Victims of Stereotyping
I didn't vote for him. I just couldn't get past his scant years in a weighty public office or the fact that he wouldn't have been able to get a national security clearance due to his past associations. It also didn't bode well that he willingly sat under the tutelage of someone who preached hatred and vindictiveness, and had his daughters baptized in that establishment. If his skin were white, would people turn a blind eye to those facts? Those were the stoppers for me. I wonder why that didn't bother the majority of our nation.
Who is he? His mom was a white-skinned American and his dad a dark-skinned African, yet the media has constantly referred to him as black. How must that make his maternal relatives feel? He is biracial. A close family member of mine is married to a black person. Together, they have two beautiful children they lovingly refer to as "swirled". I love that term. To publicly refer to a person by the color of their skin is to marginalize that person, yet that is what I hear on every news station and read in every article about Obama. We are so much more than the color of our skin: Isn't that what this election was supposed to mean? Yet, it has perpetuated the opposite reality. Who is he, really? How does he view himself?
My local newspaper headline today was, "Obama inspires black community." It told of a woman whose great-great grandmother had been a slave and how she felt thrilled that our country's first black president was elected. NPR callers and guests voiced the same theme all week. I am thrilled, too, that our country has come this far, but I don't understand how the black community can see Obama as a role model. He does not share the same history: His paternal ancestors were not slaves; his father's people did not endure the horrendous injustices against dark-skinned people in our country. Obama himself never even had to face segregation here. The only commonality is that one of his parents had black skin. The other parent could likely be descended from people who owned slaves. In that way, his American heritage is closer to that of a slave owner than a slave. To infer or imply that the president-elect is of a certain culture or ethnicity based on the color of his skin is misguided. Further, to imply or infer he ascribes to the constructs of that culture or ethnic group is to enact a stereotype. Stereotyping propelled him to the presidency, not only stereotypes of who people want to believe Obama is but of who people believe McCain is as well. That is, another Bush.
I didn't vote for him. He is handsome and talks a good talk but I am not an easy sell. Talk is cheap. Now that it has been decided, I will watch for him to do as he promised. He wasn't my choice, but I've had a week to process, and can honestly say I believe a lot of positive things will come out of his presidency. I'm joining hands with family, friends, neighbors, Americans from all walks of life behind this man and doing my part to move our country onward and upwards.
Who is he? His mom was a white-skinned American and his dad a dark-skinned African, yet the media has constantly referred to him as black. How must that make his maternal relatives feel? He is biracial. A close family member of mine is married to a black person. Together, they have two beautiful children they lovingly refer to as "swirled". I love that term. To publicly refer to a person by the color of their skin is to marginalize that person, yet that is what I hear on every news station and read in every article about Obama. We are so much more than the color of our skin: Isn't that what this election was supposed to mean? Yet, it has perpetuated the opposite reality. Who is he, really? How does he view himself?
My local newspaper headline today was, "Obama inspires black community." It told of a woman whose great-great grandmother had been a slave and how she felt thrilled that our country's first black president was elected. NPR callers and guests voiced the same theme all week. I am thrilled, too, that our country has come this far, but I don't understand how the black community can see Obama as a role model. He does not share the same history: His paternal ancestors were not slaves; his father's people did not endure the horrendous injustices against dark-skinned people in our country. Obama himself never even had to face segregation here. The only commonality is that one of his parents had black skin. The other parent could likely be descended from people who owned slaves. In that way, his American heritage is closer to that of a slave owner than a slave. To infer or imply that the president-elect is of a certain culture or ethnicity based on the color of his skin is misguided. Further, to imply or infer he ascribes to the constructs of that culture or ethnic group is to enact a stereotype. Stereotyping propelled him to the presidency, not only stereotypes of who people want to believe Obama is but of who people believe McCain is as well. That is, another Bush.
I didn't vote for him. He is handsome and talks a good talk but I am not an easy sell. Talk is cheap. Now that it has been decided, I will watch for him to do as he promised. He wasn't my choice, but I've had a week to process, and can honestly say I believe a lot of positive things will come out of his presidency. I'm joining hands with family, friends, neighbors, Americans from all walks of life behind this man and doing my part to move our country onward and upwards.
Hi Shelli,
I read your blog twice regarding the election and know that it comes from your heart and is thoughtful and non-divisive. But, there are a couple of points I want to make.
One, is that there is a long history in this country (and others like South Africa) that one drop of black blood determines a person's race as black. We had a law in this country not too long ago that whites and blacks could not marry. What constitutes black? One drop of blood.
The other thing that I want to say is that discrimination against black people in the US is alive and well. Talk to any black person and you will hear them tell you of discrimination. I have a black friend who is a doctor in Ohio and he has been stopped by the police on the road more times than he can count. He calls it DWB - driving while black. He told me that he calls a friend when he is stopped and leaves his cell phone "on" just in case the police hassle him and he needs a "witness".
This is just one example of discrimination and it happens to blacks all the time. They are followed more often in stores by security people, ignored at checkout counters by clerks,assumed less educated by strangers.
Barack Obama may not have great grandparents who were slaves, but I am sure he has experienced many forms of discrimination in this great land of ours. Unfortunately, the color of his skin makes it inevitable.
I think it's wonderful that we have a black/swirled president! I hope that you and I and every other American continues to be proud of our new leader!
Peggy
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Shelli,
Both Jeremy and I think you should get this article published somewhere! If you don't mind, I will post this link to my facebook website. You have clearly stated our same apprehensions with everyone's excitement over our first "black" (we also like the term swirled) president. Well done!
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Thanks for reading! Sure, post a link to it. I'd love to open discourse about the part stereotyping has played in this election.
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Could not have said it better myself, Shelli. It makes me proud to know my children are deep thinkers, let alone the fact you CAN and DO think for yourself!
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