Obama~Black or biracial?

[mickeyd]

What makes a person Black or White? Is there really a 1% rule?

A columnist examining Obama's background summed up his racial identity into one equation: white + black = black.
For me, that said it all.
There are some who point out Obama is just as white as he is black. He may be the nation's first black president, but he would also be the nation's 44th white president.

Behind the Scenes: Is Barack Obama black or biracial? - CNN.com

[FUEGO]

I don't know. I have similar issues to contend with in my own family. I think people might have to start disclosing percentage composition of each racial/ethnic group to get a true picture of our makeup. Maybe we can just print it out and wear it on our sleeves to make identification easier. I have heard that some folks are "native american" by virtue of having as little as 1/16 or 1/32 of their blood of native american ancestry. Not sure how you prove that that 1/16 or 1/32 of your ancestry was 100% pure, since the ancestor would likely be deceased by now.

I just call my kids and nieces and nephews Fiddy-Fiddy's for now. Well, some are actually 75-25's, but who's keeping count?

[FIREdreamer]

Oh my! Why does it matter? Would it make him a better or worse president?

[Coach]

I suspect most of us are bi-racial, or multi-racial, and choose a racial group to identify with. Just like Obama.

Coach

[packrat44]

A columnist examining Obama's background summed up his racial identity into one equation: white + black = black.
For me, that said it all.
There are some who point out Obama is just as white as he is black. He may be the nation's first black president, but he would also be the nation's 44th white president.


Maybe they will come up with a new desrciption. 50% White, 50% Black will be known as Whack or maybe Blite. This is too confusing for me, time for a scotch on the rocks.

[FUEGO]

Originally Posted by packrat44

Maybe they will come up with a new desrciption. 50% White, 50% Black will be known as Whack or maybe Blite. This is too confusing for me, time for a scotch on the rocks.

Maybe grey? Then we can have folks of different shades of grey? But what if you mix red, yellow or brown in?

[dex]

I think the question is:

Obama raises the question: What does it mean to be black in the USA?

Has anyone seen an article discussing this?

Mother - White - from USA
Father - Black - from Kenya
Early childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia
Education - Great - Harvard

Yes, the question is: Why with a white mother and black father do many consider him black?

If his mother's genes would have dominated and he looked more like Jim Carey. Would many have considered him black?

I don't think his supporters want to explore these questions.

Personally, he is neither black or white but a politician - and they don't have a race.

[d]

how silly can we get? well let's remember how silly we have been: quadroon, octoroon, quintroon, hexadecaroon.

[haha]

In modern America and you have any claim on being black you would be irresponsible not to make it. Want you kids to get into Harvard or Stanford? Want them to get a scholarship?

I would be black in a New York minute. Obama understands this logic.

Ha

[laurencewill]

Many social movements in society are actually reactions to initial treatment. Just ask any of my half black cousins how they are treated by whites. They are treated black. James Brown talked about being "Black and Proud" to express a need for black empowerment against prejudices. During slavery, there were octaroon slaves - people who were 7/8ths white yet in bondage. The idea of just a drop of black blood being enough goes way back and was originally a negative. The social movements of the mid 20th turned that on it's head. So I can't speak for how Obama sees himself, but it's no surprise to me that he's seen as "black" considering the historical context.

But my cousins/uncles/aunts will be the first to admit it's gotten a lot better over just the last 20 years. I certainly look forward to the day no one even mentions the race or gender of the President because it's such a non-issue.

[dex]

Laurencewill,
Good comments.
My thoughts regarding Sen. Obama are along the line of what it mean to be black socially, economically, education, etc in the USA today. In my mind it is not a simple question to answer and while some might be afraid to discuss it we should not be afraid to discuss it. In the primaries something like 85-90% of black voters voted for Sen. Obama - why? What are their expectation and what are they based upon? Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama's positions were not that different.

If Sen. Obama is elected president; I think there will be a story on the expectation and reality by the black supporter.

I think race is a non issue but it takes time to get there. I grew up in NYC and it is interesting to review the political history there. As each ethnic group got into the main stream they elected members of their group. Look back at the past mayors and you will see what I mean.

I hope we get to the point where race doesn't mean anything. And where being good looking and tall along with a few other unimportant characteristics can be overlooked. Would Abraham Lincoln been elected today? He was pretty ugly.

[donheff]

Apparently there is a consensus among historians that, judged by the old 1% rule, Warren Harding was the first black president.

[Texarkandy]

Regardless of his parentage, seems to me Sen Obama has self identified himself with the African American community.

[packrat44]

Originally Posted by dex

Personally, he is neither black or white but a politician - and they don't have a race.

Originally Posted by haha

In modern America and you have any claim on being black you would be irresponsible not to make it. Want you kids to get into Harvard or Stanford? Want them to get a scholarship?

I would be black in a New York minute. Obama understands this logic.

Ha

Dex and HaHa are both correct.

While qualifications and not race should matter, race will definitely play a significant part in this election. At this time in history, playing the race card should favor Obama.

[Letj]

Originally Posted by Texarkandy

Regardless of his parentage, seems to me Sen Obama has self identified himself with the African American community.

He had no choice. It's the 1% rule in America. I personally view him as interracial. I never thought of him as a black man.

[Buckeye]

I'm pretty sure Obama identifies more with the black community because the white community (and probably the black community) identified him as part of the black community. My nephew's father is black and I'm pretty sure most everyone sees him and responds to him as a black person and therefore a member of the black community.

When he is with his mother (my blonde and blue-eyed sister), I'm pretty sure people are thinking "I wonder if that black kid is her son" and not "Look at that white kid with black hair and dark skin with his mother."

[dex]

Originally Posted by Letj

He had no choice. It's the 1% rule in America. I personally view him as interracial. I never thought of him as a black man.

That concept is from the beginning of the Jim Crow era - 1910 - I doubt the majority of the people in the USA know what it means. It doesn't have much value today.

[summer2007]

Good points I have thought of this myself.

If I didn't know that Obama was half white I would think he was a 100% black guy because he looks and sounds black to me.

I knew a guy in HS that considered himself a native American and he was Mexican. One of my buddies used to tease him about it.

The only time I really care about nationality is when people make a big deal about it though. I couldn't care less what color you are or what country you come from.

I'm half Italian and I heard slurs like every day about Italians and I just laughed it wasn't as if it was anything personal I'm one of millions. Then one day one of the guys after making fun of Italians asks me what I was. I said I'm half Italian and he says "I'm sorry dude" He didn't know I was because I just sat there and laughed all year about it.

Now if other nationalities could do that and not have people loose their job I think it would be a huge step in making people less race sensitive.

Jim

[retire@40]

He would not be our first black president.

He would be our first mulatto president.

[Keyboard Ninja]

Do a google search on "Obama isn't black enough" and you'll find some interesting stuff.

Is Obama Black Enough? - TIME

This one has an interesting audio clip:
Black Voters Aren't Fully Sold on Obama : NPR


American Renaissance News: What Obama Isn’t: Black Like Me