Posted on 06/14/2009 4:32:36 PM PDT by LA Woman3
The realization recently hit: I voted for Barack Obama because of his skin color.
For a thoughtful, responsible voter, the admission was mildly jarring. Not that I regret having done it. I couldn’t be more proud.
I’ve never based my vote on superficial matters. I voted on the mandate, never the man (or woman).
Now I must admit that I mainly voted for Obama because he is black, like me.
This is not to say I didn’t like what he articulated for our sagging economy, our schools and for organizing the chaos of the Iraq war. But I have to admit that Obama’s race was important. He represents symbolic change in how our society perceives people like me.
The widespread image of black culture in America is discouraging. A Stanford University study last year found that 40 percent of white Americans polled held at least partly negative views about us.
Given a choice of positive and negative adjectives to describe blacks, 29 percent said “complaining” applied. Twenty percent said “violent.” Thirteen percent said “lazy.” Eleven percent said “irresponsible.”
And I certainly do not believe that most whites are racists. Rather, images of blacks in the mainstream media condition people of all colors to think, if not the worst, then certainly not the best about us.
Blacks don’t always help dispel these images. Examine our own culture and pop culture: Crayons in fist, we often draw, and then salute, a socially crippling caricature.
And so: Blacks make up roughly 11 percent of the population, but in the prison population they’re more than 44 percent.
Nationally, 93 percent of black men murdered annually will die at the hands of another black man. And more than 70 percent of black children are born out of wedlock.
Obama’s presidency can change so much.
Growing up in Tyler, I was nerdy. Worse, I wasn’t coordinated enough to succeed in where most African-Americans in my community got recognized: sports.
My dream? Not to be a pro jock but to be president. It sounded outrageous as to draw laughs. “You’re crazy,” my stepfather retorted. “America is never going to elect a black man president.”
For whites, Obama’s historic achievement occasions for them a chance to see and experience a side of black culture that runs counter to stereotypes. For blacks, it gives us a chance to rewrite our collective narrative.
I’m not so naïve as to think this president is the elixir to cure America’s race problems. I’m acutely aware of those who still face the deep-cutting sword of systematic oppression.
So I temper my hopes. But those hopes are now realistic — and largely because of this historic election. It officially has placed America on a path to fulfill and protect the boldest assertion of our founding principles, “That all men are created equal.”
That is why I voted for Barack Obama. It may seem superficial, vain, even pathetic. But it is change that I believe in.
Chris Scott, a 2004 graduate of Baylor University and a former candidate for the Waco city council, is pursuing a Master’s of Divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary.
W. Williams crying on fox was disgusting. He is OK and seems like a decent person. I could understand his feelings but I did not like that at all on election nite. To think these jokers can put all this race stuff above having a good country is crazy.
I believe you, yet I want to say unbelievable.
Where the hell you been??????
She started to cry ? Wow you preached a very good sermon.
“since skin color is the only qualification he has.”
That’s not a qualification.
Zero is the best description of the Kenyan.
What scares me are his Chicago mob handlers that write the script pit up on his teleprompters.
Just another public school educated self esteem idiot that actually believed the state runned media and voted for “hope and change” without actually checking under the hood. THANKS you jerk for getting this phony elected. And thanks for keeping the anti American democrats in majority power. And thanks for the impending attack on our country. And thanks for all the bad guys in the world looking as the USA as weak. And thanks for a return to the world of Jimma Carter with a vengenance. JEEZ, if I were king like obamabi, NO ONE could vote unless they owned property and could read and write ENGLISH.
She cries easy...that’s why she’s an Obama supporter.
It happened. If you met this girl, you wouldn’t be surprised.
The author just proved he’s a racist.
When Obama said "Change," he meant it. But I don't think the populace's definition of "change" is what Obama has in mind. He means "change" as in "Third world economy, destroying Capitalism, castration of the military, food shortages, healthcare rationing, putting your political enemies on trial, and politics you can die for." CHANGE you can believe it. (TM)
And you're proud of it. That's makes you even dumber.
Exactly. I think you we gotta give the writer of this article some slack. Anyone begrudging a black person from having the chance to vote for a black person for president is being unrealistic. Of course it's based on race. Of course it's based on emotion. And of course we had to go through it in order to move on.
The sad part is that the flim flam man in the White House has benefited all the way through from where we happened to be in history at the time. But it's one thing to get the position and another to be truly great at it. The next time around in 2012, there will be more jaundiced eyes afoot (both black and white), and that will be more on the merits. However, after Obama leaves, the vast majority of nobles oblige considerations will go with him.
Then, America will have advanced closer to its credo and real competition on the merits will begin to return to the forefront...at least that is my hope.
**(”I voted for Barack Obama because of his skin color”)**
I didn’t vote for Obortion Obama, but I think this was the main reason he got elected.
<Tin foil hat on.
This idiot is a fool. Obozo will destroy chances for a real black man to ever acheive POTUS.
Hmmm, ok!
Nationally, 93 percent of black men murdered annually will die at the hands of another black man. And more than 70 percent of black children are born out of wedlock.
Um, what were you saying about the partly negative image of black culture, again?
This guy's comments are typical of Obama supporters.
I’m not so naïve as to think this president is the elixir to cure America’s race problems. I’m acutely aware of those who still face the deep-cutting sword of systematic oppression.
Liberalism in action! If anyone is oppressing people, it's Obama. He singlehandedly has destroyed the car industry, the housing mortgage industry, and Wall Street. He is systematically destroying the markets and undermining capitalism. Obama is the one who is further deepening the racial divide by bringing race into his candidacy (regardless of qualifications), and later his presidency. Further, he has weakened and sabotaged our national security.
In short, Obama is a disaster, and there is nothing at all to be proud about his presidency, except that.... well, he is the first black president from Kenya.
It has already...
Highest unemployment in 25 years...
Rising interest rates
Stagnant economy...
Government in control of corporations
Government telling you how much you can make.
Government running AIG
Highest deficit IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD
More spending in 100 days than in 220+ years
But, it's OK, he's black.....he's the man!
Feh.
Don't worry about it. Most will be too willfully ignorant to ever take notice.
There should be an IQ test for voter registration.
You obviously didn't hear a freakin thing he said!
He told us he was gonna sell us into slavery. And he HAS!
Oh Yeah
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