Ronald Hall: Racism and Obama's Candidacy

Time ^ | 11 Sept | Andrea Sachs

[flowerplough]

... Michigan State University Social Work Professor Ronald Hall ... is the editor of a new scholarly book, "Racism in the 21st Century: An Empirical Analysis of Skin Color" (Springer).

TIME: How did you first get interested in the subject of skin color?

Ronald Hall: Before I got into academia, I worked in a mental health clinic. Ninety percent of the patients were African-American, because it was in Detroit. Sometimes we would get at their underlying problems. It seemed it would always have something to do with skin color, but they never would want to talk about that. That spurred me to start doing a lot of reading. And the reading informed me about something I already knew about, sort of at a subconscious level. It's an experience with skin color that most African-Americans are aware of, but it's so buried and so taboo that unless you read about it, or it's mentioned, some of us don't even know that it still exists.

TIME: What does Obama's selection as the Democratic nominee mean in the context of skin color?

Ronald Hall: The issue with Obama for me is I'm amazed — and I shouldn't be — at the number of people of color who don't support him when he's a person of color who supports policies that would benefit persons of color.

( ... )

TIME: Do you think white people are lying to pollsters about whether they'll really vote for Obama?

Ronald Hall: I do. I think that's why at this point the campaign is so competitive. There are people who want to be politically correct [in what they say]. But I also should give credit, and say that there are a sizable number of Euro-Americans who are generally in support of Obama and will vote for him.

[flowerplough]

Hall recommends support for Obama because O's "a person of color who supports policies that would benefit persons of color." And if anyone should know that skin color trumps all other considerations, Hall should. He just wrote a "scholarly book" about skin color. Dr. King would be proud, hayna?

[A_Former_Democrat]

Another race obsessed affirmative action jackson.

[manic4organic]

Missing barf alert.

[freespirited]

It's an experience with skin color that most African-Americans are aware of, but it's so buried and so taboo that unless you read about it, or it's mentioned, some of us don't even know that it still exists.

I am sure it is readily apparent at grant proposal time.

[popdonnelly]

There are lots of policies that would benefit “people of color”. Obama’s aren’t among them.

[Sigurdrifta]

An alternative answer to the question: “How did you first get interested in the subject of skin color?” would have been:

“Well, I wanted to get ahead in this social studies department at my university, and the only way to do that was to embrace far-left causes and accuse everyone else of racism.

It’s a sure route to tenure, since we can’t actually build or discover anything.”

(I’m a physicist at a major university and I know how it works.)

[Hoodlum91]

“I’m amazed — and I shouldn’t be — at the number of people of color who don’t support him “

What color would that be? He’s amazed at the 5% of blacks that don’t support him?

He’s amazed that perhaps a small percentage of “people of color” won’t base their vote on skin color? Isn’t that the ultimate racism?

[Paradox]

He’s amazed that perhaps a small percentage of “people of color” won’t base their vote on skin color? Isn’t that the ultimate racism?

I made the point before, but it looks like, at least in some polls, Blacks aren't quite flocking to Obama in the percentages that most people expect. One Florida poll showed him garnering only 85% of the Black vote. Not quite as high as some might think. This is the percentage of the black vote one would expect for a white democrat.

[JimRed]

This is the percentage of the black vote one would expect for a white democrat.

He's not black enough; too much white blood. < /sarc >

[Paradox]

(I’m a physicist at a major university and I know how it works.)

Heh, you must be a lonely person there. I suppose you manage to keep your mouth shut...

[Graybeard58]

My memory is not the best but I seem to remember that "W" recived 9% of the black vote in 2000 and improved on that, all the way up to 11% in 2004.

If I'm wrong, someone will be along shortly to correct me.

[Paradox]

(I’m a physicist at a major university and I know how it works.)

Heh, you must be a lonely person there. I suppose you manage to keep your mouth shut...

[johnny7]

America's ready for a black president... and America's ready for a female president. However, America is NOT READY for a black, Marxist-socialist president... who had a Muslim father and stepfather... a communist mentor... a terrorist benefactor... a racist pastor...

[Netizen]

He got two words right. Obama and racism. Video below. Obama is running spanish race baiting ads in New Mexico that take Limbaughs words from 1996 and NAFTA out of context.

[ETL]

From the New York Times, April 28, 2008
Reverend Wright at the National Press Club
"In the late 1960s, when Dr. James Cone's powerful books burst onto the scene, the term 'black liberation theology' began to be used. I do not in any way disagree with Dr. Cone, nor do I in any way diminish the inimitable and incomparable contributions that he has made and that he continues to make to the field of theology. Jim, incidentally, is a personal friend of mine."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/us/politics/28text-wright.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=sloginL

From Jeff Head's website...
One notable quote from [James] Cone describing his Black Liberation Theology is as follows:

"Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community ... Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love." - "Divine Racism: The Unacknowledged Threshold Issue for Black Theology", in African-American Religious Thought: An Anthology, by William R Jones, ed Cornel West and Eddie Glaube (Westminster John Knox Press).
http://www.jeffhead.com/blacklibtheology.htm

African American Religious Thought: An Anthology (Paperback)
by Cornel West (Editor), Eddie S. Glaude Jr. (Editor)
http://www.amazon.com/African-American-Religious-Thought-Anthology/dp/0664224598

HANNITY: But Reverend Jeremiah Wright is not backing down and has not for years and in his strong stance on the teaching of black liberation theology is nothing new. He had the same things to say last spring when he appeared on "Hannity & Colmes:"

WRIGHT: If you're not going to talk about theology in context, if you're not going to talk about liberation theology that came out of the '60s, systematized black liberation theology that started with Jim Cone in 1968 and the writings of Cone and the writings of Dwight Hopkins and the writings of womynist theologians and Asian theologians and Hispanic theologians, then you can't talk about the black value system.

HANNITY: But I'm a — reverend

WRIGHT: Do you know liberation theology, sir?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354158,00.html

YouTube: Glenn Beck on Obama and Black Liberation Theology.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cA0GEV1ibY&eurl=http://maggiesnotebook.blogspot.com/2008/04/im-speechless.html

"Their founding document [the Weather Underground's] called for the establishment of a "white fighting force" to be allied with the "Black Liberation Movement" and other "anti-colonial" movements[1] to achieve "the destruction of US imperialism and the achievement of a classless world: world communism."..."-Berger, Dan (2006). Outlaws of America: The Weather Underground and the Politics of Solidarity. AK Press, 95.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weatherman_Underground#cite_ref-Berger_0-0

Outlaws of America: The Weather Underground and the Politics of Solidarity (Paperback) by Dan Berger
http://www.amazon.com/Outlaws-America-Underground-Politics-Solidarity/dp/1904859410

"In the 21st century, white America got a wake-up call after 9/11/01. White America and the Western world came to realize that people of color had not gone away, faded into the woodwork or just 'disappeared' as the Great White West kept on its merry way of ignoring Black concerns."--Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor for twenty years

[Sigurdrifta]

I have put stickers on my car for my son (USAF, many combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan) and my daughter (USMC). My car was vandalized in the parking lot as a result.

I no longer keep my mouth shut; I have no problem being lonely.

[newzjunkey]

Obama is the ultimate affirmative action candidate. He's easily the least qualified major candidate in the past 100 years.

If he were "a typical white," to borrow his racist lingo, Hillary would be the Democratic nominee.

If you think about it, he's even less qualified than full Senate term alum John "Silky Pony" Edwards, another "handsome," "well spoken," "great hope" for the Democrats.

The only ones talking race in this election are those obsessed with pigmentation, not qualification. And, as usual, it's the Democrats and their Media Allies.

[Clock King]

The issue with Obama for me is I'm amazed — and I shouldn't be — at the number of people of color who don't support him when he's a person of color who supports policies that would benefit persons of color.

Mr. Hall, we've (black people) have been there, done that. How many times (generations) have we seen Black politicians get a position of power and NOTHING ever changes. Nothing, sir! It would be the same with Obama. None of his policies actually address the underlying problem of poor black people, which are exactly the same problems of poor white and latino and asian people: OOW pregnancy, drug addiction, broken homes, a lack of drive for higher education, etc. Obama talks pretty, but he would just take his marching orders from the Chicago Democratic Machine, which could care less and will just pocket taxpayer money.

[newzjunkey]

I didn’t realize Rush was running for POTUS. (/sarcasm)

[Netizen]

They are linking McCain to Rush and taking Rush’s comments about NAFTA from 1996 out of context and applying it to today’s elections. They were discussing it on FNC. They were talking to ‘Jason’?? Someone affiliated with Rush.

But, I think more attention needs to be drawn to rhe racial baiting that Obama is doing. That is not the change we need.