Africans to whom Obama’s victory would be bad news

Sunday Daily Nation (Kenya) ^ | 10/26/08 | Charles Onyango Obbo

[ccmay]

This evil white hand striking down a promising black, Hispanic, or Asian prospect is a central part of the narrative of the evil American empire.

Take it away and more than 50 years of scholarship and political mobilisation in many countries will fall apart.

If Obama is elected president, thousands of public intellectuals, radical professors and social activists, and nationalist politicians and journalists will be plunged into crisis.

. . . .

Ironically, the Republicans, although more openly racist, do better. It took George Bush, not Clinton, to appoint a Gen Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice as America’s foreign affairs ministers.

. . . .

An Obama victory would leave many Third World intellectuals and nationalists either jobless, struggling for relevance, or scurrying back to the drawing boards to explain an America led by a black president. Of course, they will also wish that he met some misfortune at the hands of a red-neck.

Now they will have to explain how it is possible that a black person could be elected in this profoundly racist country.

This, in a situation where Obama’s nomination has already unsettled many because part of this international narrative about America, also considers the Democrats hypocritical liberals.

They are happy to posture as being against racism and for minorities, as long as these people are mostly serving as sidekicks. Thus black people can sit at the high table with white liberals, but not at the head of it.

. . . .

[ccmay]

This is a VERY interesting opinion column by a black Kenyan. I would also direct your attention to the comments underneath, where there are many sensible and gracious remarks from other Kenyans.

I am beginning to see how it is that African immigrants surpass native African-Americans in so many ways. They do not denigrate education or hard work as "acting white", and they seem to have the Western racial grievance-mongering industry absolutely pegged for what they really are: just one more kind of racist plantation overseer keeping the black man poor and ignorant and dependent.

These folks sound like friendly, smart, well-grounded people I'd be delighted to have in my neighborhood.

[USMA '71]

Charles Onyango Obbo says "the Republicans, although more openly racist"...

Hey Charlie you freakin racist - eat $hit and die!

[KatyTexasMom]

Republicans are more openly racist? WTH? So the only two options are secretly racist and openly racist?

[ccmay]

Republicans are more openly racist?

Read the whole story. I think he is rhetorically mocking the views of the average leftist intellectual.

Also note the comment where one Kenyan defends the Republicans as "aggressively non-racialist".

-ccm

[Verginius Rufus]

The author is a nut. Segregation was outlawed in 1856? America has the worst record of trying to combat racism?

A little learning is a dangerous thing, and this guy has little learning.

[Jacob Kell]

See post #4 above.

[Verginius Rufus]

I had read the whole article before my earlier post--the author may be disagreeing with some other people over Obama's chances of winning, but he personally seems to subscribe to a very negative view of America. I don't know what event in 1856 he had in mind--the Dred Scott decision was handed down in 1857, but it was a major step in the opposite direction, as was the Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1896. Perhaps he meant 1896 but was confused about what that decision did.

[NTHockey]

Charles Onyango Obbo says “the Republicans, although more openly racist”...

Stopped reading there. If the central point of one’s argument is based on a lie, nothing that follows can be true.

[Salvation]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSiPqjU6fYI&eurl=http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2105631/posts

 

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