Racism: The President, The Press, and The Citizens of The U.s
by The last year has brought forth the issues of racism affecting how the President, the Press, and the citizens of the United States react to a variety of issues and policies.
Racism, The President, and the Citizens of The United States
For those who thought that the was on racism was dead, this last year has certainly proved otherwise. If President Obama’s election to the highest office has done nothing else it has brought the issue of racism to the minds of every thinking American citizen. In some cases racism has caused people to speak out unfairly, in others people have with held honest criticism, and in the case of the President himself, there have been times when obvious racism has been ignored and denied. It is for most of us a unique situation.
The President
President Obama is black. It is a fact that he can’t and probably wouldn’t change even if he could. However, by being elected as President of the United States, he has found himself in a very unique situation. Blacks and other minorities in this country are looking to him to help solve some of problems caused by racism and inequality. They point out that Kennedy, and even Clinton spoke out about racism yet Obama does not.
The difference is that Kennedy and Clinton were white Presidents. When they spoke out against racism they were viewed as compassionate and fair to most and to some as liberal whites. They fail to realize that if President Obama speaks out against racism he will be viewed as pushing a “personal agenda” simply because he is black.
Not only can he not speak out about racism in general without being considered racist himself, but when it comes to incidents of racism directed at him personally he is in a position where he must either ignore it or deny its existence. To do anything else will have him accused of playing the race card.
The Press
Many people have accused the press of handling this President with kid gloves and that in someways is an honest evaluation. Every member of the press knows that anything that is written about this particular president is going to be subjected to scrutiny. Not so much by the president himself but by other politicians and the public at large. They know that any outright and slanted article about his actions in office or the man himself will label them as prejudice. Their fear their credibility could be ruined and the companies they work for will lose business. At the same time they know that any story that is obviously in favor of the man or his policies can have the same effect. So they find themselves sticking to reporting simply the facts without any of the editorializing that would be normal for them.
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Post CommentPR Mace
On December 16, 2009 at 8:51 pm
I do respect the office he holds and him as President but I don’t think he is making good decisions for our country. As for the race issue it is sad we are such a nation that no matter what tends to look at color. I don’t as I have mixed race in my family. I take people at face value. Well thought out article and timely issues.
Ruby Hawk
On December 16, 2009 at 10:31 pm
I agree that we should look at the man and his policies and not his color, which has nothing to do with anything.
Authoress Terry E. Lyle
On December 17, 2009 at 12:01 am
Interesting article that I enjoyed reading….I”m so sick and tired of people being judged by the color of their skin…when we get right down to it….we all bleed blood…we’re apart of the human race period!!!! Racism sucks and the ignorant people who perpetuate it.
MartineP
On December 17, 2009 at 8:11 am
I believe that racism and racism are two different things. Personally I do feel that the black people in the US are brought there in inhumane conditions against their will an in a modern society they should be given equel rights. Here in Europe things are different. Here racism is politically high on the agenda in a way it causes discrimination of the poor white people in favor of refugees. I must say being lower class myself and not getting a job and having denied the right to an income, while people of color who do not respect our laws and culture just get all the chances and the jobs I apply for, makes me some kind of a defensive racist. I am not a racial hater, but I do feel respect should come from both ways.
I wrote this essay on it: http://socyberty.com/issues/the-horror-of-political-correctness/
So I guess that we should also look at social issues before just considering people as racist. In the US I feel there is no need to get hateful, because the rich back then had imported people as slaves or cheap workers, which I do comdemn. Here I in European countries those people just invite themselves in and become a threat to our social security. Also they do get legal protection that some Europeans are denied.
Marie Antoinette
On December 17, 2009 at 7:06 pm
In any country there is always The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, I guess it then becomes a matter of balance.
alliewal
On January 4, 2010 at 5:08 pm
If more people took that view our world would be better.