Obama: First Black POTUS or First Mixed Race POTUS?

[vortexring 0]

All the media outlets tell me he's the first black President, but he's of mixed race; having a black Kenyan father and white American mother, right?

So if he'd been standing for the Kenyan Presidency, would he be Kenya's first white President?

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[shropshire 0]

Would you like to borrow a tin opener for that Can or Worms?

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[vortexring 0]

No thanks, it should come with a quick release ring pull lid.

Regarding Obama, it seems a great deal is being made from the man being 'the first black President'.
I suppose to a certain extent that's significant, but if the media weren't making it an issue, I think for most people it wouldn't even be an issue.

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[shropshire 0]

but actually I think that you're spot on with your assessment.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[miked10270 0]

I think he sees himself as The Forty-Fourth US President.

When the American President, Thomas Jefferson, was asked if he was having an affair with one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings, he replied, "The man who fears no truth has nothing to fear from lies." DNA recently, on Sally's descendants, has shown that this meant "Yes."

Mike.

Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable.

Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

[Squeak 17]

Quote

Regarding Obama, it seems a great deal is being made from the man being 'the first black President'.
I suppose to a certain extent that's significant, but if the media weren't making it an issue, I think for most people it wouldn't even be an issue.

you'd be wrong, it's only a small issue to whites, it's a very big issue for a lot of other people.
Growing up white and always have role models in ALL the highest post and positions means that you have a very limited understanding of what it means to the NON YOU crowd

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Skyrad 0]

I wouldn't be suprised to discover that the biggest first for Obama is that in the first time in his life that he is black enough. Being mixed race (or mongrel as I like to put it) is great, good suntan all year round, no one knows where you're from and most perople assume you're a local (except in Scandinavia) but to whites you're black/asin and to balcks/asians you're a white. Likely this is the first time Barack has been accepted on mass by black people as being black.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[TrophyHusband 0]

from the black perspective, he's the first black president, but i guarantee that if he was a republican, he wouldn't have been black enough.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[Amazon 7]

There is no longer a legal definition of blackness. The anti-miscegenation laws were rmade null and void by a 1967 United States Supreme Court ruling in a case known as Loving v. Virginia . Thus, since 1967, there has been in this country no law – either superficial or scientific – defining who is black.


http://www.washingtoninformer.com/ARLegallyBlack2005Dec8.html

[shropshire 0]

Hey... go back far enough and we are all Africans...Boss

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Squeak 17]

Quote

from the black perspective, he's the first black president, but i guarantee that if he was a republican, he wouldn't have been black enough.

and just what premise do you make that asinine guarantee from?

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[NWFlyer 2]

I think Doonesbury got it right yesterday.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[TrophyHusband 0]

Quote

Quote

from the black perspective, he's the first black president, but i guarantee that if he was a republican, he wouldn't have been black enough.

and just what premise do you make that asinine guarantee from?

ok, guarantee was a poor choice of words. "highly suspect" would be much better. blacks are overwhelmingly democrats, and the ones who are openly republican take a lot of heat for it. if a black man were running as president as a republican, he would have been beaten up by the black community and called an "uncle tom". he would have been told that he wasn't really black. even as a democrat, obama's path to the presidency helped him. to start off with, he isn't a decendant of american slavery. he grew up in a white household. if he had come up through the business community, he would have taken grief from the black community and they would have said that he wasn't one of them. he would be said to be "sucking the white man's dick" and told that he was making it in a white man's world. instead, he got into the black community very young, went to a big black church, and was a community organizer. all of this helped him, although i think he still would have won if he chose another route, he just would have taken a little heat along the way. the other day we took a huge step in this country as far as race relations, but there is still work to do. the next step is to start a dialogue about how the black community treats those who go against the grain, among other things

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[rehmwa 2]

If one makes a big deal about it one way or the other - then I'd say they are extremely racist and should decide what's REALLY important in life

If they just note it in passing and don't much care either way - then I'd say they are pretty well adjusted

If they just don't care at all and are (happy or disturbed) by the ideas or character of the man - then I'd say they are pretty advanced on the issue

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[skydyvr 0]

Despite the white mother and the caucasion features, he's been judged "black" in the court of public opinion due to skin color. Simple as that.

. . =(_8^(1)

[TheAnvil 0]

Who cares?

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[rushmc 23]

Quote

All the media outlets tell me he's the first black President, but he's of mixed race; having a black Kenyan father and white American mother, right?

So if he'd been standing for the Kenyan Presidency, would he be Kenya's first white President?

Dont matter. Never did. Not to me at least. He is a citizen of the US. One that we no almost nothing about. He has been voted in. Guess he is qualified.

He is the pres and I will give him more support than the libs gave Bush. But I will oppose him on policy with which I do not agree with.

Very simple

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[Coreece 190]

Quote

All the media outlets tell me he's the first black President

I'm still not convinced Obama is black and will not be convinced untill I hear him say the words....

"I finna drops me a bomb today!"
- Chris Rock

Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...

[vortexring 0]

Quote

Despite the white mother and the caucasion features, he's been judged "black" in the court of public opinion due to skin color. Simple as that.

Further to the other answers, that's my point, because he isn't black. He's of mixed race. Hence if he'd been elected President of Kenya, would he be their first white President?

I can see the significance for Black Americans considering it wasn't that long ago where they had to sit at the back of the bus, as one of numerous examples.

I'm simply pondering over why he's reported as black through the court of public opinion as you put it. Seeing as he's of mixed race. Or maybe I'm just being pedantic.

He's certainly got high expectations to live up to. Perhaps he'll start a war in Iran, making a public statement announcing: "Didn't expect that, did you f****rs".

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[likearock 2]

Quote

All the media outlets tell me he's the first black President, but he's of mixed race; having a black Kenyan father and white American mother, right?

So if he'd been standing for the Kenyan Presidency, would he be Kenya's first white President?

If you go back far enough, everyone has mixed race. The key thing is that we elected a president who 200 years ago would have been a slave. And that's something to be proud of.

[crwtom 0]

Quote

There is no longer a legal definition of blackness.

The race designation has not disappeared from official records though. The US Census still asks for race and ethnicity and they allow mulitple answers. Similar for much federal funding in education and other areas considers race and ethnicity stats very seriously.

In all cases race/ethnicity is de-facto defined as whatever someone checks-off on a form. Your identity is whatever you identify yourself with and what report as your identity.

Obama was raised in a white environment in KS and chose to maintain his ties with his family. He later chose to live in a black community in Chicago and marry a black woman. In politics he chose not to make his race or race in general an issue. The combination of these choices is what defines him by that logic.

IMO his race will be only mildly relevant for white America, especially the younger generation. It should, however, have a quite significant impact on black America - that is, how black people will understand their opportunities and responsibilities in society. This could be real opportunity to finally get over the heritage of slavery.

Cheers, T

*******************************************************************
Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true

[TomAiello 26]

Quote

In all cases race/ethnicity is de-facto defined as whatever someone checks-off on a form. Your identity is whatever you identify yourself with and what report as your identity.

This is incorrect. When I was in college (about 15 years ago) I asked the people at the admissions office what would happen if I refused to check a box on the ethnicity question. They told me that there instructions from the state (California--I went to a public school there) were that they were _required_ to check the box for me, based on their best guess as to my ethnicity. When I further asked what would happen if I checked something they disagreed with (for example, calling myself "African American"), they told me they would be required to alter my form to reflect their best guess as to my ethnicity. They were unable to tell me what they would do if I was a first generation immigrant from an African nation who just happened to have a light skin tone (for example, what if I was ethnically Afrikaans, and my family had lived in Africa for a hundred years, but I had just emigrated to the US--would I be an "African American")?

It's no surprise to me that Ward Connerly, who was on the Board of Regents for that University during this period, is now a leading opponent of affirmative action programs.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[vortexring 0]

I find it wrong we have to state to officialdom our ethnicity. I suppose as a white European it's easy for me to say that, but all the same, your ethnicity shouldn't matter unless of course you've Government figures to attain.

But shouldn't we be past all that now? Isn't it obvious it doesn't matter what your ethnicity may be in regards to being qualified for whatever?

Still, there is a tongue-in-cheek statement in regards to getting a job in various UK organizations: If your a gay, black, disabled and dyslexic then your in.....if your heterosexual, white, and in full mental and phsyical health, forget it.

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[Skyrad 0]

ha ha, I used t tick all the boxes that applied on the ethnicity questionaire, damn funny before they started putting mixed race on the forms.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[quade 4]

If it makes black people feel good about themselves to classify him as black . . . let him be black.

If it makes white people feel good about themselves to classify him as white . . . let him be white.

If people weren't so fuggin' racist, it wouldn't matter either way. I say STFU about the topic, we have more important things to think about.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver