“Blacks, whites hear Obama differently,” Really?
|
A post by "C. Norris" To see more posts click here |
Aesthetically speaking, Americans, though I don’t know what percentage will admit it, are Black Americans.
I do not believe the President consciously slips between two worlds verbally. He just is a melting pot guy in a melting pot world. He is an amalgam of us: the Hiphopified. President Obama’s appeal crosses all lines of race, religion, gender, and ethnicity not because he subtly, deftly and subliminally drops breadcrumbs for us to follow, but because he is a modern American. He does not dwell on the past other than to remember its affirmations and cautions. He is able to eloquently and succinctly distill the hopes of most Americans in a turn of phrase that actually means something. He believes in the American dream — like we want to — and refuses to accept anything less — like we all wish we could.
President Obama sets standards of positivity; he is a true leader. I think we, as a nation, have been bereft of a unifying populist leader since JFK. We were due.
As for the hip-hopifying of America:
I will spare the reader a history lesson only to say that there are few places on earth — not even Branson, MO — you can escape the hip-hop aesthetic. But it begins with Black people€¦
As for race and being €œBlack:€
Firstly, no one gets to choose their parents. No one is at fault for being who they are at the genetic level. Race is something different, though; it is not necessarily quantified by genetics. Race, to me, is a cultural aesthetic and thus solely based on choice.
Secondly, the preponderance of hip-hop in modern global society is staggering. No one is immune to its aesthetic. Greater American society’s fear of and fascination with the African American man has borne fruit. At once, scapegoat & hero, the Black man in America has a truly American story. For the last 30 years, hip-hop elevated this scapegoat’s [Black man's] image and justified his existence. The irony of it was that, being the scapegoat for society’s failings, hip-hop and rap music gave this ill collection a voice and a swagger, but the message [music] transcended race and condition. It appealed to a broad swath of people because it provided a vehicle to expose and discuss issues affecting us all because we arguably heaped them all on the persona of the African American man. He/She threw it back at us in humor (usually) and anger (sometimes) and sometimes in code. But we all recognized some of it as our own.
Now hip-hop has its president; America has its president.
One of my best friends visited Ireland a couple of years ago. One of the first nights he went to a club [disco] and danced. After his first turn on the floor, he goes back to the bar and someone asks him if he’s an American. He said he was and asked him how he knew. The guy told him it was because he danced like a Black [person].
Politico Article entitled, Blacks, whites hear Obama Differently.
udothedishes….
I found your site on google, great site, keep it up. Will return in the future. Submitted this post to Google News Reader.
C Norris – Exceptionally written. I like your train of thought and i look forward to more of your posts!
Now on to my comment…
I have gotten into many heated debates about Obama being called our first black president. What I don’t understand is that for years black Americans have complaints about the “grandfather rule”…where if you have a drop of black blood in you, you are considered black.
So I said one day on my Facebook status (yes i’m religious about it), “we don’t have our first black President, we have our first mixed President” and a lot of black people commented in outrage,…some even saying,”They wanted the grandfather rule, and now they are trying to take it back and take him from us”,..like he’s the last piece of pumpkin pie at thanksgiving…WTF
Well, at the end of the day, I stand on my square and say he is the first mixed President. And you know what, yes, I can probably be called biast, as I am half-European and half-African, so I would try to rationalize who he is to fit my existence.
But at the end of the day, I argue that Obama does in fact reflect exactly who I am (minus the nationality status), and not a black American. He is a COLORED man, who happens to have been born in America to parents of two different races AND cultures. And so therefore, he represents all of us, and that is why I hate hearing the backlash against calling him our first mixed President.
I really wonder what the feel of our society would have been on him being President HAD he been a traditional black American, (i.e. of slave decent, born and raised in the US)…..?
any thoughts?
“Race is something different, though; it is not necessarily quantified by genetics. Race, to me, is a cultural aesthetic and thus solely based on choice.”
Could you clarify what you meant by this statement?? Its sounds as if you’re saying if a white person chooses to listen to hip hop and date solely black women etc. makes them Black, racially.
I slightly disagree w/ Miss Pavla and her thoughts about us having our First “Mixed” President. Myself being mixed (African and Latino) yearn for the day that job applications have that option to choose when they ask, “Race – optional”. Hypothetically, if there wasn’t a way to find out someone’s background, one can look at Barack and see a black man. Yes he’s a little on the light side, but you see a black man. People see me and see a black man. For the most part, people probably won’t take the time to find out one’s background, family tree, etc. The masses judge by the cover, lets just be real. Now if u feel like you want to stand on a limb and say he’s our first Mixed Prez, more power to you. my opinion, you’re making yourself sound foolish. Obama, after being elected, after all the “The first Black President” labeling in the news or wherever, not once, to my knowledge has he said, ” I’m actually the first mixed President, not first Black President.”
Still fueled solely by my own personal opinion, being of half African descent, I would think you would take more pride in that a black man, although mixed, is in the White House running things, and amidst of all the negative press a lot of black people take, the greatest thing that we have as a people, black and white and brown and yellow and whatever, you want to strip the label of “first Black President”??
The masses judge by the cover? That makes you sound like a hypocrite, after stating that you yearn for the day that the race box is optional, does it?
I’m not “stripping” him of anything, i’m simply calling him what he is. half and half. If anything, i’m “giving” him the other half if what he is.
To my knowledge as well, he has never said € I’m actually the first mixed President, not first Black President.€, and rightfully so. How stupid would that be of him? To “side” with a race…
I think he did exactly what he should have done,…smile and nod, and accept whatever opinions people have of who he is, because they all sum up to what he is anyway, whether someone views him as black ,or mixed, or even “white with a splash of color” ( which i have heard).
It just sounds like you’re more in touch with your black side JUST because people don’t see you as anything else. If they viewed you as mixed (like they do me) then maybe you’d be more accepting of viewing being “mixed” as a viable option to lumping everyone into one “color”. People like you relegate minorities by continuing to satisfy the classification criteria for the stupid “grandfather clause”.
Cochese –
Listening to hip-hop and dating exclusively Black women could be manifestations of this, yes, but not necessarily “calling cards.” Indeed, where do you draw the line?
I am using race and culture interchangeably. So yes, I am saying that a “white” person who chooses to immerse themselves in “black” culture/stereotype(s), whatever the definition may be, they are black (with an escape hatch). The converse is also true…to an extent. The choice — granted it is a modern privilege of a choice — is still a choice. It remains a matter of perspective. Is one seeing their situation from a “black” perspective or a “white” perspective or neither (as I do)?
People in my own family, immediate and extended, socialize themselves one way or another. It is very evident at our annual picnic. I am not disparaging anyone’s choice to identify with one sub-culture or another. I am just saying that it remains a choice regardless of genetics and, to some extent, physical attributes.
My article was saying that hip-hop has helped to blur all these distinctions we make to as we struggle with a national identity and — less and less — choose the (familiar/familial) comfort of our sub-cultures; categorizing ourselves as hyphenated Americans instead of just Americans.
Miss Pavla,
First of all, ROTFLMMFAO @ “white with a splash of color” I’ve never heard that personally but that’s pretty funny. I would say, “A lot of cream in his coffee.”
What I was saying about the job application thing, I yearn for the day they have the option “Mixed” to choose. What I’ve dealt with has been “Two or more races (non-hispanic origin)”, or “Black (non-hispanic origin). Now me being both races, I’m thinking to myself, “can i get a box that just says “Mixed”. That is what i yearn for. I think there was a slight misunderstanding on that issue. On most apps, the Race Boxes are already optional, but I choose to answer them, hence my yearning for the Mixed option to be there.
What I meant by “masses judge by the cover”, I’m saying peons like you and me, most likely aren’t going to take the time to go up to someone who appears to be black or white and say, “Excuse me, but are you mixed at all??” I use a quote from “Coming to America” when the barbers were debating who the greatest boxer of all times was. “His mama named him Clay, I’ma call him Clay!” if someone appears black or white of whatever race they may appear to be, most cases we’re going to assume that what they are. Do you always take the time to get to know someone’s ethnic background so that you won’t pre-judge them?? Really??
Obama is for the people, no matter what race. So of course he’s going to stay neutral, it wouldn’t be so “PC” if he stepped out and send, “I know I have a white family, but I’m African American” or vice versa. I’m just saying, if he wasn’t under such a microscope he would be viewed as just another black man and he MIGHT have some indian in his family because he’s white. My opinion, of course.
I do agree with you stating that if more viewed me as more mixed than black that I’d be more accepting to the view of being mixed and not just one “RACE” as so much “COLOR”. However I don’t agree with you when u say i relegate minorities….”grandfather clause”. I simply see what i see. If someone looks black, or white, or hispanic or asian or middle eastern, i’m going to assume that that’s the race they are. Am I wrong in doing so?? or should i go ask every person whether their mixed in some way? You’re right….no…I agree with you about the “grandfather clause” thing being stupid. if a person is 1/4 irish, does that automatically make them an Irish person?? Its to an individuals discretion on what they want to call themselves.
C. Norris-
Black with an escape hatch?? Even tho he has a white baby mama, is Eminem black cuz he raps?? Dave Matthews’ band members white cuz they play what ever it is type music they play?? Sorry dude, but i think i still need a little more clarification on that one.
“mixed” makes him sound like something of a recipe. He’s a black man. not a “mixed” man. Clearly, the color of his skin is what we call “black” in this country- or african-american- whatever. He for sure is of African decent and he is for sure American.