Why can't we talk about race?
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| Wed, 10-15-2008 - 4:35pm |
I've seen this come up here and elsewhere. In the *very strange* thread about Obama's birthplace (or something like that; I couldn't follow the propaganda, quite frankly), two posters said that they wish Michelle Obama had not referenced race. (I don't mean to point those individuals out but merely point out their posts.)
In a country where race is a huge elephant in the room, I don't understand why we shouldn't talk about it. Of course this election is about race. For the first time in our country's history, a black man is running for president on a major political party ticket.
It doesn't have to be a bad thing or a good thing. But race is a factor in this election. It's not necessarily a factor because of McCain or Palin or Obama or Biden -- but because one of the candidates is black. Likewise, gender is an issue, simply because we have a woman on the Republican ticket. Why avoid the topic? Why suggest that the candidates or their spouses not talk about it?
Laura

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>>I think it is silly to chastise blacks for not voting for Obama.
I agree. I think our country will have gained true parity when it is not assumed that blacks should vote for the black candidate or that gays should vote for the gay candidate, etc.
Laura
>>Two words: White guilt.
I'm afraid I need more than two words. *smile* Are you saying that we can't talk about race because whites feel guilty? Could you expound on that a bit?
Thanks.
Laura
>>many people feel "obligated" to vote for someone who is black to prove that they are not "racist."
Really? Is that why we have so many African Americans in public office? Is that why Michael Steele won his U.S. Senate race in Maryland? Or Alan Keyes? Or, to be nonpartisan, Harold Ford, Jr in Tennessee? (In case you're unfamiliar, none of these African-American men won election to the U.S. Senate.)
I think a much more effective way to prove that one is not racist is to carefully consider any biases one has, attempt to discard them, and then vote for the candidate who most reflect one's views and values.
I find your argument to be overly generalized and not supported by reality.
Laura
>>And that is your right. We will agree to disagree.
Well, yes, we will agree to disagree, since I don't have the same energy that others seem to in going around and around about these kinds of points. But I do want to say that refusing to counter an argument with facts or something more substantial than "that's your right" is a bizarre debate style (though incredibly common here). I get that you don't want to talk about it, but it begs the question: Why debate then? (And that's a hypothetical question. No need to respond, especially since I'm guessing your response will be as light-weight as this last one.)
Have a great day.
Laura
"I'm saying that because we finally have an African-American as the presidential candidate of one of the two major parties, race is an enormous issue in this election."
The problem is that there is so much focus on "group identity" (whether it is racial, or gender, or sexual orientation) that when you vote for someone outside "your group" you catch flak for it - as if your "group" is the single most important thing that identifies both you, and a potential candidate.
Unfortunately,
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