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Obama, Michael Steele, right-wing protests, and racism: The argument continues
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AP Photo: RNC Chairman Michael Steele
“We need to move!” my father announced.
It was the early 90’s and the first African-American family had just moved in two houses down; Dad was convinced the neighborhood was ruined.
I answered softly, “I guess this is what OUR neighbors felt when WE moved in.” He smiled knowingly and decided to stick it out.
Years later, he would talk about that same family as one of the best on the block. They were nice and friendly, and their house and yard was always prettier and more well-kept than anyone else’s along our street. It doesn’t excuse his initial reaction, but at least he learned a small lesson about racism -- not that he should have needed it. As a Hispanic and an immigrant, he has experienced his share.
So have I.
You should know that my English is perfect, most people can’t make out my accent, the product of having lived in twelve different cities, from New Jersey to Florida, and from having a rich diversity of friends, from New York Jews and New Jersey Italians, to Florida crackers, blacks, and Hispanics of every stripe. My face is not a dead giveaway of my Colombian heritage either. Other than in Miami, where EVERYONE is assumed to be Latino, if not Cuban, I am often considered Anglo.
And for those reasons, I have been told -- to my face: “I hate $picks!” “White Power! (showing off a tattoo with those words), you know what I’m saying, my brother? (then flashing the clenched fist and an accepting smile),” and, “The only good Puerto Rican is a dead Puerto Rican!” The common denominator in most of those and similar incidents, was the belief that I was, by their definition, WHITE, and the overwhelming wealth of stupidity each speaker clearly possessed.
Along the way, I have unwillingly heard my share of “N” jokes, Jewish Jokes, “S” jokes, and the such. Don’t tell me racism is dead. For that matter, don’t tell me that racism is not still rampant.
Conservative commentators have several times pointed to Obama’s recent victory as proof that racism, while not gone, is becoming a relic of the past. “We elected Obama” they say, “so how can one argue that racism is pervasive?”
The answer is that “WE” did not elect Obama, 52% of Americans did. Of that majority, some surely must have considered Obama as one of those “good blacks;” not quite a ringing endorsement for equality.
Meanwhile, forty-eight percent of the electorate may have: simply loved John McCain or Sarah Palin; planned to vote for the Republican even if he were a Martian; had an honest fear of Obama’s correctly-stated policies; pressed the wrong button; or simply not voted for Obama for any other countless reasons. Including racism.
Disagreement with the President over his policies can be rationally-based. Certainly, Republicans have argued, often vehemently, against every single thing a Democratic president has done, dating back to the time when the first Democrat and the first Republican aimed flint-lock muskets at each other in duel. Clearly, even the most virulent and vitriolic in his opposition, is not necessarily racist.
However, one cannot blindly assume that no one in this country hates Obama for the color of his skin. To refuse to accept that truism, is to willfully close one’s eyes to the reality of our world. Going further, to believe that some of those who so adamantly oppose Obama MIGHT be racist, is not enough. We have to begin any discussion with the plain fact that some of the most hateful Obama critics ARE racist. That is what those on the left are arguing.
On the right, RNC Chairman Michael Steel, himself a black man, has characterized those who question and fear a climate resulting from the passion and violence with which some have opposed Obama as “nut jobs.” "I'm always very careful about going down that road, you know, so blindly and so quickly," he said. What does he need? A million marchers descending on Washington DC wearing white robes and hoods, and carrying a noose with Obama’s name on it?
Don’t tell me that, in a world where a census-taker can be killed, stripped naked, and hung from a tree with the word “Fed” scrawled in red letters on his chest, no one has thoughts of assassinating our country’s first African-American president.
We have come a long way from lynching a black man on a whim, but let’s not kid ourselves. We have improved substantially, but we are not in a racial Shangri-la, where the most important thing is one’s intelligence and personal qualities, and not one’s skin color.
The fact that we – meaning 52% of Americans – voted for a black man as president proves that we are on our way. To keep moving forward, we must recognize that some of those other 48% may not be so enlightened.
(AP Photo): RNC chairman Michael Steele plans to tell GOP leaders in a Tuesday speech that the Republican Party has "turned the page" and is on its way to a comeback.
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