Thread: 'Tis A Good Week To Be Black

Originally Posted by roughneck

That didn't really answer the question.

I think to qualify as racism it has to be an exclusionary act. Meaning that folks who voted would have to say

"I am purposefully not voting for this candidate because of his/her race" Rather than "I am voting for this candidate For his race"

The difference is subtle but sure to me. In one act, the act itself is directly and intentionally against some one. In the other it is indirectly against someone and lacks the pejorative feel of the first.

But you can argue definitions all day long and twice on Sunday. So, you know...

racism |ˈrāˌsizəm|
noun
the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, esp. so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
• prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on such a belief.


-Rob

Originally Posted by sicboater

But you can argue definitions all day long and twice on Sunday. So, you know...


-Rob

Thanks Rob, we'll probably do that!

I am sure you guys will!

*buries his head back in a book*

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

Thanks Rob, we'll probably do that!

Originally Posted by sicboater

I think to qualify as racism it has to be an exclusionary act. Meaning that folks who voted would have to say

"I am purposefully not voting for this candidate because of his/her race" Rather than "I am voting for this candidate For his race"

The difference is subtle but sure to me. In one act, the act itself is directly and intentionally against some one. In the other it is indirectly against someone and lacks the pejorative feel of the first.
-Rob

I see. so, if I don't want to be labeled racist, instead of marching around shouting "down with [some ethnicity not my own]" and "[some ethnic minority] suck!" I need to march around saying how good my own race is? like, marching around and shouting "white power! white power!"

I ask merely for information. /sarcasm

saying something good about a particular race is every bit as racist as saying something bad. you are making an assumption about everyone in the group, whether good or bad, based on averages, whether real or perceived. that's collectivism, and i'm not ok with it.

Originally Posted by jockeys

saying something good about a particular race is every bit as racist as saying something bad. you are making an assumption about everyone in the group, whether good or bad, based on averages, whether real or perceived. that's collectivism, and i'm not ok with it.

It is obvious you are white and never been the victim of that collectivism that excluded you and your family from the rights of your fellow American. I am guessing you have no relatives that have been dragged behind a truck or lynched because of the color of their skin. Hey there, Mr Compassion, can't you see it in your heart to allow the down trodden the opportunity to rise?

Don't worry, Obama will work for all Americans.

Originally Posted by jockeys

I see. so, if I don't want to be labeled racist, instead of marching around shouting "down with [some ethnicity not my own]" and "[some ethnic minority] suck!" I need to march around saying how good my own race is? like, marching around and shouting "white power! white power!"

That isn't saying anything positive about your race. It is a call to action. You need to shout "whites rule! whites rule!"

I ask merely for information. /sarcasm
This is clever in its construct! a sincere sarcastic statement /off topic


saying something good about a particular race is every bit as racist as saying something bad. you are making an assumption about everyone in the group, whether good or bad, based on averages, whether real or perceived. that's collectivism, and i'm not ok with it.

I would agree that it is collectivism, but not that it fits the definitions I can find of racism. I am debating the language here, BTW, not the idea.

Now if you believe that one race is superior over another, that qualifies as racisim (again just the defs I found).

To that end, you would need to prove that someone voted for Obama because that person believed that his race was superior. Not that it was historically significant. Or that they just like him because he is black. Like I wrote earlier, it is all hair splitting to me on the language, I like words though.

-Rob

Originally Posted by icedog

It is obvious you are white and never been the victim of that collectivism that excluded you and your family from the rights of your fellow American. I am guessing you have no relatives that have been dragged behind a truck or lynched because of the color of their skin. Hey there, Mr Compassion, can't you see it in your heart to allow the down trodden the opportunity to rise?

Don't worry, Obama will work for all Americans.

second page of the thread, and already the ad hominems are flying. nice.

Maybe I’m just being thick but was Mr Obama born in Africa which would make him African? Which would also disbar him from running in the elections as he was not born in America. Or was he born in America which would make him an American so why call him an African does he hold dual citizenship so if he was born in America and had taken out African citizenship that would make him an American-African surely not the other way round.
It seems that America is more fragmented and racially dived now than it ever has been with African-Americans, Italian-Americans, Irish-Americans, German-Americans is there any AMERICANS in America surely the only people who can run in the elections are the native tribes people who are American-Americans as all the others put a different country/continent before the fact of being American, I’m English being born in England but I’m descended from in no particular order Scots, Irish, Welsh and Spanish does that make me an Scots-Irish-Welsh-Spanish-Englishman though I have a brother who for a long time people thought was Indian so I don’t know where that comes from in the linage, so come on people stop putting labels on yourself and others Mr Obama is an American he was born in America(not Africa) he does not need to apply for a green card he holds an American passport what difference his or anyone else’s colour.
My last point is it has been said that black Americans voted for him because he is black and that is how he won as there are more black Americans than white Americans (don’t know if this is true) if this is true how come Jessie Jackson was not the first black president when he tried to run for the job or was colour not as important then.
I wish Mr Obama a lot of luck he has a hard job ahead of him
Rant over

I don't know how many of you guys are old enough to have lived in the USA when it was segregated? I did in a segregated state. It is one thing to see old newsreels of dogs and fire hoses attacking demonstrators and another to have seen it when it was what was happening. People both black and white died just to give black people the right to vote and last night a black man was elected to the highest office in the land.

I am an old white guy who voted for President elect Obama because he is a brilliant man with a 95% pro labor voting record. The fact that he is black is a testimony to how far my country has come. To be honest I didn't think that he could win. I am happy he won and proud to be an American today.

Originally Posted by ragnost

It seems that America is more fragmented and racially dived now than it ever has been

Actually, the fact that Obama commanded such a large percentage of white male votes indicates quite the opposite. This, for the vast majority of Americans, was a vote on the issues and on the best person for the job. Whichever candidate is truly 'better' for the job, I feel that the results put to bed once and for all the spectre of race discrimination for almost every corner of the country. There will always be extremists, but we can see clearly that everyone else looked past such foolishness.

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