The question 'Are we ready for a Black President' is in my opinion, a racist one...

[truthpusher]

.... why do I say this? Because making a statement like that perpetuates racism and separation of peoples based on race. Being a 'racist' does not always mean that you 'hate' another race. It can also mean that you are using 'race' topics to bring about separation to better your own agenda. I am now hearing the line 'Are we ready for a Black President' being echoed often... it really does need to stop.

[TexasObserver]

1. I just prefer to say "hell yes, we are!"

[truthpusher]

2. but it is really starting to bother me that most people are still ok with...

using the language of Racism... I heard it all day today on the MSM and always get the feeling that they are using this rhetoric to bring about separation and to create raced based division.

[TexasObserver]

4. Then use "what a silly question!"

you make a decent point

[truthpusher]

8. is it also racist?

[anigbrowl]

9. It's just something to fill up airtime

Yeah it's annoying but since we've never had a black president the novelty factor is unavoidable. When there's a serious Asian-american candidate running for office in some years to come the same sort of question will be asked.

[truthpusher]

12. But don't you think it's about time to call it for what it is....

whether it's making a big deal about Romney being Mormon, Hilary a woman or Obama being black... these questions are being brought up only to incite.

If we as a society have agreed to make other things, across the board, socially unacceptable... why not this type of talk... why not now?

[sandnsea]

3. It has moved from a question

to an intentionally divisive ploy for some, I agree. I get even more annoyed at the people who say we have to elect a different candidate to appeal to certain regions of the country, and then deny the reason to do that is clearly based on racism and sexism.

[truthpusher]

5. My neighbor said that was the reason why she would not vote for Obama...

because America is not ready 'for a black president'

[anigbrowl]

11. So your neighbor's an idiot

It's not your problem. You can't legislate changes in attitude, they have to happen at their own pace. It's like that old proverb 'you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.' It's more practical and less stressful to either ignore the question or just answer it in the affirmative. Demanding that the question cease to be asked will just cause you to get accused of censorship by people who feel you're shutting down their right to express themselves by wondering out loud about the issue.

[truthpusher]

13. of course, it would need to be addressed appropriately, at the right time, to the right persons...

...but tell me this much... when did we all decide that is was not appropriate to do all of the other things (examples spared) that are now considered socially unacceptable. Don't you think it's time to start calling this language what it is?

[truthpusher]

16. actually, my neighbor is pretty great...

...that's what got me thinking... even the people, who I think are thoughtful people... are repeating the racist memes?

[newmajority]

6. Why not just reframe the question?

Are we ready for a President who is NOT a Bush or a Clinton?

Can we end this 28 year cycle of insanity and restore this country?

YES WE CAN!! :bounce: :woohoo: :kick:

[truthpusher]

15. it still wouldn't hurt to call it what it is.... I think it can be addressed in a way not to offend.

[CalGator]

7. America is not ready for a *black* president

America is ready for the best presidential candidate that shares its values. That President will be Barack Obama.

There are millions of Americans who hate categorizing a candidate by race, gender, etc.

[truthpusher]

14. How bout, is America ready for another 'Really Tall and Skinny' President?

it's all so fucking stupid.

[CalGator]

18. don't forget his funny name

Can America ever get over him being a skinny kid with a funny name?

[BayouBengal07]

10. It's horseshit.

1. "Ready" implies ready for a change, meaning that a black presidency will somehow be different than a white one. It doesn't have to be.

2. Is there a checklist we can visit to see if we are ready? What are the prerequisites? Anyone?

It's a stupid ass question.

[FrenchieCat]

17. We're ready. See the Show 24! They beat us to it....

but we are currently catching up! :thumbsup:

[anamandujano]

19. It's only the Obama people who keep pushing this forward in order

to keep the issue of race front and center. He decided to cast himself as the black candidate in South Carolina and had his surrogates label anything the Clintons said as racist.

It's a pretty disingenuous argument and a cry baby way of running a campaign.

[CalGator]

21. wow. just wow.

If Bill Clinton isn't running his mouth off about Jesse winning the SC primaries in 84 and 88 Hillary still has a chance in hades of winning the nomination. The only racism that emerged in this campaign was brought on by Hillary subordinates. Hopefully shr sees the light early enough to endorse him in Denver this Summer.

[truthpusher]

29. I think at this point... we are all guilty of trying to find leverage through the topic.

[truthpusher]

28. anybody who uses racism for personal gain should question themselves and ask....

why do I need to lower the discourse?

[flordehinojos]

20. if, ready for a black president needs to stop, then ready for a woman president also needs to stop.

and by the way, barack obama is a black man, and hillary clinton is a woman.

[CalGator]

22. you're right

it' not about black or white, male or female. It is about who is best for America. Once we have a sure candidate then the Obama supporters (such as myself) and Hillary supporters need to support the candidate.

[truthpusher]

27. absolutely

[cooolandrew]

23. I'm ready for change and I 'm ready to go.

[shadowknows69]

24. I'm ready for a President

Haven't had one of those for a while. I don't care if he/she/it is plaid colored.

[BklynChick]

25. my theory is that most people who ask that question are NOT; it's about them and their covert racism

[Orsino]

26. It's a question, not a statement. As far as intellectual curiosity goes, it's not racist...

...but when the same stupid framing keeps getting brought up with endless hand-wringing, we have to suspect that racism either underlies the question or is being deliberately baited by it.

[suston96]

30. Relevance

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/02/10/the_irrelevance_of_obamas_color/

The irrelevance of Obama's color

By Jeff Jacoby
Globe Columnist / February 10, 2008

ON THE SUBJECT of Black History Month, I'm with Morgan Freeman, who described it a few years ago as "ridiculous" - for the excellent reason that "black history is American history," not some segregated addendum to it. The only way to get beyond racial divisions, he told Mike Wallace of "60 Minutes," is to "stop talking about it. I'm going to stop calling you a white man, and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man."

Amen to that. The sooner we resolve to abandon the labels "black" and "white," the sooner we will be a society in which such racial labels are irrelevant. And what better moment to make such a resolution than this one, when white Americans by the millions are proving that the color of a person's skin is no longer a bar to anything in this country - not even the presidency.

Whether or not Barack Obama's bid for the White House ultimately succeeds, it has already demolished the canard that America will not elect a black president. His impressive win over Hillary Clinton in the Iowa caucuses could perhaps be dismissed as a fluke, but after Super Tuesday there is not much left to argue about. Obama carried 13 states last week, and the whiter the state, the more imposing his victory.

More at link.....

[truthpusher]

31. good article