Barack Obama is NOT BLACK

[blessed]

He is half-black, half-white.

Why are all these racists making such a big deal of him being black, because he isn't, he is HALF-BLACK and HALF-WHITE.

[BertiWooster]

Isn't it sad that one's skin colour should matter to some people , quite the way it does , given that we are all made out of the same star dust

[reffgt]

Really does it matter what colour he is or isn't. As long as he can actually do something for his country thats good, whats the problem. Now if he does something about going to war and this country actually takes note so that fighting anywhere in this awful world I don't care what colour they are.

[anotheoldgit]

Skin colour should make no difference whatsoever, it is all down to how people conduct themselves. If a person demands something because they are white, then that is wrong, equally if a person demands something because they are Black then that is also wrong.

What lets some Black people down is when they constantly bring up the subject of slavery . This happend many many years ago, yes it was atrocious but now is the time to move on.

In fact in some ways it did some good, especially to the slaves decendants, because they are now much better off than if they had been born in Africa, and I don't think there are now many that have any wish to return to their roots in Africa.

[jno]

nice try, oldgit: 'The Lighter Side of Slavery!' But I'm guessing you haven't been enslaved recently?

[Quinlad]

AOG has made a good point. All of this was a long time ago. We should start again with a clean slate - as of now.

That means ignoring the slavery that went on hundreds of years ago. It also means that anyone currently in this country, whatever their ethnicity or family history, is just as British as the next person.

Or does the 'long time ago' argument only work when it suits?

[dundurn]

The fact is that in the USA for as long as you can be identified as 'not 100% white', you are black. The 'good' news is that the 'black' community is happy to claim all of these 'in-between' people as black. It tends to reserve its venom for those who elect to 'pass for white' (horrible phrase) or who act as though they do. Obama is getting some backlash in this area since his black heritage is actually first generation Kenyan rather than Afro-American slave. There are some from the generation which participated in the Civil Rights Movement who see it as somewhat 'unfair' that Obama is (as they see it) benefitting from their struggle without 'paying his dues'. The situation is not dissimilar to those Democrats who saw the nomination as Hillary Clinton's by right and who objected to anyone else even standing against her.

The uncomfortable truth is that a large percentage of 'black' Americans and Caribbean immigrants to this country are not genetically 'pure' anything. In this respect they are no different from most of the rest of us. How this happened in their case may have been the result of a voluntary relationship which challenged the social views of its day. More likely, however, it was as a result of rape or at the least sexual contact within a master/ slave context. So not necessarily something for the white community to claim in anything like a hurry and not necessarily something for the 'black' community to want to dwell on either.

[justmetoo]

thank goodness, bri....does it matter what his skin colour is...????? geez guys.....for pitys sake.....

[Quinlad]

This entire argument handily ignores some basics. When mixed race Americans were being denied the vote, lynched, told to stand up on buses, overlooked for jobs, bullied at school, denied accomodation etc, they would have got nowhere by saying 'But my dad's white!'

So is it any wonder they align themselves with the black community's struggle for acceptance?

And is it also any wonder that the black community sees it as a massive step forward that a fellow non-white is about to win a job that until now has been the preserve of the middle-aged white males?

I don't see what's wrong with that really.

[funnygirl]

Rosa Parks sat, so Martin L King could walk�

Martin L King walked so Obama could run�.

Obama is running so our children could Fly.

[BertiWooster]

Indeed , funny girl

Sadly , the trouble is there is still a lot of people , who openly and secretly want to clip the wings , in order to stop them flying

[blessed]

There is overt racism going on here, black on non-black racism. The media are full of it, the "first black American president", yes true - but is this not racism? Yes it is, it is preferential opinion based on race.

He will be elected, and expect an orgy of blackness and black-related everything. It's going to be a good time to leap for the off switch while history is re-written.

[Quinlad]

What's preferential about saying he's the first black American president?

What's made you so angry? Is everything okay?

[blessed]

Quinlad, Obama is a first-class choice for US President. A committed evangelical Christian (good!) and I'm not bothered about his colour or race.

What I am concerned about is how much "Black is Perfect" is going to ride on the back of this. It is ok to go on and on about "black" now. Could you mention "white" in the same context?

[jno]

glad to hear you're unconcerned about his race. Why so concerned about his religion?

[blessed]

jno, because I would be delighted that the most powerful man in the world was a committed Christian and because I believe in the essential truths of that faith. I expect you probably think it is all hogwash, but then you do sometimes come across as rather bitter.

[jno]

I've never said anything remotely bitter about religion. But just for the record, all American presidents since I don't know when have been devout Christians. So was Tony Blair. Has it made any difference?

[brionon]

First it was ******,then Negro,then Coloured,then Black, then Afro-American and now ? Mixed Race ? May I suggest Man/Woman ?