Posted on 01/19/2009 4:36:57 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - A new media survey released two days before the U.S.' 44th President Barack Obama takes his oath of office showed that racism is no longer viewed by many Americans as a major problem compared to 12 years ago.
The Washington Post-ABC News survey said only 25 percent still view racism as a prominent problem of society, that percentage stood at 54 percent in 1996. Obama's election as president is seen as yielding a positive effect on better race relations.
But the same survey said the proportion of African Americans who suffered from racial discrimination the past six years in the areas of housing and employment remained the same.
University of Maryland political scientist Ron Walters explained the difference in the two levels of identity with racism. "One is the national level, which is more symbolic. And the other is how they parse it in terms of their lives," Walters told the Washington Post.
The survey said 60 percent of African Americans reported they had felt unwelcome in a store, 40 percent they had been stopped by the police or not accepted for a job and 20 percent were rejected by a landlord because of their race.
Since Obama emerged as a major political force in the U.S., psychologists observed an easing of interracial anxiety between blacks and whites with Obama serving as the ice breaker.
George Rice, executive director of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials - International, told the New York Times, "There's a more readily accessible conduit into the conversation about race if it begins with Barack Obama... In my experience over the last few months, it's easier because it'll begin with who he is, the difference between his parents, what he had to deal with."
I disagree.
By the time he is done the racial tension will be ten times as bad as when he started.
When you show up wearing a ski mask with a gun in your hand, it's usually not likely you'll be welcomed......
Increasing peoples’ racial identity with resultant sneering at people of other racial identity is never a good thing. All this “I’m black I’m black he’s black he’s black” only throws gasoline on the fire.
How about the content of character? And how can a thug who attended a racist “hate whitey” so-called church for almost 20 years do anything but make racial tensions worse?
What a bunch of unmitigated mumbo jumbo. The same old story about how blacks are treated so badly in this country. Riiiiiight.
I think now is the time for Rev Wright to take the satage and preach hate with angry Michelle. Going to need a really big bottle of ... to keep her quite.
Did these surveys factor in Rev. Jeremiah Wright? I’m curious how Obama’s pastor will help race relations.
Total nonsequitur. There is a virulent strain of racists known as race-pimps or race-baters who will not let the issue die, inflaming emotions on both sides. And there will be a significant portion of blacks who will see this as time to get theirs from whitey now that a brother is The Man.
Watch for it on your nightly news.
“By the time he is done the racial tension will be ten times as bad as when he started.”
Yesterday Obamachev gave the green light for race riots and people wonder why there was a surge in gun and ammo sales.
The only thing I’m worried about is if there is a collapse in society, what will I do with the stacks of rioter’s bodies in my front yard?
I really was pondering this today. I can’t find one example in my own life, or in the lives of anyone I know where I/they purposefully set out to keep a black man or woman down.
But, I guess I’m just a racist bigot for being born white. *SHRUG*
I agree with you. Racial tensions will be exacerbated by the Obama Administration and its supporters. Hell, they’ve already been made worse by his “stealth” race baiting campaign and his media handmaidens.
and yet, Obama pressed racial issues his entire campaign, deliberately seeking to bring those issues to the forefront, ('reparations' 'pie' 'redistributive programs') as if trying to re-invent himself as a civil rights leader from the 60's. Problem is, we are sooo over the 60's, and society is now more concerned with astronomical rates of minority on minority, and minority on white, racism/crime. imo jmo moo
best regards, blu
Wait till Obama screws something up. How many whites will feel comfortable criticizing him in front of their black friends and coworkers?
THIS is the kind of 'ice' we're ALL going to need to get through the next four years!
The survey said 60 percent of African Americans reported they had felt unwelcome in a store”
When you show up wearing a ski mask with a gun in your hand, it’s usually not likely you’ll be welcomed......
Or with a baseball cap on sideways...
I feel unwelcome heading into Compton or Rosa Parks in L.A. but you don’t see me whining about it. Race relations will always be difficult regardless of the kumbaya attitude that these lily-white-liberals try to espouse.
And these are the same white libs who don’t want to accompany me to Crenshaw Blvd in L.A. to watch a jazz show. Hypocrites as usual.
ever since I have been in this great country the racism I have seen has come from blacks.
This election shows that the Left is narrowminded about race. Most of us have gotten over it years ago. We’ve been able to associate with people of different backgrounds and judge them according to character, not skin color, but the Left is just now ready to hold hands and sing Kumbaya. They’re so behind the times.
My 13yo son, who happens to be “biracial”, too, said today that he “can’t understand why everyone makes such a big deal over skin color.” Skin color isn’t an issue for him because we, his parents, passed that point long ago. But, as we can see, the Left still has issues with it.
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