Thursday, November 06, 2008

The Obama post racial promise

Of course, it is true that white America has made great progress in curbing racism over the last 40 years. I believe, for example, that Colin Powell might well have been elected president in 1996 had he run against a then rather weak Bill Clinton. It is exactly because America has made such dramatic racial progress that whites today chafe so under the racist stigma. So I don't think whites really want change from Obama as much as they want documentation of change that has already occurred. They want him in the White House first of all as evidence, certification and recognition.

But there is an inherent contradiction in all this. When whites -- especially today's younger generation -- proudly support Obama for his post-racialism, they unwittingly embrace race as their primary motivation. They think and act racially, not post-racially. The point is that a post-racial society is a bargainer's ploy: It seduces whites with a vision of their racial innocence precisely to coerce them into acting out of a racial motivation. A real post-racialist could not be bargained with and would not care about displaying or documenting his racial innocence. Such a person would evaluate Obama politically rather than culturally.

From LAT here.

I didn't vote for Obama for his race. I voted against his politics (taxes, redistribution of wealth and health care, etc) and his radical associations to Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers. I voted on the issues, not the race of the candidate. The thing I did not like about Obama is he would say things about "typical white people" and how they cling to guns and religion. I say that we like our constitutional rights and freely worship the GOD of our choice. That's all. Many Americans of all races want freedom to choose how they live their life.

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