Is He REALLY Black?

[fugibo]

This is not for flaming. I was just wondering, does anyone have any good reasons for thinking that he's really black? I couldn't think of any.

[Diokatsu]

What?

[fugibo]

Well, is he black? He was born in Hawaii and his dad was from Kenya, so I don't see how he's black in any way.

I'm talking about a specific Democratic nominee, by the way.

[Hellfire Dragon]

I'm 80% sure I know who you're talking about, but I still don't get what your asking...

[winkio]

He's not white.  He definitely would not have the same rights as his current white peers 60 years ago.  So in that respect, he is.

[fugibo]

Good point, winkio. Anyone else have an opinion on it? I'd like to see if there's something I missed that would actually make him "black."

My reasons for him not being are that a) his mom was white and b) He has no heritage and very little DNA in common with most modern-day African Americans.

I'm not saying he's not African, but is he really fit to be put in the same group as most blacks? Note that I'm not racist, I don't think color has anything to do with superiority, just culture -- which whites and blacks do not share completely. I'm not saying either is better; there are plenty of white people who I despise, while I main only distaste Africans. That puts them slighty above caucasians

And if I had it my way, I'd be a blue Albino.

[winkio]

He grew up in black culture in Chicago with his church and all...

[Diokatsu]

Ok, first off, this debate sucks. You didn't even open with a good topic. You neither presented an argument nor specified who was to be argued about. That's strike one. Next, it doesn't matter if he's white or black, considering the purpose of this election was to get around that point. THEN, you try and justify why your argument is not favoring either side by playing the "I like Africans and only dislike some Africans and hate some white people". First thing wrong: it's African-AMERICAN. Second, by bringing up the issue of race, I think you'd realize how many people you could offend. He's half black and half white. There is no debate.

[winkio]

Agreed.  In my opinion, race/skin color is a much weaker social bond than class, location, age, or education.

[Diokatsu]

The main draw of Obama is to many people that he grew up with very little and made something of himself. not only that, but he never forgot where he came from and wishes to help those people in similar situations. Obama is the educated man that can advocate for the people and keep the government from crushing them and letting big business get away with too much. I will say though, i neither disagree or agree with these sentiments.

[Blizzard]

I'm not entirely sure if I should lock this topic. Dio has a point there, this is not a debate.

[Punn]

Way to fail the topic. I don't really care much about black or white. We're fucking americans, but seem to be obsessed with the color then the human being.

History has been made, but we're still fucked.

[fugibo]

Sorry about this

But you can't deny that art of what Obama had over McCain is his race.

*shuts up, and forbids from posting during sleep-deprivation*

[Blizzard]

It's true. It was definitely the fear of turning out to be racist that Obama got a share of votes more. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. That shows that America might be ready to stop the racism bullcrap.

[tSwitch]

does it REALLY matter?

[Blizzard]

Not really. And exactly that is the way you have to think. It doesn't matter.

[Fantasist]

That's right. But that doesn't mean we're all the exact same, we're all different from different cultures and ethnicities, but that diversity is what makes this world a lively place.

[winkio]

Coming from a community of many republican voters in Colorado (which by the way, went republican (for Bush) in 2004 and went Democrat (Obama) in 2008), I'd say that race wasn't as big a factor as many may think: Obama has awesome speaking skills, appeals to a wider group of people, and is more closely aligned with popular ideologies.  Race was pretty much ignored in my state :&

[fugibo]

I'm not saying race affected the intellectuals, just all the idiots who shouldn't be voting -- you know, that part of the population who don't know where Iraq is.

[RoseSkye]

Good point, winkio. Anyone else have an opinion on it? I'd like to see if there's something I missed that would actually make him "black."

My reasons for him not being are that a) his mom was white and b) He has no heritage and very little DNA in common with most modern-day African Americans.

I'm not saying he's not African, but is he really fit to be put in the same group as most blacks? Note that I'm not racist, I don't think color has anything to do with superiority, just culture -- which whites and blacks do not share completely. I'm not saying either is better; there are plenty of white people who I despise, while I main only distaste Africans. That puts them slighty above caucasians

And if I had it my way, I'd be a blue Albino.

huishjisuhsuihss I just have to necro this.. not in favor of Obama but just for the fact that you involuntarily stepped on my toes.

Dude. Saying he's not black is like saying I'm not black.

Sure I have a lighter tone and different eyes but that doesn't make me not black. Hell I'm part french/blackfoot indian and I'm still seen as black. So in that respect.. Obama is black.

By the way Africans - Africa. Black = African-American.
So you're saying we didn't come from Africa?

[fugibo]

Oooooooh, I missed this.

My point is:

• His mother was Hawaiian; therefore, by law, he is Hawaiian (go look it up)
  
• Most African-Americans have a common heritage in that they went through slavery together, and even before that probably had ancestors in similar tribes and such in Africa. Obama, on the other hand, only has heritage in Kenya, and therefore has no common heritage with the majority of African-Americans.
  

I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with calling him Black, but a lot of black people (at least around here) were backing him for no other reason than that he was black, and everyone's like "We finally have a BLACK person as president!" And... they really don't. He's dark-skinned, and his dad was Kenyan, but he's not really all that black. Which kinda ticks me off. It's like all the gray-haired people screaming about Bush getting elected.

[tSwitch]

does it REALLY matter?

[RoseSkye]

Oooooooh, I missed this.

My point is:

• His mother was Hawaiian; therefore, by law, he is Hawaiian (go look it up)
  
• Most African-Americans have a common heritage in that they went through slavery together, and even before that probably had ancestors in similar tribes and such in Africa. Obama, on the other hand, only has heritage in Kenya, and therefore has no common heritage with the majority of African-Americans.
  
  
  I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with calling him Black, but a lot of black people (at least around here) were backing him for no other reason than that he was black, and everyone's like "We finally have a BLACK person as president!" And... they really don't. He's dark-skinned, and his dad was Kenyan, but he's not really all that black. Which kinda ticks me off. It's like all the gray-haired people screaming about Bush getting elected.
  

I missed the memo where Kenya wasn't in Africa

More specifically, East Africa.

By the way, only way to truly settle Blacks voting for him for being black (instead of being Democrat *cough*.. because blacks don't have a history of voting democrat *cough*) is putting someone black that has none of the qualifications that Obama has into 2012's election.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Of course.. I could also bring up the fact that Jesse ran for president and he was also black.. but he lost.

The fact that there were blacks against his elections

... or Kenyans themselves call Obama 'the first African President'

Of course, I heard this talking point many times. I'm not opposing it because Obama's Black (mixed)

I'm Opposing it because it is wrong. "Kenyans have a recorded presence on American soil for over 300 years. The earliest Kenyans were not voluntary immigrants, but were victims of the American slave trade that was not outlawed until 1808. Partly as a result, voluntary migration remained negligible until the last decades of the twentieth century. Between 1980 and 1990, Kenyan immigration more than doubled."

You really should research before you say something, WcW. A simple google search debunks most of the things you say.
I'm just saying.. if someone from Africa isn't African.. I guess someone in Hawaii isn't American.. they're not part of the clusterfuck of states.. right? I guess that means that Native Americans aren't technically Americans because.. they're from America as opposed to not being from America..

[tSwitch]

does it REALLY matter?

[fugibo]

I meant to say that Kenya was eastern, whereas almost all modern African-Americans came from the West (who was gonna go all the way around through the monsoon to get some slaves ?)

Please, lock this.

[Starrodkirby86]

Why did you revive this during such a bad point in time? Geez, it's like you asking for more debating to go for...By which I mean, 'debating'.

I would have the Lock emoticon up here, but really that smile on the lock doesn't really fit.

Enjoy this instead: