black Man Given Nation’s Worst Job.
Apparently only one other person bothered applying for it.
Wasn’t his mother white? I saw the Irish were celebrating his Irish roots.
It’s really not a big deal to me. Not nearly as big a deal as it is to you, apparently.
Sounds a little like a straw man. Who exactly is playing this ‘racial victim card’ and what is the exact nature of this phenomenon?
What, you never heard of the black Irish?
Heh. As a friend of mine says… "Here’s my race card. The front says “Bitch…” the inside says “Please.”
levdrakon, I won’t speak for you, but I will admit this is a big deal for me.
After reading his book, I realized it is a big deal to him. And of course it is. He is raised being considered black by every single eye that rests on him. All of a sudden, when he becomes absurdly successful he is half black? I don’t blame him for rejecting that silliness.
I actually started a thread about this before. So yeah, it is a big deal for me.