The Triangle

Issue date: 10/31/08 Section: Ed-Op

Media Credit: Dave Hernandez

If this election has shown us anything, it has made very clear that there is still much hatred, prejudice and ignorance in our "great" society. So much so, that as I'm writing this, another duo is being investigated for plotting to assassinate Barack Obama.

Also, on so many occasions we've been told not to consider race when we choose a candidate. But I think we should do the contrary. Do think about race. Do take into consideration that Barack Obama and John McCain have had two completely different life experiences - not just because of where they're from or their families, but because of what they look like. And that is something neither of them could control, but who they are to some of us stems directly from the fact that one is light and one is dark.

Black people in this country have strived for over a century to eliminate "black" or "African American" from preceding titles they earn. Not because they are ashamed, but for many years being black meant being unequal - it says that the fact that they are black and they do something great somehow means that they would in most cases not be able to achieve their status… because they are black. So if "black" and "African American" are removed from, for example, "Barack Obama, the first black presidential nominee of a major party," making him just, "Barack Obama, presidential nominee," for some that means that he's equal to his white counterpart, thus a gross accomplishment for the entire race. Not a lot of people understand that. And I speak not as an Obama supporter, but as a black person in America who sees Obama as a symbol for progress, someone who represents a gross accomplishment for an entire race. Set aside his policies, he is for some something that for many years we as a whole were told we would never be.

Race is the elephant in the room in this election. McCain won't dare to directly talk about it at risk of sounding racist, and Obama was forced to speak about it because people were confused that a black man could actually get this far. He attempted to correct people's ignorance and quell people's fear, which is a very difficult and often futile task. But otherwise, Obama can't speak about race directly because he's at risk of sounding like a black progressive and scaring people. He is walking a very fine line between being "black enough" for the black people and "safe enough" for the white people. If he leans too much either way, he's at risk of losing a major constituency. But for some people, that doesn't matter - more so, the people that don't look like him.

Continued...

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