It recently came to my attention that I may have a reader or two out there. Thank you. :) I've been quiet of late mostly because of finals and travel, but also because I've been invited to contribute to another blog, www.timetokeepscore.com.
So, I'll post to both blogs concurrently until I figure out how else to handle these things.
Here's my most recent post from Time to Keep Score:
I'd like to ask the question, what is the true current state of racial affairs in America today? The question isn't a particularly easy one as metrics are difficult to come by, but I was intrigued by both a recent L.A. Times article (from the left) and your usual brand of right-wing-radio crackpot suggesting that the State of Race Relations in the Union is much stronger than is commonly believed.
It took moving to Texas as a kid to gain some level of understanding of how "the rest of the country" operates racially. Growing up in a fairly diverse yet economically strong area in Southern California, my racial viewpoint was shaped by a school experience with no strong racial majority and few socio-economic divisions. Even witnessing some of what the South has to offer to the racial outlook of the country, I've always had a skepticism towards the state of racial relations.
President Obama's election certainly has shown to the world that an individual who is not a WASP can be elected to one of the highest seats of power in the world. I've heard of polling data (sorry for no citation, I'll work on that) suggesting that 95% of Republicans would have gladly voted for a black person to be President if that person happened to have been a Republican also.
So are we living in a Post-Racist America? Are the problems related to race largely perpetuated and exaggerated by those with an agenda for doing so? (I'm talking to you, Jesse and Al.) I honestly can't say, but I suspect that, for the most part, White America on the racial side and Prosperous America on the economic side are more than happy to leave the door open for Minority or Poor America to enter in. And I hope they do.
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2 comments:
I thought about this very subject earlier in the day. Maybe it's because I grew up after the civil rights movement, or because I was taught (and accepted) the view that "all men are created equal", which included minorities, etc., but when Obama was elected as the first black president it wasn't earth shattering to me because I always saw every man as equal. It didn't have any special significance beyond the usual "first time for everything".
Then I thought to myself, "does that make me racist?" Should I feel a special attachment to Obama for being the first black president, beyond the usual excitement in a historical context? I didn't think it was overly special due to the fact that I didn't see him as an "under dog" for being black. I didn't see his race as being a hinderance to his cause. Should I have jumped up and down for joy after the election, and since I didn't am I now a racist?
Then I asked myself, "why am I even thinking/questioning this?" Political correctness will be the end of us all.
I take great offense at the benediction offered at Pres. Obama's inauguration. Are we now allowed to cry 'racist' when a black man says such horrible 'inuendos'? Yeeesh!
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