This idea that the election of Barack Obama automatically strips all black people of any and all excuses they may have for the plight of black people in our country is more than a little bit offensive. Obama is a positive role model for black people. He’s also a positive role model for all children of single mothers, for children and parents of mixed race, and for every one that wasn’t born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
But that’s all he is…a positive role model. His mere existence doesn’t wash away systemic racism and poverty and broken schools. Pundits really ought to know better.
True, and well said.
I take exception to this bit, however:
What, in your experience, makes you think that?
“the plight of black people” than Ms. Barras?
what’s that supposed to mean?
Dunno, Jonetta Rose Barras is:
http://images.google.com/images?q=Jonetta%20Rose%20Barras
so…
a black person for quite a while now.
that’s fascinating.
So has Clarence Thomas, and Armstrong Williams, and Ward Connerly, and…
I was walking along the beach a few days ago and a mother was walking her young son (maybe seven or eight) ahead of me. The mom was white and the boy was mixed race.
The kid was doing what little kids do, jump, kick, pirouette. There was a hunk of cement and someone had stenciled a picture of Obama and the kid was excited to point it out.
And that was nice. And I would never want to downplay the benefits of a positive role model, that someone who looks like you succeeds. But there’s still so much racism in so many hearts that only a fool or a media pundit would suggest that Obama’s election changes much, at least in the hearts of the racists. And that’s change that’s needed.
…I was caught off-guard watching Larry King the other day when they put the question to the viewers whether Obama’s election means we no longer need affirmative action in the US. I don’t know why I should have been surprised; I guess I just wasn’t expecting to hear it from CNN first, or at least not Larry King.