Saturday, May 7, 2011

Its personal

Given the fact that about 90% of African Americans support President Obama, we're often told that it is simply because he's Black...as if African Americans would support any candidate based on their race (see Alan Keyes for example).

While there is some truth to the fact that having an African America President means a lot to Black people, it goes much deeper than a surface look at skin color. Recently, Ta Nehisi Coates addressed that in light of the recent "birther" nonsense, which was quickly morphing into affirmative action nonsense about his school records when the Bin Laden story took over. I expect the school records issue will resurface with a vengeance as the 2012 campaign gears up.

Coates starts off by quoting a reader's reaction to watching Michelle Obama dancing with middle school students.

After getting over my initial shock that the First Lady was at least vaguely familiar with a dance that I might sloppily attempt in a nightclub, I thought about how familiar the image was to me. She reminded me of my aunts at our family cook outs, where they get up and try to do the new dance, but then school all of us with the Electric Slide (or in this case, the Running Man).

That thought brought me back to your comments about why Donald Trump's comments feel so offensive, how his comments undercut all of the things that Black parents say to children about how they will be respected if they study and work hard.

Maybe it's unfair, but I now realize why I am more offended by comments about the President and First Lady than I was about comments about President and Mrs. Clinton. It's not just that they are Black and I am too. I think it has more to do with the fact that they are so familiar, they remind me of people I know, which causes a more personal reaction.

Coates takes it from there.

What many white people fail to realize is that though Barack Obama and his family are unique to them, they are deeply familiar to black people...

We went to church and played in summer leagues with people like them. I went to college with people like them...

From the perspective of race, we don't object to people trying to defeat Obama. We don't object to Hillary claiming he's soft. We don't object to McCain claiming he's a celebrity. We don't object to the GOP calling him a tax and spend liberal. We don't even object to Mitt Romney aspiring to hang him. (We know what you meant, Mitt.)

But when broad sections of this country foolishly follow a carnival barker in the ugly tradition of attacking black citizenship rights, when pundits shriek that Obama's successes are simply the result of the misguided largess of white people, they undermine our most intimate war. They undermine the notion that someone familiar to that kid on the corner could legitimately reach the highest levels of the country, that someone like that kid's Aunt could be the First Lady. They undermine this country's social contract, and the "hard work pays" message of my parents. And to that we object.

For if they will not take as legitimate a magna cum laude from their highest institutions, if they will not accept a man who tells black kids to cut off the video games and study, who accedes to their absurd requests one week, and slays their demons the next, who will they accept? Who among us would they ever believe?

I saw Michael Eric Dyson make a similar point one time on a talk show..."If white people can't accept THIS Black man, where is the hope for the rest of us?" It's personal.

10 comments:

  1. I understand this perfectly.

    It's actually what I've been talking about for the last few days, only in reverse.

    It's why, while many people of various ethnic backgrounds may feel anger at Israel, those of Jewish ethnicity who disapprove of Israel are deeply, deeply ashamed rather than angry.

    Because it's personal.

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  2. That makes a lot of sense Robbie.

    Some of the most powerful anger at people like Clarence Thomas comes from the Black community.

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  3. Morning SP and Robbie, and a happy Saturday to you! Greetings also to others on site.

    I read Ta-nehisi's post yesterday, and totally understood the points shared. The punch in the stomach for me was the final paragaph. The 'if they will not take as legitimate a magna cum laude from THEIR HIGHEST [italics mine] institutions' finally encapsulated for me some of the anger that has been churning inside ever since PBO came on the scene. It verbalizes for me the 'what will it take' sense of disgust that surfaces when I see/hear the stupid arguments that are put forward to deny the president's accomplishments. Nevertheless, NOTHING they say or do will alter the profound respect, and pride, I have in the First Family of the USA. To twist that failed-female-republican campaign statement, instead of 'I'm you', I'll say 'They are me.' It is indeed personal.

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  4. VC

    Wow, I didn't even catch the "THIER HIGHEST institutions."

    The sense of belonging is still such an open question - isn't it?

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  5. And, IMO, it shouldn't be. Blacks, like many other immigrants (and one could argue more than most) have contributed so much to the 'building' of America, including so many dying for her, that's it's insulting that after all these years, so many should question whether they belong or not at the highest levels. Sure unanimous approval is virtually unattainable in any endeavour, but to have 30+% initially questioning the President's credentials created major resentment in me. To have the less-than-intelligent questioning his grades (or planning to question them in 2012 as some writers imply) is just laughable. Even if he had had lousy grades one (if that one has any sense*) need only listen to him now, see him in action, and take note of his presidential accomplishments to recognize that he is America's answer TODAY!

    * Yes, I know they are generally all idiots. My hope is that the marginally sensible among them will awaken by 2012.

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  6. VC -

    While I personally find it difficult to be a booster for any politician, I felt a sort of pride in my state (Vermont) being the first to be called for Obama in '08 (and with the highest percentage of votes for him except for Hawaii), and for the first time in my life I cried on election night. Not because I was so terribly taken with him but because I really had not believed that most Americans, once they were in the privacy of the voting booth, would elect a black man to the presidency. My tears of happiness were more for my country than for Obama.

    With that hurdle being cleared, I have been taken aback at what has come since, what seems to me like nothing more than virulent racism. It's as if we've gone back in time 40 years, albeit with different "code" words. That quaint little phrase "I'm not a racist but…" has come back into fashion.

    I once got really pissed off at a black classmate in high school who remained silent in the face of racist remarks from our history teacher. (I got myself kicked out of class for not being silent.) He told me I didn't understand, and now I know he was right, I didn't understand then but I do now.

    At least I understand his reticence back then. I really cannot understand any of this shit that's going on now about Obama. And it looks to me that once again black people are being forced into reticence in the face of overt racism for fear of backlash.

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  7. Actually, to be honest, what I got kicked out of class for was losing my temper and telling the history teacher to go to hell. I played right into her hands by giving her a legitimate reason.

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  8. VC

    I get email notifications of comments made here and I see that you made another one on this thread that hasn't shown up. I don't know why. But just thought I'd let you know that I didn't delete it and that it must be some internet snafu. Perhaps it will show up later.

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  9. Rats! And it took me so long to write! Thank you for clarifying and I sure hope it shows up later. (At which point you can delete this.)

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  10. VC

    It was indeed beautifully eloquent. So I assume you won't mind if I copy it here from the email.

    Robbie,
    Your story about your high school incident [Ah, for the vigour of youth!] reminds me of Illdoctrine's take on how to conduct the 'racist' argument. SP reposted it here recently. IMO since 2007/8 there has been a lot more racist behaviour on display (by prominent folk) for all the world to see, and while it ticks me off, a part of me is 'glad' that the shades are off. I don't know if we've gone back in time so to speak, or if the emergence of the very capable Barack Obama in the White house has picked the scab off the racial wound. However, what has been revealed, I believe, opens the door for more open dialogue, and shows the general public an underbelly that they might have been unaware of. One that many non-blacks probably thought was virtually obsolete.

    At this point in the dialogue I don't really get a sense that 'black people are being forced into reticence'. In fact, I feel the opposite is true. I'm thinking of the video posted by Baratunde Thurston, and even of the current Ta- Nehisi post. I'm also thinking of the comments I read on the sites I visit. Granted I restrict myself to sane sites, but I do feel the outrage in the air, and I do hear Blacks speaking out. And frankly, I believe part of the intensity of their outrage stems from the fact that the President and his wife, the very visible targets, unmistakeably have such excellent credentials. When the Clarence Thomases of the world are in the limelight Blacks are almost forced to be reticent because their behaviour is often shameful. With the Obamas there is this sense that these attacks are totally unfounded. I have to admit that never having been political before, I have an unbelievably visceral reaction to the Obamas, and I know that I'm not alone.

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