If Obama was white do you think he'd be getting so much attention?

Question

But he is white. He has a white mother. He's not an African American by any stretch of the imagination. Right or wrong.

Not Osama ... Senator Obama from Ill.

Answer 1

#1)
It seems that 'most of our society' needs to understand
that -- Barack Obama IS Multiracially 'MIXED' and
Barack Obama is *NOT* Monoracially 'BLACK'

#2)
It seems that 'you' may need to understand that the term
'AFRICAN-AMERICAN' does NOT always MEAN 'BLACK'.

In fact, many people (+70%) who have been born to two (2)
parents who are both members of the African-American (AA)
'Ethnic' group are actually also fully 'Mixed-Race' people.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/991
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1399

Here ... let me explain ...

#3)
THE ‘AFRICAN-AMERICANS’ (AAs) ARE
NOT THE ‘BLACK AMERICANS’ (BAs)

Most people on our society really needs to try to begin to
understand that the 'African-American' (AA) 'ETHNIC'
group is *not* the same group as the Black American'
(BA) 'RACE' group -- that the two (2) terms are
*not* synonymous and that the two (2) terms
should *not* be used inter-changeably.

We are *NOT* speaking of ‘SEMANTICS’ here – but rather –
the BAs & the AAs are two entirely different groups of people.

The AAs are the (largely Mixed-Race) ETHNIC group.

The BAs are the (Mono-Raced) RACE group.

#4)
THE PARADOX OF THE TERMS OF AA & BA

As confusing as it seems -- the U.S. government
[due to racism & wanting to stigmatize the part
of their lineage that was from Africa which, by
the way, is only one part of their lineage] ---

has labeled those individuals who are the known
"Descendents of the Survivors" of the System of
Chattel-Slavery found in the USA as being AAs
(the hyphen is used in reference to acknowledging
the fact that most of them are Mixed-Race,
with African & non-African blood lines)

AND

has labeled those people who are "volitional immigrants"
who are directly from places such as the continent of
African, the West Indies, etc. -- as being BAs
(with the word 'Black' used in reference to acknowledging
the fact that they are of a Mono-racial full-Black lineage).

In addition, it should also be remembered that – although
some AAs adhere to a socio-political ‘identity’ that is often
described by the slang term of “black”—the AAs are actually
*NOT* a "RACE" group at all -- but rather they *are* a largely
Mixed-Race 'ETHNIC' group (and the socio-political
‘identity’ that a person chooses *does not*
change their racially-mixed ancestral lineage).

According to testing done by Dr. Luigi Cavelli-Sforza
(the Executive Director of the 'Human Genome Project'
and the world's foremost authority on human genetics) --
most (+70%) of the people who are born to two (2) parents
who are both members of the AA ‘ETHNIC’ group -- are
actually of a continually Multi-Racially ‘MIXED’ (MGM)
lineage (consisting of +20-30% White / European and
also +25% Amerindian ancestrally admixed lineage)

The people who are born to two (2) parents
who are of the BA ‘Racial’ group – on the other
hand – are of a Mono-Racially ‘BLACK’ lineage.

People need to understand that there is a big
difference between a largely Multi-racial 'ETHNIC'
group and between a Mono-racial 'RACE' group.

As noted - the majority (+70%) of the people born to two
(2) parents who are members of the African-American
(AA) ‘Ethnic’ group ---- are considered to be (and have
been proven as being) MIXED-RACE SPECIFICALLY
BECAUSE they have a CONTINUALLY ADMIXED
ancestral blood LINEAGE (theirs consists, on
average, of +20-30% European / White; +25%
Amerindian and 45-65% West African / Black).

Thus –most FULL-AAs are not “racially” ‘Black’ –
but rather – they are of a continually Multi-Generational
Multiracially –Mixed (MGM-Mixed) / Mixed-Race lineage.

#5)
ONE’S ‘IDENTITY’ IS NOT ALWAYS ONE’S ‘ANCESTRY’

In addition, there is also a big difference between
one's socio-political 'identity' (ex. "black") and
one's ancestral racial 'lineage' (ex. 'Mixed').

Just because a person adheres to a socio-political
'identification' which has been referred to as being
"black" -- or-- has found themselves mis-placed into a
census 'categorization' that has been labeled as "black"
-- does *not* mean that the truth regarding their FULL
ancestral lineage can be hidden or should be denied.

Some Mixed-Race people (ex. Barack Obama, Halle Berry,
etc.) adhere to a socio-political ‘identity’ that many people
simply label as with the term of “black” – however, both the
those who adhere to such ‘identity’ and those who label it as
such – will openly admit that these people are Mixed-Race.

Just because a person adheres to a given
socio-political 'identity' does *not* change
the composition of their ancestral 'lineage'.

For more information -- see the links listed below.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/991
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1399

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1570
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1573

#6)
THE RACIST ONE-DROP RULE

Also, the concept of the 'One-Drop' Rule (i.e. the idea that
anyone who has any given amount of Black / West African
ancestry in their family lineage is to be seen as being
mono-racially Black) is nothing more than pure-racism.

The racist 'One-Drop Rule' (used only by the United States
government, by the way) was created during the antebellum,
chattel-slavery era by White racial supremacist in order to
get people to believe the false racist myth that the so-called
White "race" was "pure" and to falsely view the Black
"racial" admixture (even the slightest amount) within
someone's ancestral lineage as being "tainted".

To embrace the 'One-Drop Rule' (the false and racist
teaching that 'any amount' of Black ancestral lineage
make a person "full black") is the equivalent of BOTH
embracing "racism" and embracing the false teaching
that a Mixed-Race person's Black lineage is "tainted".

My advice is that a non-Racist should *not*
embrace the concept of the 'One-Drop Rule'
-- as "Black blood" is *not* "tainted" -- and should
never be perceived or embraced as being so
(not even in the name of so-called "pride" and "unity").

In addition, legally-speaking, attempted forcible
application of the racist 'One-Drop Rule' -- against
any individual or group -- was made illegal and ruled
as unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court
in 1967 via the case of 'Loving vs. The State of Virginia'.

Through the 'Loving vs. Virginia' case, the U.S.
Supreme Court, ruled against both all of the laws
banning Interracial marriage -- and -- also ruled
that any so-called law which forcibly applied the
'One Drop Rule' -- was racist, discriminatory,
illegal, unconstitutional, and non-enforcible.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1402
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1400

Again -- neither Barack Obama nor Halle Berry are
mono-racially 'Black' people -- BUT -- THEN AGAIN
-- neither are MOST (+70%) of the full members of
the African-American (AA) Ethnic group either.

In all three (3) cases, we could easily be referring to fully
Mixed-Race people – despite the confusing labels the
US society and government has given to each.

The easiest way to remember it is that the AAs
are not the BAs – and that, while the BAs are
‘Black’, most (70%) of the AAs are of
a continually ‘Mixed-Race’ Lineage.

Hope that helps and that you have a great day. :D

Related Links:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mgm-mixed/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fgm-mixed/

.

Answer 2

First of all, by traditional standards of the passing of lineage, Sen. Obama is "African-American" ("black" if you will) because his father is Kenyan. You don't get much more African than being from Kenya. Even though I am not "black", I find it patently offensive that the black community attacks Barak Obama for not being "black enough" just because he is not descended from slaves. I have news for those people, there are plenty of Meixcans who are descended from Aztecs and Mayans who were turned into slaves by the Spanish conquistadors. So being descended from slaves doesn't make you black any more than listening to gangsta rap makes you black.

As for whether or not he would get this kind of attention if he were white is concerned, I have to honestly say that I don't know. Anyone who was challenging Hillary Clinton the way he is would be getting the attention he is getting. However the question of whether or not he would be mounting this level of a challenge to Sen. Clinton's nomination if he *weren't* black is almost impossible to answer.

For what it's worth, right now my vote is a toss up between Obama and John Edwards.

Answer 3

I think not but clearly this is something new for the US to face and many are interested in what is going on. Hillary Clinton is getting a lot of attention too and this is because she is a woman! If Hillary was a man would she be getting so much attention? I think not.
This is also something new to the US and from the outside looking in, I am will be very interested in the outcome. Good luck to both of them!

Answer 4

A few of the previous responses are sadly comically stupid. No offense ment but ...

OBAMA does NOT mean OSAMA.

Now to answer your question, I could careless what race, ethnicity or creed he is as long as he is not a moron like the current man in office.

Answer 5

He gets attention because of his intelligence. And yes, he is part white; not that it matters. And Robert 43 is wrong; he is not a billionaire.

Answer 6

Your question just proves racism is alive and well.


To answer your question, any new candidate would probably receive tons of press especially if he/she has George Clooney among other celebrities backing him/her.

Answer 7

I'm focusing on the message, not the messenger. So far the message hasn't been one I agree with.

Answer 8

He's an outlaw. The color of his skin is irrelevant: he is a bum (even if he is a billionaire).

Answer 9

Focus on what he says, not his skin color.

Answer 10

Sorry but he's Black, just the other black