By Manila Ryce
Published Tuesday, February 13th, 2007, 6:02 am
Filed under: Videos: Political, Society/Culture: Racism, Society/Culture, Videos, US Politics

9 Responses to “The Daily Show: Is Obama too Black or Not Black Enough for Black People?”

1. One of my favorite daily show bits in a long time! I’d like to find more serious info, though, about the Obama and the African-American community.

   Nathan
   02/13/07 at 9:43 am
   

2. “Obarometer”

   That is my new favorite term

   Jay (Jakanden)
   02/13/07 at 1:47 pm
   
3. 

   Man, we truly laugh to keep from crying sometimes. All the work so many have done throughout history to bring the Dr. King Dream to life, particularly the whole “color of their skin vs the content of their character” thing, just to have the exact opposite happen. The last people I would ever have thought to be focused on Obama’s “blackness” are black people! I mean, I expect this racist shit from the Republican Conservatives, but What the Fuck is going on?
   But you know what? Fuck it, man!
   If the worst thing that can be thrown at Obama is that “his father was born free in Kenya,” then I think a vote for him is pretty much a no brainer. Oops, there I go, getting all rational again…

   PapaFigue
   02/13/07 at 4:14 pm
   
4. 

   @Nathan
   I’ll do what I can. I hope this whole race issue subsides, but if it continues to grow I’ll be reporting it.

   @Jay
   Thanks. Maybe I’ll be nominated with Colbert for a word of the year award.

   @PapaFigue
   I feel your pain. Since you and I are both minorities, we both know that some of the most racist people are minorities themselves. Perhaps this is because it’s permissible within certain minority groups to be racist. I attribute this to an exclusionary “us against everyone else” mentality. In most white circles, racism is generally unacceptable and you’ll likely get called out for being a racist. Certainly these are generalizations as there are obviously openly racist whites and non-racist minorities, but the amount of complicity for racism within each group seems unbalanced. Just look at the stand-up routine of a white comic compared to a black comic if you need proof of this. I see this gradually starting to change though. As minorities get more representation in the media and politics, so too does our sense of rejection diminish. The whole “is Obama black enough?” tirade appears to be a test to see which side he’s on for people who have the “us versus them” mentality. If Obama were to win the presidency it may actually help the black community feel a greater sense of belonging, allowing certain individuals to drop the defensive “us versus them” attitude which is the cause of most minority-based racism. That’s my theory anyway. The best plan to completely end racism is for us to just mix the gene pool around until everyone’s got a little bit of everything in them. Okay, maybe not the best plan, but the most fun.

   Manila Ryce
   02/14/07 at 12:47 am
   

5. It’s not a matter of race, or “us versus them,” it’s a matter of choice and history. African-American’s have an unique history in this country, which Obama does not share. Hillary Clinton is a known, she and Bill have close ties to the African-American communities, a proven track record and that is what matters. One should not expect automatic support because color of skin is the same. It is not unusual for African-Americans to support candidates who don’t share the same skin color. Just a question: when whites support only white candidates, is that racist? Obama is lucky that he comes from free people, as do most African immigrants. You could say that there are two groups of African-Americans, with different histories in the US: one of freedom and the other of enslavement and a struggle against terrorism. Both groups live with the indignities of racism and discrimination, so I think it’s just a matter of those with almost 400 years of history in this country, (first slaves around 1619) getting to know the newcomer.

   Madame
   02/14/07 at 5:13 am
   
6. 

   @Madame:
   Yes, I am aware of all this. I know that the blacks in America have ancestors that were forcibly ripped from their native cultures and freedom in order to build this country. The issue of contention here, however, is that just because Obama does not necessarily share that history, it somehow makes him less Black, less African American. It’s absurd. (btw-I don’t think either of us know enough about his history to even make that assumption. Liberia in Africa was a country founded by Free Slaves. This considered with the over 400 years of slavery in the Americas, I would think it at least possible that one of Obama’s ancestors might have made the return trip…)
   As Manila Ryce pointed out, the cancer of racism and prejudice is prevailent in all people, but to a particularly alarming degree in the minorities historically considered ‘victims.’ It’s easy to call out the white supremist, but what does one say to an Asian American kid, for example, born here, who calls new Asian immigrants FOBs? Does actually being from China or Japan make you less Asian than the Asians in America once you’re in America? And what about “White” People? If you’re here and are ignorant of your heritage, that makes you somehow more “White” than another American, immigrant or otherwise, who is proud of their Lithuanian, Irish, Italian, etc. heritage?
   I hope you see know how absurd this thinking is. And I trust that you do realize that, when it comes to the content of character and the words of the man himself, or for any person for that matter, these things are more important than shade or cultural identity.
   At least they should be.

   PapaFigue
   02/14/07 at 7:46 am
   

7. Dear Papa,

   I understand many things about the United States. Not all things are strictly about race and in this case I think the problem is a mix of cultural nationalism, and racism.

   “Double consciousness is an awareness of one’s self as well as an awareness of how others perceive that person. The danger of double consciousness resides in conforming and or changing one’s identity to that of how others perceive the person.” (W.E.B. duBoise - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_consciousness)

   History drives double consciousness which can lead to self-hatred when it comes to identity. To become American is to shed many vestiges of the mother country. Nineteenth century Americans were hostile towards European immigrants and those hostile attitudes have been picked up by a new generation. For example, I watched a video where a perhaps 10 year-old African-American girl made ooga booga noises at a black immigrant and then yelled, “you’re in America, speak English.” Why did she do that? Because he is black or because of his accent, mode of dress, values? Did that black immigrant serve as a reminder of what “Amerika” says is wrong with being black, with black skin, black ways or what is wrong with immigrants and immigrant ways? All of the above? That man is what the little girl understands that she must fight against to be accepted, to be American and “white:” white not as a skin color, but as a road map social and cultural acceptance. The black immigrant is the example by which the girl is judged and struggles against. Here again, in her mind, what is the struggle about? I think that this example can be applied to young Asians, Latinos, Europeans and Russians who are ashamed of their immigrant parents. The kid who says FOB is carrying on a tradition of nationalism expressed with racist language. S/he believes in this rejection in favor of “white” or “American” which is confirmed by media images and friends. Is s/he the same as a white supremacist? White supremacy is often equated with white nationalism and vice versa. It all depends. Is s/he rejecting the immigrant, the race or both? It is necessary to understand the origin and the reason in order to formulate a response.

   So that’s my answer and I stand by what I said in my response to Manila.

   Barack Obama’s father (deceased) was Kenyan, born in Alego, a village in Nyanza Province, Kenyaand. (see the wiki Obama).

   Regards,
   Madame

   Madame
   02/14/07 at 4:45 pm
   
8. 

   @Madame
   First of all, Wiki Facts aren’t really facts. There is a big difference between Consensual Reality and Actual Reality.
   Also, what you put about his history didn’t really cover his ancestry 400 years back. Not that I claim to know anything about it either, though. I’m merely speculating. You must admit It’s a reasonable and valid hypothesis, and if it turns out that Obama actually DID have enslaved ancestors, then wouldn’t that just fuck everything up for a huge group of ignorant bastards?

   Which leads me to my second point; I get all of what you said. I understand the mentality and “the origin and reason” behind racism, prejudice, and stereotypes. Nothing you have written in the last two posts about self hatred and xenophobia is anything less than sociological fact. (”double consciousness,” that’s cute. The Wiki people read 1984 at some point…) However, My original point, that the ignorant mentality of racism and prejudice is Absurd, has yet to be disproven. Good luck defending this viewpoint, and I’m sorry you failed here. Call it bias or what you will, but I will never accept Willful Ignorance as a sensible and rational perspective for making important decisions, like say, picking the next president.

   On the other hand, people are free to make up their own minds, or at least what passes for a mind these days. I sure will miss America when it’s gone…

   Cheers!

   PapaFigue
   02/15/07 at 12:36 am
   

9. […] By now I imagine you’ve all gotten over the disappointment which is Barack Obama. You know, the candidate who wants to be like Hillary, who wants to be like Lieberman, who wants to be like Bush, who wants to be like Cheney. I don’t think anyone here was ever fooled into believing Barack was an anti-war candidate, but I personally didn’t expect him to make the incredibly stupid move of threatening Pakistan with military action. As if Hillary’s spin wasn’t devastating enough, now he’s being pwnd by Pakistani officials too. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister called Obama’s statement irresponsible, and said; “As the election campaign in America is heating up we would not like American candidates to fight their elections and contest elections at our expense.” Ouch. The Obarometer just hit a new low. […]

   The Daily Show – Who put the bomb in Obama? By Manila Ryce « Dandelion Salad
   08/4/07 at 5:00 am
   

Leave a Reply