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[From France]
A fundamental debate troubles the media and the Internet about this serious matter: Is Obama Black? The mind boggles! At the beginning of the campaign, the question was even asked about magazines that darken, or lighten, a little too much a picture of him on their cover. Everyone seems affected by severe jacksonnite.
Obama has a Black father from Kenya, a White mother, and was born in Honolulu. Terminological purists say: "He is not Black, he is a person of mixed-race." Old fashion terminological purists then say: "He is not Black, he is a mulatto" as a memory of good old slavery time. Subtle people love gradations. They think they are subtle for that reason. But this is an area where subtleness rather depends on racists, who are not as subtle as they believe to be.
He himself checked « Black » in the statistics, as one can choose more or less freely his colour in the United States (see also "Black Lobbying and racial statistics" [in French]). In fact, we can say he is Black, simply because when you are not White – since the question arises (and using a process of elimination, as not Asian) –, you are Black.
Obama indicated that he had to endure small humiliations usually suffered by Blacks. [In France] Liberal people think that a rich Black suffers far less harassment than a poor Black. They are probably right as they are liberal. But frankly, if I were in rich black shoes, I would be even more irritated to be taken for a poor Black... especially by a poor (liberal) White,
by the way.
Apparently, Liberals don't know the principle that you should compare comparable things (rich Blacks Vs rich Whites, or poor Blacks Vs poor Whites). They must think that all Blacks should be poorer than all Whites. Unless they suspect the rich Black to vote conservative, by class solidarity, instead of voting liberal by race solidarity, but not communautarism, because it is wrong [as French leftists deny community solidarity as not republican]. We begin to appreciate the drama of the Black man! We cannot even form an idea of the leftist (French) Black man one!
Even some African Americans think Obama is not Black enough. He is a bit alien. Not a "native Black" in short. This already shows that Blacks are as stupid as Whites. Unless only native Black politicians don't like being ran off their seat. Black politicians are worth White ones on this point too. Equality makes progress at any levels.
But these Blacks above are missing one tiny little detail, almost infinitesimal. Without playing the purist, I remind them that they like to be called "African American" for a while. Yet precisely, Obama does have an African father and an American mother. So he is African-American (and even more than them).
That's maybe why African Americans are not so happy. They wanted to be called "African American" and voilà! A guy shows up, and he is... well, African and American, precisely! And he stands for Presidency of the United States. Blunder! They did not see it coming! That's the problem with intellectuals. They say a little too much that words are meaningful (see "Words are not so important" [in French]) and play on words when it suits.
Anyway, "African American", means "Black", isn't it?
Jacques Bolo
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Exergue - Paris