The Presidential "Race" In America
It’s getting down to crunch-time fore the Democratic Party to choose a candidate to run against Republican nominee John McCain. The drawn-out race between Clinton and Obama has resulted in a divide in the Democratic Party, likely to the detriment of both candidates. The fact that Clinton is Caucasian and Obama is African-American has also raised issues regarding race relations in America, and hip-hop hasn’t shied away from expressing it’s opinion.
Rapper The Game in a recent interview has advertised his support for Barack Obama, but for reasons no more than simple allegiance to the candidate’s race. The Game stated:
“Man, I’m goin’ for the n***a man. Obama. Man I don’t give a f**k what he talkin’ bout I ain’t heard Obama say nothin’. I just know that n***a black and he about to win this s**t. Hillary need to fall back man. I’m going for Obama man, that n***a could say I’m going to kill every n***a in the hood when I get in there – I’m going for Obama man. That’s it. Gotta see a Black man, man I’m biased man. I’m biased.”
But does Obama really reciprocate this allegiance to the African-American community? A few months ago Barrack Obama turned down an invitation from Tavis Smiley to attend his annual State of the Black Union conference in New Orleans. In fact, the only presidential candidate to accept the invitation was Hillary Clinton. Instead Barack offered that his wife attend the conference, Smiley declined. Obama felt that it was more important that he attend other events to try to gain votes from demographics he didn’t already have support from.
In 1999 Barack Obama voted in favor of passing a bill that allowed “some” juveniles to be tried as adults. Despite the overwhelming protest from the African-American community Obama chose to side with the bill in hope to appear tough on crime. We all know the injustices in the justice system towards minorities, especially towards young African-American males, yet Obama decided to endorse this highly controversial bill. Staying in the realm of human-rights, Obama has also expressed his support for China despite their role in the genocide occurring in Tibet and Darfur stating:
“It's very hard to tell your banker that he's wrong...And if we are running huge deficits and big national debts and we're borrowing money constantly from China, that gives us less leverage. It give us less leverage to talk about human rights…”
I’m not telling you who to vote for, it’s not my role to make up your mind for you. I’m simply asking that we educate ourselves before we blindly make a decision on a matter that will determine the future of our world. Before artists like Will.I.Am and John Legend express their unwavering support for a candidate, (Obama), isn’t it their responsibility to look past their catch phrases and truly examine their policies and past stances? It’s apparent that our society keeps sliding further and further into a state of idiocracy where our ideas and beliefs are shaped by slogans and media advertising, and this presidential race has been the telescope exposing that.
Behind the candidates skin color resides individuals with ideas and opinions. Shouldn’t we take heed of the words from the late and great Martin Luther King Jr. and strive for a society where, “they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”?
Food for thought, now you do the dishes,
Pops
Rapper The Game in a recent interview has advertised his support for Barack Obama, but for reasons no more than simple allegiance to the candidate’s race. The Game stated:
“Man, I’m goin’ for the n***a man. Obama. Man I don’t give a f**k what he talkin’ bout I ain’t heard Obama say nothin’. I just know that n***a black and he about to win this s**t. Hillary need to fall back man. I’m going for Obama man, that n***a could say I’m going to kill every n***a in the hood when I get in there – I’m going for Obama man. That’s it. Gotta see a Black man, man I’m biased man. I’m biased.”
But does Obama really reciprocate this allegiance to the African-American community? A few months ago Barrack Obama turned down an invitation from Tavis Smiley to attend his annual State of the Black Union conference in New Orleans. In fact, the only presidential candidate to accept the invitation was Hillary Clinton. Instead Barack offered that his wife attend the conference, Smiley declined. Obama felt that it was more important that he attend other events to try to gain votes from demographics he didn’t already have support from.
In 1999 Barack Obama voted in favor of passing a bill that allowed “some” juveniles to be tried as adults. Despite the overwhelming protest from the African-American community Obama chose to side with the bill in hope to appear tough on crime. We all know the injustices in the justice system towards minorities, especially towards young African-American males, yet Obama decided to endorse this highly controversial bill. Staying in the realm of human-rights, Obama has also expressed his support for China despite their role in the genocide occurring in Tibet and Darfur stating:
“It's very hard to tell your banker that he's wrong...And if we are running huge deficits and big national debts and we're borrowing money constantly from China, that gives us less leverage. It give us less leverage to talk about human rights…”
I’m not telling you who to vote for, it’s not my role to make up your mind for you. I’m simply asking that we educate ourselves before we blindly make a decision on a matter that will determine the future of our world. Before artists like Will.I.Am and John Legend express their unwavering support for a candidate, (Obama), isn’t it their responsibility to look past their catch phrases and truly examine their policies and past stances? It’s apparent that our society keeps sliding further and further into a state of idiocracy where our ideas and beliefs are shaped by slogans and media advertising, and this presidential race has been the telescope exposing that.
Behind the candidates skin color resides individuals with ideas and opinions. Shouldn’t we take heed of the words from the late and great Martin Luther King Jr. and strive for a society where, “they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”?
Food for thought, now you do the dishes,
Pops
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