tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276072416212541005.post3212117331667443342..comments2024-02-15T04:24:25.144-05:00Comments on Brown Man Thinking Hard: Obama: Metaphorically Black or Literally Black?Brown Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02544490126803327515noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276072416212541005.post-46738227771408714752008-06-10T22:30:00.000-04:002008-06-10T22:30:00.000-04:00Sorry about that, "Jim". If the Obama's can do fo...Sorry about that, "Jim". If the Obama's can do for America in real life what The Cosby Show did with a fictional TV family, I am all for it. <BR/><BR/>Center stage - I like that.Brown Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11975866612959886893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276072416212541005.post-23909636539897208002008-06-10T09:46:00.000-04:002008-06-10T09:46:00.000-04:00I was looking at a site the other day , I think it...I was looking at a site the other day , I think it was Black Women Vote, and they were talking about the attention that had been given to the Obama/Michelle "dap", how they had seen Feinstein and I think Bay Buchannan copying it on some news show.<BR/><BR/>Of course, (with some humor) they were aghast! They were listing other black phrases etc. that had been co-opted in general (white) American culture - obviously there are many. And it seems to me that, what is it, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"? I think there is this tension between maintaining cultural identity and not so much "assimilation", but to my mind more positively, integration. <BR/><BR/>I think part of the "is Obama black enough" meme is an expression of that tension. To over-simplify, on one side you have people of mainly a previous generation that tend towards separate cultural identity as a matter of pride in the face of racism, and on the other you have some that accept the diffusion of black culture as a sign of progress for black people, for people in general. At least that's how I see it from the perspective of a white guy!<BR/><BR/>The clear thing is that we have on center stage in America a black man, a black FAMILY, that can initiate useful conversations, and can shift the center point of discussions of race in our country in a positive direction. That is an amazing gift, no matter what happens in November.<BR/><BR/>(And P.S. it's "Jim", my screen name is misleading...)jhaygoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276072416212541005.post-5810466792913683052008-06-10T08:45:00.000-04:002008-06-10T08:45:00.000-04:00I hear you, Jay. One of the things I try not to d...I hear you, Jay. One of the things I try not to do is dismiss alternate points of view immediately - sometimes examining why someone believes the opposite of what you believe helps you to have a better understanding of your own position on an issue. <BR/><BR/>And I think the distinction is important - in accepting the exotic essence of being different that comes along with being black, while rejecting the negative connotations this brown skin also brings to mind, Obama has taken the country closer to the line between the exotic and the negative than any successful black person mainstream America takes seriously (Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan, etc.).<BR/><BR/>He plays basketball. He admits he enjoys listening to some rap music. He is not afraid to be seen dancing, or giving his wife some "dap" in public.<BR/><BR/>Kind of reminds me of the black kids who grew up in mid western or northern suburbs while their parents climbed the corporate ladder who came down South to Spelman and Morehouse to get the "black experience". <BR/><BR/>There are those, both black and white, like your people in West Virginia, who will always link being black with the negatives they have come to believe are a part of our DNABrown Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11975866612959886893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276072416212541005.post-72860608018214685952008-06-10T01:04:00.000-04:002008-06-10T01:04:00.000-04:00Just ask the folks in West Virginia if he's black ...Just ask the folks in West Virginia if he's black enough...<BR/><BR/>And this reminds of Hillary suggesting that the sexism aimed at her was worse than racism aimed at Obama... it's one of the sad things to see when oppressed people in our society go after each other, instead of the sources of that problem.<BR/><BR/>I'd say he's black enough...jhaygoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com