Obama's skin

I made one interesting connection.

I’m a fan of Formula1 auto racing. For those who don’t know this year Lewis Hamilton won the championship. When Hamilton won the championship I heard announcers repeatedly mention that he was the first British driver to win the championship since Damon Hill won it in 1996. A lot was made that Hamilton was the youngest driver to ever lead in the championship last year, came closer than any previous rookie to being world champion (lost by a single point), and this year is the youngest world champion ever.

The interesting thing to me as an American is the Lewis Hamilton is black and I rarely heard any mention of it from the European press. Hamilton was the first black driver, the first black driver to win a gran prix, and the first to win the championship. The European press often mentioned his nationality and age but his race didn’t seem to even be a topic of conversation. On TV coverage I only heard it mentioned parenthetically after he won the championship.

Contrast this to America where when you are a minority the color of your skin is always a topic of conversation.

I look forward to the day when someone’s skin color is as trivial as their eye or hair color. I think we are still along way from that goal though.

Basing any decision on the merit of skin color is by definition racism. Good or bad. This is the hypocrisy that affirmative action opponents have argued since its inception. Same goes for presidential candidates. The fact that this election has been labeled momentous/historic because of race illustrates that racism is another method used in media manipulation. Not until the race of the individual considered is no longer mentioned can we say that racism is no longer prevalent.

What about African-American voters voting in favor of a black President? If this was a determining factor in their decision making process… then they are practicing racism. Instead we define racism as something practiced by whites. This is as unfair as the racism that whites have been guilty of past and present.

Yes… the U.S. has had an “incredibly racist past”… I challenge anyone to provide a civlization of any measure without an “incredibly racist past.” From Romans to Tutsis there has been racial strife.

I argue that racism is a form of tribalism and ingrained in the human male from time immemorial and inherent in each and every race. Unlike most anthroplogical determinists I cannot speak to its being justified because of its innateness… only of its existence and that failing to acknowledge its presence in more than the white races of mankind serves only to confuse the matter and aids its continuance.

Here again people are being misled by their own self-righteousness into castigation that isn’t race based but nonetheless as despicable. We choose groups to hate… we have an easier time hating them if they themselves are bigots… and fail to see the humanity within us all. Humanity that equalizes us all in good and bad traits… and deserves humane consideration by us all.

Your neighborhood nazi is still a human being. The last thing we need is one-sided condemnation across the board.

“He is just another president to me.”

While that is true to a lot of people and should be, the fact that he is black should not be ignored. He IS the first ever black president in a country that once was slavery legal. You have to remember how far african american’s have come in this country. That is why it’s such a huge deal.

You have to take into account the incredibly racist past of America to understand why this is a big change and a big step in showing the world that America is really a “land of the free and the home of the brave”..

It is a huge day in history. Although black men had the right to vote in the 1800’s it wasn’t until 1965 that they were guaranteed the right to vote and I am very happy to know that they exercised their right and made a difference yesterday.

they say that because they’re just stating the factss. it wasnt racism, because in case you didnt realize, he won. by a like a lot.. so obviously MOST of america is not racist, but just saying what they see. besides, they like showing off how far african americans have come since slavery and all.

I wish amblessed was more like Phrannie instead of a crazy sore loser.

Anyway, it’s because Obama IS black. First black president. Well, half black. It IS a big deal. Maybe not to you, because you’re a young white person. But to many older African Americans and whites, it IS a big deal.

My mom cried. (Happy tears, of course)

‘Content of his character’ ignored - we ‘re going to get change, positive or negative, we shall see.

WTF!!! 1ST OF ALL THEY SAY “EXCUSE ME” WE SAY HE MADE HISTORY BECAUSE HE IS THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT EVER, SO… WHAT THE HECK DOES THAT MEAN, THATS HISTORY RIGHT DODO BRAIN!!! YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE THE DUMBEST PERSON ON EARTH TO NOT GET THAT, OR IS IT THAT YOU JUST DONT WANT TO GET IT??? OK YEAH HE COULD BE JUST ANOTHER PRESIDENT, BUT HES ALSO THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT NITWIT… AND THATS HOW HE MADE HISTORY,

Those who think Obama was elected because he is black…or those who voted for McCain. did so because he is white…are closer to racists than most of the people who voted. It’s way more of an Idealogical difference than anything else.

Jack Kennedy was the first Catholic to be elected president (people “feared” he’d take orders from the Pope)…fear is at the bottom of this type of thinking…rational fear is healthy, irrational fear makes people do stupid things and think stupid thoughts.

Obama won because he is inspiring…I think, that’s his big quality…and eloquent…now is when we’ll see if eloquent equates to empty…time…I’m willing to wait and see.

p

amblessed, seriously you’re getting a little irritating… why are you copying and pasting the same thing on every single politics page you find?

and like mysterwolf says, this truly does show that America is moving forward (either that or they had it with the Republican party…)