In response to my previous post I joined a forum on Bernie Goldberg‘s site. On the forum I found a heated discussion about how blacks are racists because they voted for Barack Obama based on the color of his skin. In response I wrote back:
Look folks…. Let’s get silly with this to make a point. Imagine you’re what some people call a midget (or Little Person they prefer to be called) and you’ve spent a good chunk of your life feeling put down by your taller peers. You have personal experiences where you felt like you were literally and figuratively passed over for a job. People, literally and figuratively again, looked down on you for much of your life. Regardless of all of that you still managed to make a good life for yourself.
Then, out of nowhere another little person comes along to run for President. It seems to me only natural that you’d look at this person and think, ‘This is someone who must understand my unique challenges in life. This is someone who likely sees the world from the same perspective I do.’
Is it any wonder that in these sorts of cases that such thinking would happen? Many blacks in this country — rightly or wrongly — have felt and experienced oppression. They’ve felt racism first-hand, second-hand or just read about it or heard about it. When a chance comes from someone like them to, for once, get into a position to make a difference, what is the huge surprise that someone would vote for such a person?
Now, let’s contrast that. I believe the same can be said for a white person voting for another white person. HOWEVER, it’s also a bit more likely that the white person voting for another white person doesn’t do it because he feels like the white candidate is the only one who can understand his perspective on oppression, racism, bigotry, etc. As someone who has had the benefit of being in the vast majority he’s less likely to have had issues with this. Thus, if the white person does vote for another white person purely because he’s white then it stands to argue that this selection could quite easily be a result of racism. A minority doing so is doing it in hopes of change, in hopes of someone being able to educate the world about their unique issues.
To me these things are pretty simple to follow. You see people, you reap what you sow. If we truly lived in a society that was devoid of any hatred, of any racism, of any lesser thinking of those different from ourselves then this wouldn’t happen but since we don’t live in that utopia then it does happen, and it’s not surprising or complicated.
