Congratulations for all the Correct Reasons - Thursday, November 06, 2008
by: John Hamilton
Barack Hussein Obama was elected by the majority of Americans to become the 44th president of the United States, and congratulations are certainly in order. His campaign was superior in almost every way, and his message of change obviously resonated with a nation weary from eight years of clueless leadership and ineptitude. Obama is a skilled orator, apparently a fine humanitarian and an excellent manager -- all qualities that would be praiseworthy of anyone running for the highest office in the land.
So why is everyone still stuck on race?
I'd hazard a guess that about 99% of the ink devoted to Obama's election victory mentions his race first and foremost; not his skills, not his philosophy, not his education, not even his various life-experiences or his character.
This is a shame for many reasons; first and foremost, it tacitly supports the wrong-headed notion that skin color is as important in judging a person as character, experience, trust-worthiness and goals. The fact that almost everyone trumpets Obama's race ahead of anything else when it comes to his great victory as proof that racism is finally dead in America is a contradiction.
I was discussing this issue yesterday with someone who insisted that my viewpoint is wrong. "Of course the color of his skin matters," I was told by a devout liberal. "Black America has been systematically shut out of the American Dream in this country. It's important to emphasis his race to show that equality matters, and that minorities have every chance of overcoming adversity."
I'm giving this person the benefit of the doubt here and assuming they didn't mean to say that race is an adversity that needs to be overcome. A person's race qua race is no more an adversity than it is a main reason in forming a judgement about a person; race is nothing more than replication instructions encoded in DNA -- like eye color or bone structure. And they are most certainly correct in saying that equality matters. The incorrect philosophical notions that state skin color or heritage qua heritage is a proper basis for judgement, and the barriers artificially created by those who are afraid of equality is the issue. The adversity comes from many people's idea that race is a fundamental means of judgement regarding another human being's worth.
Does this mean that we should ignore Obama's heritage and the long fight that lead up to Tuesday's victory? Of course not. Racism is inherently wrong and despicable; it has no place in any rational person's thinking. It has no place in the minds of people formulating judgements about other human beings any more than eye color or height. But eradicating racism, at least institutionally and socially, is a matter of education and philosophy. To eradicate racism means that each and every one of us needs to learn how to properly judge our fellow man by the qualities that really matter; intent, character, skill, experience and action. This is an important goal to achieve, and one all of us must constantly remember to strive for.
In the context of human interaction and rational thinking regarding how we treat each other, Obama's race most certainly needs to be taken into account. In the study of individual, societal and institutional interaction and the artificial barriers many people still insist upon placing in the path of their fellow man, it is indeed an important factor. But when it comes to making value judgements about Obama or anyone else, it has no place whatsoever.
Obama's election hopefully was made possible by people judging his actions, his philosophy, his goals and his experience -- and nothing more. And if that was indeed the case, then that is the great achievement America has made as a nation and the greatest validation of Barack Obama as an American and as a human being.
Comments: 2
Thanks for bringing this up. I voted for Obama for the reasons you mentioned. I felt he was the best choice based on his goals and his leadership abilities. As a black woman in America, I think that those were the only reasons to vote for him or anyone else. If I had voted for him jut because he was black, I would have been just as wrong as people who refusd to vote for him for the same reason.
I agree 100%. Go, Barack! Go, America!
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