Say Anything Blog

I was thinking some more last night on the question about whether or not Barrack Obama is “black enough” for black voters, which is something journalists seem to keep asking over and over again.  I keep wondering: What does “black enough” mean?  How is Obama supposed to behave in order to be “black enough?”  Because it seems to me that the media wants Barrack Obama to fall into some black stereotype.

And aren’t stereotypes…a bad thing?

I’d like one of the people asking the “black enough” question to explain to me how Obama is supposed to act more black.  Should he eat more watermelon?  More fried chicken?  Should he grow out an afro and stick a pick in it?  How about if he affects a southern accent, begins liberal use of slang terms and speaks in rhyming sequences a la Rev. Al Sharpton?  Would that make him “black enough,” or would he need to slap some spinner rims on his campaign rides and start faux-limping about with big chains of bling swinging from his neck?

If you find any of those stereotypes of black people demeaning and insulting, well so do I.  I don’t like the idea of judging people based on the collective demographic their skin-tone or racial heritage might categorize them as.  I see people as individuals, up to and including Barrack Obama.  I don’t care if Obama is black, white, yellow, blue, man or woman.  It’s not his skin color that matters, it’s his policies that matter. 

Which is why asking the “black enough” question is such utter garbage.  It simply does not matter, because something like skin color should not matter to voters, reporters or anyone else.

Personally, I don’t like Barrack Obama.  But again, that dislike is based on his stated policy goals and not on what color his skin is or how he talks or even how he dresses.