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African Americans are the poster children for bad identity politics. Conservative critics view efforts to redress historic and structural wrongs as insidious attempts to reward people because they are black rather than because of individual merit. They maintain that such politics carry with it the weight of historic grievance, the unwarranted bitterness of frustrated dreams and unjust indictments of others as the beneficiaries of generational misery. Guilt is the primary currency of identity politics; its mode of engagement is antagonism. And for critics like Steele, such politics must end. Theirs is simply the latest example of what Ralph Ellison brilliantly described as “the fantasy of an America free of blacks.” The irony, of course, is that our first black president occasions its most recent iteration.
Ellison published in 1970 an insightful essay entitled, “What America Would Be Like Without Blacks?” There, he rightly rejected any attempt to deny the centrality of African Americans to this fragile experiment in democracy: Our style, our language, indeed our very presence are essential to the distinctiveness of American life. That presence also calls attention to the contradictions that have shadowed our country since its inception, and it is here that the American fantasy takes root. Our national effort to rid ourselves of the great scandal of the USA—that “recurring fantasy of solving one basic problem of American democracy by ‘getting shut’ of the blacks through various wishful schemes that would banish them from the nation’s bloodstream.”
Barack Obama’s presidency ironically gives new life to this fantasy. For some, he can’t talk explicitly about racial inequality without being accused of engaging in identity politics; and, if he chooses to do so, he must delicately balance his formulations with talk of self-help and personal responsibility. Black Americans are not completely banished; our presence, however, no longer disturbs and disrupts. Yet and still, white men continue to nominate other white men for powerful positions, even those with noxious words about race in their past, and no one sees a problem. To be sure, Obama is not the beginning of some post-racial era; instead, his limitations deepen a dangerous racial game (our other national pastime).
President Obama is a bound man—bound by the constraints of the Oval Office, bound by the necessary calculations of a Democratic Party desperately trying to maintain control over the reins of power, by the ghosts of America’s racial past and present.
His constraints, however, must not be our constraints. African Americans, from whatever background, must struggle to come to terms with the significance of Obama’s presidency and what that means for our efforts as a nation to achieve racial justice. This involves coming to terms with a painful past and a complex present. How we work out our relation to that past and present cannot be determined by the exigencies of today’s politics—not by conservatives from the right or triangulating interests on the left.
We must continue, not in the name of some racial agenda but in the pursuit of justice, to ask hard questions of President Obama and demand specific answers. How might his health care proposals impact African-American communities? How has he addressed the racist dimensions of the housing crisis? How will he explicitly tackle the chronic double-digit unemployment that cripples our communities? This is not bad identity politics; it is simply the voices of American citizens, shaped by a particularly powerful and painful history, seeking answers for those problems that frustrate their dreams and aspirations.
Steele may be right about our president. But the conclusions he draws are demonstrably shallow ones. As a nation, we must rid ourselves of this adolescent fantasy of an America free of blacks. Ellison had it right: “The nation could not survive being deprived of their presence because, by the irony implicit in the dynamics of American democracy, they symbolize both its most stringent testing and the possibility of its greatest human freedom.”
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Unless you're going by the racist, "one drop of black blood," Obama is half white. His mother is white, his dad African = African American, but not black.
Not all African Americans specifically need help. Human beings who have suffered over the past eight years, watching their net worth, family income go down, losing their homes -- pain, despair and needy folk come in all colors.
I checked, Obama is indeed a black man. Whether or not he played down his "race" in his bid for the White House, the fact remains that he was a negro plain for all to see when he ran.
And you've got to give white folks credit for actually voting in a black man, y'all. Do you really think they did not know he had a dark skin?
The question is what will President Obama do to help the African-American. And I'm gonna give the brother some time.
Obama is only one (half-black) man. If his campaign was based on helping poor blacks, he would have never been elected. If his campaign was based on helping gays, he would have never been elected -- fill in the blank. The same for McCain with regard to special interests. I think Obama sincerely wishes to help the NEEDY, which does NOT synonymous with BLACKS.
He has helped my family by enabling us to afford COBRA after my husband was laid off. He is now employed, I am self-employed and we gratefully pay our now affordable COBRA every month. I am black, but I am not whining about how he is not helping blacks. I like the way he doesn't concentrate on race, but instead concentrates on helping people as a whole.
Sometimes, we need to look to the churches, to OURSELVES and to charitable organizations to assist those in need. One man has only so much power to pass laws that would "help blacks." It's not like congress and the House are all black or even half black.
For now, I am in wait and see mode. I listen to, but ignore all the armchair presidents, complaining about everything that he does, as I realize he is just a man, and one man, even a patient, intelligent, down to earth half-black one can't do it all.
I am not an American but having been influenced by your culture for decades I feel qualified to respond so I will.
As far as I can tell Obama as the captain is intelligent enough to maneuver the rough waters of the most complex culture in the world. A melting pot of such magnitude deserves a leader who represents everyone without bias. Like a good judge cannot sit on a fence but must be able to make tough and fair decisions when interpreting the law. So a good president must be the same in implementing policies concerning his nation. Obama is doing a good job so far.
Racists are like any other special interest group and will always exist, You have to expect that. The cold hearted self proclaimed patriots job is to cause mischief and spread hate. When issues of race seem to die down and little white boys get teary eyed and feel like holding little Black boy's hand their job is to insure that it doesn't happen. The disease of racism needs to be part of every public school's curriculum. But I guess that will never happen since public education is heading in the direction of privatization.
Black people are an integral part of American society whether they like it of not. America could never hope to exist if anyone ever tried to remove them. In fact Black people are entwined in every aspect of it. Maybe not to the degree that they should be in some fields.
Blacks however have always been that special special interest group with the history of getting used and abused. Is Black America oblivious to Obama? I would say no. I think the force of the river on his level is unimaginably strong and it would be naive to assume that he could throw a life buoy to help Blacks out of the drowning dilemmas that they are in. I think he is turning the boat in your direction though.
America, wake up! Have you forgotten that Barack Obama is 50% white? Do you think that America has changed to the point that the people of this nation would have elected a man that was 100% Black? Not on your life! Love it, or leave it, this is still AMERICA. If Black Americans-I don't use African-Americans because most of us wouldn't step foot on the Dark Continent-like I was saying if Black Americans think for one second that Barack Obama is going to save us we're wrong. Did the bailout of the banks help us, No! How many of us got bonuses from CitiBank and AIG? Will green jobs help us, NO! How many houses in Bed-Stuy and Roxbury will be converted so that they can benefit from the green energy program? But alot of houses in Lexington and Long Island will be refitted, you can bet on that. I met Mr. Obama when he was campaigning in Iowa in the summer of '07. The crowd was 98.2% white and when I asked him what he planned to do to help the Blacks in the inner-city-the people who need help the most-he gave me a look that sent chills down my spine. When I saw the way he pandered to the white audience I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I was looking at the future President of the United States of America. Can we fault him for that? NO! He was only doing what all the other politicians do, "Get elected by any means necessary". So what if you have to sell your people out? Like fools, we voted for him anyway. But, realistically, what choice did we have? On the one hand we had a scheming, conniving Black man-or half Black man-and on the other hand we had a broke down, racist White man? That's like choosing whether you want to be stabbed to death or shot. The experience I had on that sunny day in Iowa inspired me to write my play, "Oh, the LIES we've told", so that, at least, I could make a few people laugh about the dire situation we, BLACK AMERICANS, find ourselves in. The play will be showcased in Ft. Myers, Fl. in late July '09 and on the 'net shortly thereafter. Check it out if you need a good chuckle. Laugh and keep it movin''-it's the only thing that will keep us sane. And, oh, by the way, we have only ourselves to blame; we should've voted for Al Sharpton. We know where he stands, or, at least we think we do! Peace, louJ
Why everyone who is not happy that we elected the first African American president insist that he did not play race? They obviously are furious he did not since they thought that would arouse people to the fact that he is black. Make it clear that the reason President Obama did not raise the subject is that "it doesn't matter". I'm a mixture of Portuguese, Brazilian, Belgium and African races. I do not feel I'm neither of these races, I get offended if people make jokes about white, spanish and blacks. All in my heritage. I accept all races as they are. That is a "mutt" behavior. President Obama has all races in his background. He cannot side with any race, he will side with all and fight for common good. In his mind it is not about race and all about 'good will". Get it! You all that insist to define us all as "black" or "white" or Spanish or otherwise you are out of luck with people like him and me! Get a grip!!!
Although I think your comments strayed a bit from the article I have to agree that you do bring up a good point. Right now politicians, both black and white mainly care about winning the "Hispanic" vote, which as you correctly referred to is actually the Mexican vote...(the overwhelming majority of illegal immigrants) Obama does not have to win over the black voter or community for that matter. He has that in the bag by just being black. As a Latina myself, It burns me that the average American thinks all Latinos are in favor of amnesty and increased rights for Illegals and their children born here. We do not all share in that experience. Many of us came here the legal way, learned to speak English and never collected a dime in welfare or government assistance!!! It's sad that now because of the sheer number of illegals and their offspring in this country that Obama is now going to have to pander to them...