Daughter of slave votes for Obama

[SpencerH]

Great! I'm glad you believe that Caucasians who dont vote for Obama just cos he's African-American are not racist (as long as they think he's qualified).

[chequita guevara]

There's racism and there's racism. The problem is that the vulgar definition of racism: discrimination based on "race" (where the word discrimination does not necessarily mean oppression) is automatically bad versus the political definition of racism: oppression based on "race."

The silliness of the former can be shown by a simple example. If we wanted to make a move about the lives of slaves before the Civil War, we would need to hire Black actors. That would be discrimination based on race. Under the vulgar definition that many folks (especially conservatives want to use), that would be racism. That is absurd.

Racism only has real meaning if it is used to describe oppression. Thus, the vote of a woman who has been oppressed almost her whole life (two thirds of that life under the vile and despicable system known as Jim Crow--which is what Apartheid was based on) voting for someone who shares the color of her skin is not racism, because she is not oppressing anyone.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by rah
Ok, oh great thinkers. At what point is racism acceptable.

The way you are defining it makes it much more acceptable. Distrusting a race that has oppressed you and your people is racism? If so than doesn't that diminish the meaning of the term when using it to discribe oppressing a race.

Doing the math here. The woman was born in 1899 or so. While here father was born into slavery, he was not a slave at the time and she was not either. While she has lived (even conservatively 2/3 of her life under segragation, she has lived 1/3 of it during a more enlightened period. (even as to the point of the article, that even a black man is running for president) If this women is racist and passing her belief to the next generation, this is not acceptable to me.

Slavery actually lasted well into the 20th century. The Emancipation Proclamation simply made it illegal. Furthermore blacks have still been oppressed and discriminated against since then.

[Riesstiu IV]

Originally posted by VJ

White guilt is the only rationalization I can come up for a white person celebrating black racism.


you're redefining your thesis.

My message was that ignorant and counter-productive discrimination based on race (aka racism) is never justified. You can understand it, in the same way you can understand Stalin: by understanding the motivations, fears and the background of the person who acts irrationally.

I'm not celebrating black racism against white people. I'm not trying to celebrate any kind of racism. Your just focusing on one small area of my post. Your right "justified" was the wrong word to use. I sometimes mix up vocabulary when I write to quickly.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by rah
Ok, oh great thinkers. At what point is racism acceptable. Doing the math here. The woman was born in 1899 or so. While here father was born into slavery, he was not a slave at the time and she was not either. While she has lived (even conservatively 2/3 of her life under segragation, she has lived 1/3 of it during a more enlightened period. (even as to the point of the article, that even a black man is running for president) If this women is racist and passing her belief to the next generation, this is not acceptable to me.
I saw the racism of the previous generation and promised that I wouldn't pass it on. While I'll admit that while my father did a pretty good job, he wasn't perfect. You are the role model for your children. If they see you acting racist, they will think it's ok.

And yes, my first post was more joking while trying to make the point that I don't really think that since she's voting for Obama is anything big since she's voted consistently democrat all of her live. If it was hillary she'd still be voting for her and we'd be hearing that she's thrilled to be voting for a woman. But you guys are sooooo defensive.

Heck even I voted for Clinton on his second term. (of course some may say that this didn't count as voting for a dem since he was really a republican. )

So since you're mislabeling the elderly black voter in the OP as being racist because she's voting for Obama is it fair then for others to mislabel you as being racist for voting for McCain?

So everytime a black person votes for a black candidate they're racist. Everytime a white person votes for white candidate they're racist. You do not see how dumb this so-called "reasoning" is??

Oh, and I don't see anything inherently wrong with party-line voting. If voters value civil rights and believes one party is more strongly in favor of civil rights protection and enforcement compared to the other, then party-line voting makes sense in that respect.

[DinoDoc]

re story: So what?

[Winston]

Originally posted by rah
And unlike others, I hope she's voting in 2012 but has finally seen the light by then. Not THAT LIGHT.

So we're basically in agreement, then.

Originally posted by Winston
Let's hope she doesn't vote Democrat again in 2012.

---

Oh, oh, that guy Winston tried to be underhandedly funny at the expense of an Obama-voter. How outrageous! What respectable person would ever do a thing like that!

[dannubis]

So whishing someone to die is underhandedly funny... Again, classy

[MrFun]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
re story: So what?

We already know that you do not care about anything, period. Once again, your give-a-**** thingy is broken but that's nothing new.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by MrFun
We already know that you do not care about anything, period.

I don't see any reason to actually even attempt to give a **** about this story. Would you find it equally moving if I found a story about a wounded Iraq War vet or a person who lived in a socialist state who were McCain supporters?

[rah]

Originally posted by MrFun


So since you're mislabeling the elderly black voter in the OP as being racist because she's voting for Obama is it fair then for others to mislabel you as being racist for voting for McCain?

So everytime a black person votes for a black candidate they're racist. Everytime a white person votes for white candidate they're racist. You do not see how dumb this so-called "reasoning" is??

Oh, and I don't see anything inherently wrong with party-line voting. If voters value civil rights and believes one party is more strongly in favor of civil rights protection and enforcement compared to the other, then party-line voting makes sense in that respect.

I don't believe I said any such thing if you read all my responses. My point was I don't see her story as anything special. No matter who won the dem primary, she would have voted for them.

Or do you think we should be scouring the countryside looking for the oldest black person just to say she lived long enough to see a black candidate. This just seems silly. WE ALL GET IT. HE"S THE FIRST BLACK CANDIDATE.

We have no idea how negatively she's been impacted by descrimination.

And party-line voting isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you've done it 70 years in a row without exception, I don't think you're giving it enough thought so I believe no reasoning is actually taking place. She's just pressing the button.

[Boris Godunov]

Rah, where's the damn voting thread?

[MrFun]

X-posting; this is for DD.


Sure I would. In fact, I watched the mini-biography of McCain himself on CNN recently.

I have absolutely NO desire to even think about voting for McCain but at the same time, I realized that I found some of his background and his personal story moving and touching. I enjoyed learning more about McCain even if this doesn't change my voting decision.

If you're incapable of feeling compassion for those whom you disagree with on political issues and so on DD, then that says something about you and it ain't a good thing.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
re story: So what?

The fact that a person like this can vote for a black person to be president and that person is actually going to win means something, although less than the democrats are making it out to be.

[rah]

Yeah it means something but I think it's already been milked for all it's worth.

Damn, Yes, I need to set up the voting thread.