Do you think a white woman has a better chance of becoming President of America than a black man?

Question

Was having this debate in history class n was wondering wat u all think? I believe there is always a hint of racism and sexcism in today's society no matter how much we think we've grown and moved past that.

Answer 1

NO.

Let me give you some ammo for your class debate:

Being a male trumps being a female no matter what race. How do I come up with this conclusion? History and Fear.

In the mid 1800s, Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony set out on a quest for the right for women to vote. Now, most think it was Susan behind all of this but actually she was only the spokesperson. See, she was single with no children... never married. Elizabeth was married and had 5 children. Elizabeth wrote all the speeches and Susan traveled around the country on the quest. Not to minimize Susan giving her entire life to the cause, just trying to illustrate the significance of Elizabeth that gets underrated.

So anyways after like 20-30 years of this and organizing the first national women's movement, they are finally getting somewhere. THEN what happens. Frederick Douglas, a famous black man and ex-slave, approaches them and wants to join their cause for the right of black men to vote also. They add that with their cause.

So then in the late 1800s (this is by memory so my exact dates are slightly off but not by far), they are approached with a compromise... black MALES ONLY will be given the right to vote. Susan and Elizabeth are MAD and say HECK NO... but then are promised the black males will stay with their cause to see it through if they will compromise. So, they do and black males obtain the right to vote.

They were later abandoned by the black men only to die before seeing the right of women to vote enacted in 1917 or was it 1918.. one of those.

True historical fact.

When it comes down to being a man versus being a woman, no matter what race you are, men relate to men. Men will pick men first. Some men will always view women as the 'weaker sex' and pick a man before a woman always. Also, some men fear empowering women... afterall, women do out number men in the population.

Some men fear losing their 'slave' women.. think about it. How many women do you know are literally slaves of their household... I know many. They have children, no career and rely on their husband's income to survive. They cook, clean, take care of the children & husband, etc...and if the husband were to leave, they would be left with nothing. They are literally slaves and at the mercy of the man... another reason some men fear empowering women.

For your debate, I'd tell that story then ask the class, "Have times changed or will history repeat itself?"

Answer 2

I would definitely like to see a female president. However, I don't think it will happen in 2008. Hillary Clinton looks like a very strong candidate, but there are many people that won't vote for her. Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice is female, black, and has a strong association with Bush. All of which can be weaknesses in an election, depending on the voter. Personally I think a black man has a better chance in the next election than a woman, of any race. I like Obama, but many people have the misconception that he is Muslim. And I don't think he'll be chosen as the Presidential candidate for the Dems in 2008, but he may win the nomination after all. I would love to see it happen.

Answer 3

Someone else from the party will have to take a driver seat and fast. Hilary and Obama generate buzz, but not enough to get either one to become president. Hil and Bama are not unlike Howard Dean, who generated enough publicity online to make people think he's a true player. All three are just that, publicity. If Hil were a man or if Bama were white, they'd be serious candidates.

Unfortunately, we live in America. I call this the Tiger Woods effect.

Someone new comes along generates good publicity, unity and everything good in the world. It is unfortunate, that the majority in America got tired of Tiger, and they will get tired of Hil and Bama.

Liberals, we need to wake up and get someone we can really vote for. I'm sorry. I am a liberal, but I'm also a realist.

Answer 4

There is so much bias in the U.S. (still).

One concern, I believe, is that other nations do not view women as leaders and perhaps that might influence some. Since we are having to deal with a lot of the Arab countries where they keep the women veiled, I don't know how effective Hillary would be received by those countries where they have little regard for women in politics. For that reason alone, she may have a struggle.

Obama seems to be a good candidate, but since his father was Muslim that may hurt him more than his blackness. Even though I've heard a lot of people say they are not prejudice, I know that I've seen many forms of bias in my life.

Answer 5

Boy....good question and a real toss up. But the main point is color should not make a difference, but integrity should. I have yet to see either of those two candidates show any...yet. The only racist are the ones who keep brining it up or using it as a tool to get their own way and play it as an ace. People are growing tired of it.

Tell your history teacher that people are going to feel the way they feel and will do and say what is right for them. This is a country of freedom...not political correctness as they are trying to drive into everyones minds. Political refers to politics, and we are NOT politicians. It only opens doors to change the Constitution and our rights and freedoms.

People don't want to be told how they should think, what to say, what to do or how to act. We can move past many things if the government would just 'leave all of us alone' and let us think for ourselves. We are not looking for hate crimes bills or laws. When they institute that, they begin a world of Communism. We have a right to hate....hate is a feeling that sometimes consumes, but people who insist on that type of legislation only drive the hatred inward than back out again...and we lash out. We are people...not clones, not machines, not computers...we're human. We have beliefs set in place and it isn't anyones place, especially that of government to attempt to change any of it. Why? Because it makes us puppets and extracts 'who and what we are' and what we believe in. It reaches down inside and destroys our very essence. If we can't feel love and closeness on our own, then having it forced fed does nothing but hurt the other person.

The suffix of those words are ISM...and it should be banned. It subtracts from society and re-forms a spirit that God created in each of us. It is not for government or anyone else to tamper with.

Answer 6

I supported Obama and now that he has won, I'm still in a little shock. I almost cried last night when they called it and soooo many people saw hope for the first time. The other half of this population has a voice, a role model, hope. This is the best thing we could have done. America has spoken loud and clear, and has made the right decision. It's a beautiful thing, and now this country can begin the healing process.

Answer 7

Depends on how many lazy people get off their butts and vote?
This is going to be a very bumpy ride! I think Hillary should win because she is experienced and better at whooping butt! Obama is still wet behind the ears and has no stabilty as far as loyalty to this country? Too shakey? Indonesia, Africa, White????
Islamic???? That is as bad as Arnold Swatzeneger? If there was a black person it could be Coni Rice, or Colin Powell and Jesse Jacksons son?? But not Obama yet, give him a few years before we trust him with our lives eh? That is typical though look who we have elected?Bush Sr., Bush Junior? Duh? They did not get elected because they were white either? They were elected because of party influence? So if they want a real candidate in there they better do better than Obama? Hillary, Edwards, etc.?

Answer 8

It depends on the candidate. I think both a white woman and a black man are capable of being elected in todays society. When you look at potential 08 matchup polls:
http://thenextprez.blogspot.com/2006/12/rasmussen-begins-2008-matchup-polls.html

Obama and Hillary win against some of the Republicans and aren't too far away from the others. Americans, for the most part, will judge a candidate based on their capability to lead the country, not race or gender.

There are 16 female senators currently. As for Obama here's an answer I gave to a previous question:
Black, white, green, brown, whatever, once people got to know him in Illinois, they liked him as a man.

Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday that he's not worried about how he will fare with fellow African-Americans should he launch a bid for the presidency, as he is expected to do in February.

"If you look at my black vote in my U.S. Senate race or my approval ratings back in Illinois," Obama (D-Ill.) said, "I feel pretty confident that, once folks know who I am, we'll do just fine."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0701260106jan26,1,1462426.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

In the Illinois senate race, he appealed to even the most conservative districts: "He recalled Sunday that when he successfully ran for the Senate in Illinois two years ago, he was well-received in downstate Cairo, Ill., a city which had been racially segregated in the late 1960s and which used to have a white separatist White Citizens’ Council.

“Southern Illinois is the South,” Obama explained to an audience of Yankees in Portsmouth, N.H. “It’s closer to Little Rock or Memphis than it is to Chicago.”

In the 1960s, Cairo was “the site of some of the worst racial violence of any place in the nation, as bad as anything going on in Mississippi or Alabama,” Obama said.

Some Illinois Democrats, he recalled, were worried in 2004 that a black candidate from Chicago named Obama was “not going to sell downstate.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16177866/

Answer 9

No, sadly Americans are definitely not past it. You can tell that much by simply reading some of the posts on Yahoo Q&A.
It's funny though, how we Americans can live in our little bubble and bicker and quarrel about topics that have no significance on any global scale while other countries' economies are growing exponentially and our own country collapses on top of itself. If you are still in school do yourself a favor and start learning Chinese or some other language, as you will probably need to speak it for any future job interviews.

Answer 10

not exactly. I feel that if there was a conservative black man running versus a liberal white woman, the black man would win. The black man, despite being black, will probably be considered "safe" to mainstream white america, and get the majority of votes. of course,there are still people who would vote against the black man b/c he's black. The liberal white woman, would scare America.

Answer 11

I think that just as black men got the right to vote before all women, a black man can be president in America before a white woman. Especially given this black man and this white woman.