Posted on 11/01/2012 11:07:08 AM PDT by Kaslin
What do I tell my black child if Barack Obama, America's first black president, loses his bid for re-election? This is a question many parents are asking themselves -- especially those who would blame the loss on racism.
Jubilant black parents on the front pages of newspapers, the day after Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008, said things like, "for the first time" they could "sincerely" say to their children that a black person could realistically aspire to become president of the United States.
The New York Times wrote: "That a new day had dawned was immediately apparent at breakfast on Wednesday at Eagle Academy, a young public school in the spot where the often hard-edged Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brownsville and Ocean Hill intersect: The sixth-grade boys sat in silence over their eggs, biscuits and apple juice.
"They were too busy poring over the transcripts of President-elect Barack Obama's speech that teachers had handed them as they walked in. Too tired, perhaps, from having been awoken at midnight to hear the news from their tearful mothers. ...
"The 30-year-old principal, Rashad Meade, pushed his proteges, asking why they thought ... this moment was so important ... why their parents had woken them the night before.
"Isaiah Purcell, who is 11, started to say something about the issues, then trailed off. He picked up again, asserting that Mr. Obama's ascendancy to the White House 'makes us think that we could accomplish anything when you put your mind to it (emphasis added).'"
Goodness! Pre-Obama, what were these parents and teachers telling these kids about their future? What would the teary-eyed parents have said had Obama lost? Would they have told their children that racism remains a major force in America and Obama's defeat proves the point? And assuming he loses his bid for re-election, what will this defeat say about "race" in America?
My father, a former Marine, World War II vet, was born to an illiterate single mother in Athens, Ga. An only child, he never met his biological father. He was a 14-year-old teenager in that Jim Crow South when the Great Depression began. Hard, hard knocks.
But as I write in my new book, "Dear Father, Dear Son," my father taught my brothers and me that the only barrier to success is lack of effort. My Huntsville, Alabama-born mother also taught us that, through education and steady application, goals could be achieved -- no matter how lofty.
Yes, even the presidency of the United States.
I write: "Mom made me feel like I could spit lightening and make bullets bounce off my chest. She sat me down on the front porch when I was about 6 years old. She had an illustrated book of all the presidents from George Washington to Dwight Eisenhower. We talked about their achievements and disappointments.
"'Larry,' she said, tapping the book, 'if you work hard enough and want it bad enough, someday you can be in this book.'"
My parents told us that no one can make you feel inferior without your permission. In high school, we read a sad, bitter poem about racism in a black literature course:
"While riding through old Baltimore, so small and full of glee,
"I saw a young Baltimorean keep a-lookin' straight at me.
"Now, he was young and very small, and I was not much bigger
"And so I smiled, but he put out his tongue and called me 'nigger.'
"I saw the whole of Baltimore from May until September,
"Of all the things that happened there, that's all that I remember."
The teacher angrily talked about the permanent damage done to this little boy's psyche. The permanent stain of racism. The assault on the little boy's dignity. The boy, said the teacher, will never be the same. By the time the bell sounded, everyone was angry.
When I got home, I read the poem to my mother. She was in the kitchen, cooking a pot of greens. When I finished the last line, she turned, big spoon in hand, and looked me in the eye.
"Too bad," she said, "that boy let something so trivial spoil his vacation."
If Obama loses, how many parents will tell their children that his race did him in? Already, The Associated Press published a poll supposedly showing that the negative "racial attitudes" people hold against blacks could likely cost Obama 2 points in the election.
Really?
Not only does Obama benefit from a near-unanimous black vote, but also from the many whites who voted for Obama because of his race. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, explained in 2008: "This is (their) chance to demonstrate that we have been able to get this boogeyman called race behind us. And so they are going to vote for him, whether he has credentials or not, whether he has any experience."
Hall of Famer Frank Robinson became the first black manager in the modern major leagues. There have been many since. Robinson's hiring made a statement about the irrelevance of race. Years later, when his team underperformed, Robinson was fired.
Obama can be fired, as well.
Tell him black and bitter is only appropriate for coffee, not for going through life.
We think alike
see post 134
Gee, I don’t know.
What did Bush-#41 tell Bush-#43?
“mama, did Obama lose because he was black?”
“No, son, skin color shouldn’t matter. I say “shouldn’t “ because I have to admit, I didn’t know much about Obama four years ago besides the fact that he was black, and I got all excited at the thought of having a black president for the first time. So I voted for him. I mean, he sounded good, and the people on TV all seemed to love him. So I wore the t-shirt and put on the bumper sticker and voted for him!
“But right after he won, that’s when daddy lost his job. We had nothing. My hours got cut to where we could hardly buy food. That’s why daddy had to go across the state and live with grandpa so he could work with him at the shop. It’s been a hard four years. So this time around, I said Phooey on all those people on TV. I started listening and reading about both the candidates. I don’t care what they look like. I care who’s gonna bring jobs to this town, so we can get daddy back and all live together, and have enough to get a new washer dryer and maybe a new big tv!
” And if you listen to their plans, it seems mitt Romney knows what he is talking about on how to make towns prosperous. That’s what we need right now. So I’m not voting for the black man. So what? Jews, Asians, Latinos, Indians, there are a lot of different Americans. We don’t have to match to our President like shoes to a handbag!”
Tell him that up till now, every time we’ve had a Presidential election, some white guy lost. Somebody wins, somebody loses. Get over it.
WHITE DOOFUS: Boy, what’s your name?
BLACK MAN: Amon.
WHITE DOOFUS: Amon? What kind of ****** name is that?
BLACK MAN: Amon kick yo azz.
You say that he was a lousy President, but that was not a function of a skin color, but rather one of his character and policies.
Black, white or green, true Americans don’t want socialism.
Tell him that Bill Clinton was the first black president
(according to “author” Toni Morrison).
Tell that that anybody can be elected President in America, including your kids. Also tell them that if a person does a good job s/he is respected and rewarded. And if a person does a shit-can job, s/he is replaced. Simple. Easy. Your kids will understand.
Larry Elder is neither a racist nor an effing fool. I had the same reaction as you when I read the headline. I decided to read the article when I saw who wrote it.
Larry chose a deliberately provocative headline. It probably increased readership. It also caused a lot of disgust among those who don’t know Larry and didn’t read the article.
Well, for older children, one might tell them the history of the Civil Rights Movement, play them Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech and explain, “Unfortunately, Barack Obama was elected for the color of his skin, not the content of his character.”
It is one of their best ones. I’s love to see a Photoshop of this done!!
LOL
Tell your child “No midnight basketball or nobama-phone in your future. Go do your chores like every body else”.
I wish I knew how to do it.
The same any parent does.That the worst President since Carter lost the election. That a man not capable of doing the job (Obama) was defeated by a man (Romney)capable of doing the job.
That their world is about to get better.
That their Country is about to return to greatness.
Any or all of the above..
He lost.
What do I tell my black child if Barack Obama, America’s first black president, loses his bid for re-election?
You play them Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech.
Tell them: Obama lost, not because of the color of his skin but due to the content of his character.
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