Thursday, January 29, 2009



Obama's problematical blackness

Sometimes we are allowed to notice it and sometimes not
"One of the employees was checking the tea and noted out loud that they were out of black tea. To the other server, she made a joke about ordering some more "Obama tea."

On this day, of all days, I could not turn away, pretend I didn't hear. My pulse raced a little. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. In the larger scheme of things, calling her on it was a small act. A person of color might say, "that's nothing compared to the things people have said to me." But to pretend I hadn't heard, when indeed I had, as the televisions above the bar showed images of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, walking the parade route, was unthinkable.

I did the uncomfortable thing and spoke to the server (the jokester had disappeared), and to the club manager. "What do you want me to do?" the manager asked, when I said I thought it was not a harmless joke but a racist statement. I suggested racial sensitivity training at the very least. He said he would "take it under advisement." I found out later he spoke to her about the incident.

Source

It sounds to me like a small and harmless joke. But apparently you must only refer to Obama's blackness in order to praise it.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who really gives a sh*t what color the guy is? Anyone who brings it up under any context is doing nothing more than perpetuating racism, regardless of it being for or against him.

The question really needs to be: Can a man who claims to be a Christian, yet promotes complete tolerance to Islam (a religion that, by its own scripture promotes killing of non-believers), and promotes the killing of babies, be a leader of anything but a failing country?

Anonymous said...

Once again I say:

"Everybody" is screaming about racism, yet the race card is always the first played.

What a crock of crap! The more islamists cry about Jews and Christians, the more I hear about blacks playing the race card on Whites, the more 'racist' I get. That is, if you can be racist against crybabies.

Anonymous said...

The one who complained is the one who is perpetuating the problem. If we reach the point where we CAN joke about a persons blackness or whiteness and everyone can laugh and go on because it's only a joke, that will be the time that Rev MLK's dream will come true.

Anonymous said...

"He's Black! He's Black! He's Black!"

This has been the chant from the left for over a year, and the victory cry on Inauguration Day.

But if even one Conservative mentions The One is Black, it's a racist remark!

Al-Qaida's #2 man called him a "house negro" - are we ready to fight them terrorists now?

Anonymous said...

For "Obama tea", you must mix equal parts of black tea and milk.

Anonymous said...

If something offends you, you should, as demonstrated here, speak up.

Where this writer failed in her understanding, was in not recognizing that noone has to pay attention to her complaints.

Anonymous said...

Why is it people have such thin skin now a days, if someone says something you do not like ignore it, or let it go, life s too short to get offended for other people.