Why Is Obama Black?

[Feng]

I was wondering why people consider Obama black?

He's half black and half white.
His father was African
His father was not even around during most of Obama's life
Obama was raised in Hawaii to a white mother

My point is Obama is nothing at all like a typical African American or "Urban" person. He has no roots or ties to African American culture and heritage.

And finally, he is half and half. So if you call him black... Can't you can also call him white?

Ultimately he is simply Mulatto from Hawaii. But why does everybody by default call him black?

[Hanover Fist]

Because us whites won't claim someone with tainted blood.
To a caucasian
half black = all black

[Gary_Busey]

Because black features or more prominent than white features.

[Hobnail_Boot]

Because us whites won't claim someone with tainted blood.
To a caucasian
half black = all black
QFT

Not even Mariah Carey and Halle Berry get to call themselves "white."

[TheImpossibleMan]

In this country, if you're an eighth black - you're black. Derek Jeter doesn't even look black - he's black. I could have a distant ancestor, going back four to five generations who was black - it might curl my hair or flatten my nose in a particular way - and I'd be black. We're just so sensitive to race in this country that if you're a tiny percentage non-white you count as that.

[dick_darlington]

obama is more of an oreo

[Hanover Fist]

obama is more of an oreo

If someone licked all the frosting off and slammed the two black halves back together.

[Hobnail_Boot]

See Imitation of Life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imitation_of_Life_(1959_film))

[Mustard]

Its pretty clear to me that Obama is an arab.

[Hanover Fist]

Its pretty clear to me that Obama is an arab.

Sink, not all muslims are Arabs.

[Insomniac]

One-drop rule. In America, the offspring of a slave and a free person was still a slave, so slave owners could get their rocks off on their chattel and profit from it by increasing their own property/labor pool. And these were totally slaves, bereft of all rights. The Sally Hemmings Jefferson bonked as only 1/4th black, and her kids were still Jefferson's slaves. The Spanish still had a strict racial hierarchy, but black slaves who married Indian or Spanish women could have free offspring who were a rung or two above them on the social ladder.

Skip forward to after the Civil War and in the U.S. you not only still have one-way miscegenation laws around, you have all of the segregation laws, too. The Plessy in Plessy v. Ferguson was an octoroon, just 1/8th black, and because it was Louisiana, he still had to move to the colored car.

So it shouldn't be at all surprising or unfair that today Barack Obama is considered a black candidate.

[Genius]

White conservatives want him to be black so they can dislike him, white liberals want him to be black so we can assuage our white guilt, and black people want him to be black so they can say the President is black. So he's black.

[Mustard]

Sink, not all muslims are Arabs.
Is this like one of those SAT questions? Not all widgets are podgets, but not all podgets are gadgets?

[Pax Britannia]

I suppose techincally if he wins Obama will become America's first mixed race president. Not it's first black one.

[Insomniac]

Is this like one of those SAT questions? Not all widgets are podgets, but not all podgets are gadgets?


1. Indonesia. 2. Pakistan. 3. India

[Genius]

Is this like one of those SAT questions? Not all widgets are podgets, but not all podgets are gadgets?
W** : N******** as D*** :: J**********

[Mustard]

1. Indonesia. 2. Pakistan. 3. India
What are places that suck to live?
W** : N******** as D*** :: J**********
God I fucking hate word association.

Oh, you're supposed to leave the 4th option blank, and provide answers that could be the right one.

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

White conservatives want him to be black so they can dislike him, white liberals want him to be black so we can assuage our white guilt, and black people want him to be black so they can say the President is black. So he's black.

That pretty much sums it up right there

[Hobnail_Boot]

White conservatives want him to be black so they can dislike him, white liberals want him to be black so we can assuage our white guilt, and black people want him to be black so they can say the President is black. So he's black.
“Well, you make it sound as though this is the first time we’ve had a black president.”

“Warren G. Harding was a negro.”

–John McLaughlin of The McLaughlin Group

[Genius]

What are places that suck to live?

God I fucking hate word association.

Oh, you're supposed to leave the 4th option blank, and provide answers that could be the right one.
Obviously I'm getting fired from my new job as SAT question writer. Fuck, I realllllllly neeeeed this job!!!

[Mustard]

Obviously I'm getting fired from my new job as SAT question writer. Fuck, I realllllllly neeeeed this job!!!
Genius : SAT question writer :: Obama : ?

1. white
2. black

[Pax Britannia]

Thats impossible to get wrong. We need more questions like that.

[Phil Theehor]

I think Obama is considered black not because of his rich, mid-spectrum hue, but because he embraces it.

He married a black woman and spent his professional life (prior to politics) as an advocate for urban dwellers, many of whom were black.

Did he gravitate towards this because he was regarded as black because of his features? Maybe, probably. That's a chicken and egg question.

[Mustard]

Thats impossible to get wrong. We need more questions like that.
Dammit man! Don't tell the savages the fuckin' answer!

[Gary_Busey]

He's black because he's not white.

[riseabove!]

I'm really sick of how big of a deal the fact that he's black is on this country. We're in a severe global recession (during a war nevertheless) so something as petty as the color of a man's skin is the least of my concerns.

[taters]

Easy answer, America still has the cultural impact of the 1 drop rule. Anyone that is part black is considered black.

Specifically, since race is a totally artificial construct, a persons race in society is usually defined by those who run that society, or the mainstream culture or group. In this case, white americans.

Halle Berry is half white, but considered black. Tiger woods is only half black, but for the most part is still considered black. Same thing with Jason Kidd, Fredrick Douglass, Tia and Tamara Mowry, the lady from half-baked (cant remember name) and a ton of others that most people consider 'black'.

For that matter, the average african american is only 3/5 black, and roughly 1/5 white and 1/5 native american.

http://www.isteve.com/2002_How_White_Are_Blacks.htm
It appears that 70 percent of whites have no African ancestors. Among the 30 percent who do, the black admixture is around 2.3 percent, which would be like having about three black ancestors out of those 128.

In contrast, African-Americans are much more racially mixed than European-Americans. Yet, Shriver's study shows that they are less European that was previously believed.

Earlier, cruder studies, done before direct genetic testing was feasible, suggested that African-Americans were 25 or even 30 percent white. Shriver's project is not complete, but with data from 25 sites already in, he is coming up with 17-18 percent white ancestry among African-Americans. That's the equivalent of 106 of those 128 of your ancestors from seven generations ago having been Africans and 22 Europeans.

Added- Similar studies have been done on other diaspatic populations, such as japanese brazilians. When they lived in brazil, they were considered japanese. After a few generations, when some returned to japan, they were considered more brazilian than japanese.

[Claydon]

honestly I don't give a shit if he is black or white and the fact that this is even mentioned in this country is due to the left's race politics. The vast majority (short of the 1-2% of ignorant fucks out there) of people care about what the office holder will do regardless of race or sex.

[Claydon]

I'm really sick of how big of a deal the fact that he's black is on this country. We're in a severe global recession (during a war nevertheless) so something as petty as the color of a man's skin is the least of my concerns.

qft

[Feng]

honestly I don't give a shit if he is black or white and the fact that this is even mentioned in this country is due to the left's race politics. The vast majority (short of the 1-2% of ignorant fucks out there) of people care about what the office holder will do regardless of race or sex.

LOL... The right are the more traditional racist bigots, idiot!

I saw video posted somewhere here, at a McCain ralley where McCain's followers were calling Obama the "monkey from Tazran" and that's the children of a bigoted white racist family who were saying it, in front of their parents and with the full support of their parents... Calling a half-black and half-white man smarter than they could ever dream to be, a monkey...

God love the right. Your 1-2% stats are way off too. In large cities where people are "used" to diversity there is less care about race. But in rural and biblical parts of America, like where the clan still meet and white supremacy is strong... There's a lot of people there who do care and fear that a black man could be prezidint.

[Claydon]

LOL... The right are the more traditional racist bigots, idiot!

I saw video posted somewhere here, at a McCain ralley where McCain's followers were calling Obama the "monkey from Tazran" and that's the children of a bigoted white racist family who were saying it, in front of their parents and with the full support of their parents... Calling a half-black and half-white man smarter than they could ever dream to be, a monkey...

God love the right. Your 1-2% stats are way off too. In large cities where people are "used" to diversity there is less care about race. But in rural and biblical parts of America, like where the clan still meet and white supremacy is strong... There's a lot of people there who do care and fear that a black man could be prezidint.

Wow, you are quoting some dipshit on a youtube video. VERY impressive, and quit quoting the talking points from Morning Edition from NPR and Obama's website. If you are unable to even see the failures of your own party as I can with my party then you are completely devoid of any potential for critical thinking. Obama is not the savior of our time, he is however a Carter reincarnated. I suppose under your logic if obama were to lose the election he lost due to racism yes? People on this board call me an elitist snob but to suggest you and others who live in the urban areas are superior to people who live in the rural areas is probably one of the more ignorant things you have suggested and or written. I've never heard my relatives or my wife's relative's say anything against minorities, I have however heard many in the urban areas say MANY negative things regarding blacks, mexican immigrants, jews, and armenians.

[Archetype]

I was wondering why people consider Obama black?

He's half black and half white.
His father was African
His father was not even around during most of Obama's life
Obama was raised in Hawaii to a white mother

My point is Obama is nothing at all like a typical African American or "Urban" person. He has no roots or ties to African American culture and heritage.

And finally, he is half and half. So if you call him black... Can't you can also call him white?

Ultimately he is simply Mulatto from Hawaii. But why does everybody by default call him black?

"Black" isn't a race. It isn't a subrace. It isn't a species or subspecies or really all that viable a distinguishing characteristic. It's a knee-jerk. That's why.

[Cal]

I could call him brown if you want me to.

[Blue]

You're Mr Pink.

[Cal]

Nu-uh

[SniffTheLog]

Why is Lt. Uhura brown?

Because William Shatner.

[Feng]

Wow, you are quoting some dipshit on a youtube video. VERY impressive, and quit quoting the talking points from Morning Edition from NPR and Obama's website. If you are unable to even see the failures of your own party as I can with my party then you are completely devoid of any potential for critical thinking. Obama is not the savior of our time, he is however a Carter reincarnated. I suppose under your logic if obama were to lose the election he lost due to racism yes? People on this board call me an elitist snob but to suggest you and others who live in the urban areas are superior to people who live in the rural areas is probably one of the more ignorant things you have suggested and or written. I've never heard my relatives or my wife's relative's say anything against minorities, I have however heard many in the urban areas say MANY negative things regarding blacks, mexican immigrants, jews, and armenians.

I'm not quoting a dipshit on you tube, moron, I'm referring to footage of the public, passers by on their way in to a McCain rally and what they were chanting...

Anyways, you sure do know how to make up an argument of your own just to get your talking points out... All I said was the bigots are out at the McCain rallies, and race is an issue for many of them.

[Archangel]

In this country, if you're an eighth black - you're black. Derek Jeter doesn't even look black - he's black. I could have a distant ancestor, going back four to five generations who was black - it might curl my hair or flatten my nose in a particular way - and I'd be black. We're just so sensitive to race in this country that if you're a tiny percentage non-white you count as that.

Sounds a lot like what tha nazis did with their "proof of aryan ancestry" rubbish...

[heelsguy]

One-drop rule. In America, the offspring of a slave and a free person was still a slave, so slave owners could get their rocks off on their chattel and profit from it by increasing their own property/labor pool. And these were totally slaves, bereft of all rights. The Sally Hemmings Jefferson bonked as only 1/4th black, and her kids were still Jefferson's slaves. The Spanish still had a strict racial hierarchy, but black slaves who married Indian or Spanish women could have free offspring who were a rung or two above them on the social ladder.



Easy answer, America still has the cultural impact of the 1 drop rule. Anyone that is part black is considered black.

Specifically, since race is a totally artificial construct, a persons race in society is usually defined by those who run that society, or the mainstream culture or group. In this case, white americans.

Halle Berry is half white, but considered black. Tiger woods is only half black, but for the most part is still considered black. Same thing with Jason Kidd, Fredrick Douglass, Tia and Tamara Mowry, the lady from half-baked (cant remember name) and a ton of others that most people consider 'black'.

For that matter, the average african american is only 3/5 black, and roughly 1/5 white and 1/5 native american.

http://www.isteve.com/2002_How_White_Are_Blacks.htm

[Yelram]

I'm not quoting a dipshit on you tube, moron, I'm referring to footage of the public, passers by on their way in to a McCain rally and what they were chanting...

Anyways, you sure do know how to make up an argument of your own just to get your talking points out... All I said was the bigots are out at the McCain rallies, and race is an issue for many of them.

Yeah, because its not an issue for the blacks voting for Obama right? They have a clear grasp of the issues for sure ;-)

[Stax]

Claydon, racism tends to fall more on the right hand side in this country. You can yell all you want at that nub posting, but cmon now.

[Mustard]

Claydon, racism tends to fall more on the right hand side in this country. You can yell all you want at that nub posting, but cmon now.
Racism is on both sides, I would just like to add that in fairness. IMO, it has nothing to do with whether or not you are liberal or conservative, but it has more to do with whether or not you are uneducated and ignornat. So your post just now gave me this idea, and I'd like to postulate it here:

As education and ignorance go down or up, so does the inherent racism of the person in a nearly equal amount. Would that postulation hold water, i.e. a person who is increasingly more ignorant and uneducated, the more they are likely to hold and execute racist thoughts and ideas?

Does that sound plausibly rational?

[Stax]

Racism is on both sides, I would just like to add that in fairness. IMO, it has nothing to do with whether or not you are liberal or conservative, but it has more to do with whether or not you are uneducated and ignornat. So your post just now gave me this idea, and I'd like to postulate it here:

As education and ignorance go down or up, so does the inherent racism of the person in a nearly equal amount. Would that postulation hold water, i.e. a person who is increasingly more ignorant and uneducated, the more they are likely to hold and execute racist thoughts and ideas?

Does that sound plausibly rational?

I don't think it's so much that racism automatically goes up with ignorance, but I think it becomes MUCH easier to be racist as you become more ignorant.

[Mustard]

I don't think it's so much that racism automatically goes up with ignorance, but I think it becomes MUCH easier to be racist as you become more ignorant.
Yes, I concur with this.

[Feng]

Wow, you are quoting some dipshit on a youtube video. VERY impressive, and quit quoting the talking points from Morning Edition from NPR and Obama's website. If you are unable to even see the failures of your own party as I can with my party then you are completely devoid of any potential for critical thinking. Obama is not the savior of our time, he is however a Carter reincarnated. I suppose under your logic if obama were to lose the election he lost due to racism yes? People on this board call me an elitist snob but to suggest you and others who live in the urban areas are superior to people who live in the rural areas is probably one of the more ignorant things you have suggested and or written. I've never heard my relatives or my wife's relative's say anything against minorities, I have however heard many in the urban areas say MANY negative things regarding blacks, mexican immigrants, jews, and armenians.

Ahh, yes, here is the video in question... I think I see Claydon in this video... Anyways, you get to see it in the first 20 seconds... Blatant white-bred racism straight from the heartland... Passed down from the ignorant bigoted parents to their children too young to know any better or think for themselves

vagD-4AH4Vc

[White.Rabbit]

he's black because of the one drop rule.

white people are stupid and anybody who doesn't look white automatically isn't accepted. I'm half white but everyone calls me asian.

[Claydon]

Ahh, yes, here is the video in question... I think I see Claydon in this video... Anyways, you get to see it in the first 20 seconds... Blatant white-bred racism straight from the heartland... Passed down from the ignorant bigoted parents to their children too young to know any better or think for themselves

vagD-4AH4Vc

Not unlike the racism i have seen in apartment dwellers in the San Fernando Valley.

[Archetype]

he's black because of the one drop rule.

white people are stupid and anybody who doesn't look white automatically isn't accepted. I'm half white but everyone calls me asian.
Yeah, best way to combat racism? More racism. Good call.

[White.Rabbit]

I know, right?

[freegood]

This thread title reminds me of a little kid from a small town pointing at some tourists and asking his parents why they're black.

[UNC]

Your childhood is scary

[Archetype]

This thread title reminds me of a little kid from a small town pointing at some tourists and asking his parents why they're black.
"To reflect the black pit they have inside instead of a soul, son. Now try not to look at them, eye contact's how they get yours."

[Hanover Fist]

All kidding aside, Obama is black because Cain slew Abel.

[Claydon]

All kidding aside, Obama is black because Cain slew Abel.

i believe you

[Insomniac]

No, because Ham looked on his dad's drunk nakedness and went and told his brothers, instead of covering him up.

[Hanover Fist]

i believe you

The mark of Cain:

Historically, some Christians have interpreted the Biblical passages so that the "mark" is thought to be part of the "curse". In 18th century America and Europe, it was commonly assumed that Cain's "mark" was black skin, and that Cain's descendants were black and still under Cain's curse. Accepting the theory that God had cursed black people, some have used the curse as a Biblical justification for racism. These racial and ethnic interpretations of the curse and the mark have been largely abandoned even by the most conservative theologians since the mid-20th century, although the theory still has some following among white supremacists and an older generation of whites, as well as a very small minority of Christian churches.

[Archetype]

But Jesus was black!!1122@@1!

[Hanover Fist]

But Jesus was black!!1122@@1!

A black woman no less.

[Archetype]

A black woman no less.
Maybe we should throw in paraplegic gay amputee, just for good measure.

[taters]

People on this board call me an elitist snob but to suggest you and others who live in the urban areas are superior to people who live in the rural areas is probably one of the more ignorant things you have suggested and or written.



Who called you elitist? Hate to shock you Claydon, but the right is filled to the brim with bigots. Mostly rural isolated conservatives, but not always.

Surf the $t0rmfr0nt forums or the hannity forum or any of limbaughs or any red forums (as you may have guessed, Ive often 'cause trouble' on such forums, usually at first as myself, then undercover as a mirror shadow). The hate is rampant, and loud.

[Ghostrider]

The better question is why is it such a big deal to everyone. Skin color does not determine your race, we are all variations of the Human race and our skin color does not dictate how a person acts. The problem is the stereotypes propagated by upbringing. I agree, Obama is about as white as they come, he just has the opportunity to use his skin color to gain votes in a normally disenfranchised group of people. Perhaps if he becomes president his work ethic might rub off on the people who expect everything for nothing out there, but probably not if he intends to give them more for nothing.

[kid_vidrio]

Skin color does not determine your race, we are all variations of the Human race and our skin color does not dictate how a person acts. The problem is the stereotypes propagated by upbringing.

Perhaps if he becomes president his work ethic might rub off on the people who expect everything for nothing out there, but probably not if he intends to give them more for nothing.
Do you not see the humor here?

[Archangel]

People on this board call me an elitist snob

Um, no.

They call ME an élitist snob.


You, they call a wannabe.




Sorry to bust your bubble there.

[Morfin]

People on this board call me an elitist snob.

Um, no.

They call ME an élitist snob.


You, they call a wannabe.



You just couldn't let it go, could you, Arch. You just HAD to add the accent. Elitist snobs think you're an elitist snob (with pedantic compulsive disorder).

[Tar Heel]

PURPLE LIPS FTW!!!!

[Da Raider]

But Obama is so well spoken!

[Candycane]

well he is.

[Archangel]

You just couldn't let it go, could you, Arch. You just HAD to add the accent. Elitist snobs think you're an elitist snob (with pedantic compulsive disorder).

I think the correct expression would be, "you dang skippy".