Poor form but we're gonna let it slide because you're Canadian.
Many of these 'trolls' dish out great audio advice that makes this a great site and they like talking to each other. That's their business and they probably don't appreciate name calling.
He's
BLACK ???
That's it. I'm moving back to Canada. Minus for PM.
I'm still trying to get my head around the "first black President" thing. Two people I work with, one who is black (who is also a very good personal friend to me) and one who is half black and half white, do not think of him as a "black" man.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a social expert on race. But if your half of one thing and half another, how can you be just one of those things? He's black, but isn't he also white? There's a part of me that takes offense to his dismissal of his white half (for lack of a better way to put it.) much like I think how a black person would feel if he referred to himself as white - which I guess he could do just as easily. Is it based which parent? The race listed in the census is based on your mother's race if I'm not mistaken. So it there a social vs official difference. I don't know and I want to understand.
In the grand scheme of things, I really don't care if he or anyone else is white or black or some % of either, but I don't understand what makes you one or the other or why you choose to call yourself one or the other ignoring your equal other race. The person I work with is also 50/50 refers to herself as mulatto, not white, not black, when we discuss race based issues or talk of Obama. I'm not close with her nor do I know her well enough to probe for an understanding. My friend who actually is an African American from Africa, doesn't think of him as black and doesn't like American blacks calling themselves African American.
Race is very complicated and it's difficut to even discuss because despite how careful you are or how sincere your points are, you will likely offend someone in a very serious way. I wish it wasn't like that, but it is, I can understand that to a great degree.
What makes you black, or white, for that matter. If you 25% black, would/could you still calll yourself a black person? If you're just 25% white, would/could you still call yourself white?
It's a question I've thought about now and then since Obama came to the limelight and he and everyone else referred to him as black. Personally, race doesn't matter much to me, but I do have a sincere desire to have a better understanding of thoughts, feelings, and motivations behind it. As a white male, I realize that my views can tend to be somewhat myopic on some things, but before I can expand my view, I need to first understand.
