ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Topic: ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama (Read 6155 times) previous topic - next topic

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #30 – January 20, 2009, 01:40:58 PM

Oh and Cougar, I'm not quite as old as you, but just so you don't think I was raised in some monochromatic suburb or small town. I grew up up in the inner-city, was put on the busses when they decided to de-segregate the public schools, had to deal with threats of "race riots" in middle school(when I didn't see what the big deal was) , but I preferred integrated schools growing up (spent 1 year at an all-white HS...HATED IT) and still live in an inner-city neighborhood.
Race to me makes no difference, and it bugs me when that's all some people seem to see.

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #31 – January 20, 2009, 01:41:05 PM

Which water fountain would he have been directed to as a child?

His family could not even live in 16 states when he was young as interracial marriage was ILLEGAL in those states.

What do the majority of people in this country see him as?

The "mixed" moniker, while indeed true, does not acknowledge the reality of what the definition of "black" is in this country. I guarantee you that if he looked at a white woman in the wrong part of the South as a child they wouldn't have said "yes, but he's half white".

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #32 – January 20, 2009, 01:45:19 PM

Quote from: Chuck W;252662

Oh and Cougar, I'm not quite as old as you, but just so you don't think I was raised in some monochromatic suburb or small town. I grew up up in the inner-city, was put on the busses when they decided to de-segregate the public schools, had to deal with threats of "race riots" in middle school(when I didn't see what the big deal was) , but I preferred integrated schools growing up (spent 1 year at an all-white HS...HATED IT) and still live in an inner-city neighborhood.
Race to me makes no difference, and it bugs me when that's all some people seem to see.

Same here - I grew up in the inner city of Boston (Roxbury) in a mixed neighborhood and my parents voluntarily bussed me to a black neighborhood so I would be more open minded.

It is because of my experiences as a child that I would be remiss if I were to simply try to dismiss the significance of this occasion. I cannot. This is the one of, if not the most significant event of my lifetime. And it is precicely because Barack Obama is black. I will not be dismissive of the significance of this event, even if some would like to pretend it's "just another President".

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #33 – January 20, 2009, 01:47:15 PM

All that you say is true, but again we are dealing with the "now".

"Some men you just can't reach" (there will always be bigots, even in the 21st century)

Like I said I see things differently and never condoned or understood bigotry. (I've actually had "words" with a few rednecks on the matter) I understand the significance of what has happened.

It just seems very divisive to me and not so much a path to unity...

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #34 – January 20, 2009, 01:53:06 PM

Quote from: Chuck W;252665

All that you say is true, but again we are dealing with the "now".

"Some men you just can't reach" (there will always be bigots, even in the 21st century)

Like I said I see things differently and never condoned or understood bigotry. (I've actually had "words" with a few rednecks on the matter) I understand the significance of what has happened.

It just seems very devisive to me and not so much a path to unity...

I'd say that over 50% of all the people here in my adopted 98% white state are bigots (and they really don't try that hard to hide that fact). I'm not going to dwell on this, but I think it is not divisive to point out the significance of where we were and where we're going. Ignore history I will not.

"Those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them."

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #35 – January 20, 2009, 02:13:52 PM

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Anybody who can't see the significance of what happened today, and who would focus ONLY those who might have voted for him just because he is black is looking at today's historical event from a very narrow perspective. Perhaps it's generational as I suspect that people like me near 50 and older who have lived through the some of the darker times in our history might see today's events much differently.

And those that ignore the fact that he was nominated, thrust into celebrity status by the media and ultimately voted in as the prez for ONLY the reason that he is black are just as ignorant. I think its a sad day for our country because of it.

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I'd say that over 50% of all the people here in my adopted 98% white state are bigots

Typical Obama supporter veiw, and its only going to get worse. They would just as well assume if you didnt vote for him or if you say something negative about him your automatically a biggot racist.

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #36 – January 20, 2009, 02:20:19 PM

I like where this is going! :)

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #37 – January 20, 2009, 02:21:05 PM

Quote from: shame302;252673

And those that ignore the fact that he was nominated, thrust into celebrity status by the media and ultimately voted in as the prez for ONLY the reason that he is black are just as ignorant. I think its a sad day for our country because of it.

Wow. All I can say is WOW!

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Typical Obama supporter veiw, and its only going to get worse. They would just as well assume if you didnt vote for him or if you say something negative about him your automatically a biggot racist.

I formed this opinion over the past 20 years living and interacting with people here - none of this opinion has anything to do with the election. Heck, most all of the people I grew up with in the inner city were bigots - white and black and hispanic. Whites are far from the only bigots - some of the worst bigots I knew were NOT white!

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #38 – January 20, 2009, 02:24:24 PM

I'm not saying you should dismiss it. I'm just saying that continuing to put the emphasis on his colour after the big celebration is over will just serve to point out the differences between people, not the similarities.

Like I said, celebrate today. I totally understand why it's a big deal to visual minorities for someone from a visual minority to get the top job in the Nation. The significance of the event marks the END of something. But it'll never end if people don't let it die.

I know it's vindicating for you, but making people feel like shiznit about a history they can't change (and had no involvement in) doesn't serve to bring people together. You should see how life is up here in Canada. We've spent the last three decades or more making apologies for the actions of our ancestors. For you, the actions happened within memory, but if you can't get past them in the coming months, when you have every opportunity and responsibility to, you'll end up spending another 50 years divided. Civil rights achieved, but no closer together. After all of this time, we still haven't managed to bring First Nations people together with the rest of Canada (though it's hard when the reservations still exist). The same goes with the French in this country. We spend so much time concentrating on what makes us different and blaming the British/Anglophoniqe for our problems that we continue to drive each other apart, and risk further isolation ever time the topic makes the headlines. Forever laying blame from one side, and forever gaining resentment on the other.

So celebrate the event, but try not to hold the cause to Obama for the next four to eight years. Move on and see your President for the man he is, not the man people see at first glance, because if you can only credit him as a Black President, you have to blame him as a Black President when he shags up.

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #39 – January 20, 2009, 02:30:49 PM

i don't care what his race is but he did promise the moon to every voter. so i keep looking out my front window looking to see if the noon has landed in my front yard. nothing yet??????

as for bush, he follow his daddy foot step's and i hope the door didn't hit him in the butt on the way out.

this is what i have found out:
when it come to politician .
if there mouth is moving, there lieing. no matter what there race/color/shag is!

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #40 – January 20, 2009, 02:31:34 PM

Oldraven,

Yep, celebrating a NEW BEGINNING is not, and never will be an assault on anybody.

It's not vindicating to me, it's a celebration of a new beginning for our nation. This seemed like an impossiblity to millions just 6 months ago. If people clebrating this incredible event only serves to make you want to be concerned about the feelings of those who want to forget or dismiss the past, then count me out. It's possible to celebrate without bad feelings - of which I have NONE. YOUR problem, NOT MINE.

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #41 – January 20, 2009, 02:34:22 PM

You, sir, are impossible to reach.

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #42 – January 20, 2009, 02:36:47 PM

Quote from: oldraven;252680

You, sir, are impossible to reach.

No, this person is NOT going let you push YOUR feelings during this time onto ME! You don't even live here and you spell colour like a Brit or a Canadian.

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #43 – January 20, 2009, 02:37:37 PM

IMO, there is nobody in the United States of America more responsible for getting Obama elected than GWB himself. Seriously, the first thing Obama should have done was thank Bush for making it possible. People just wanted him out so bad, and people viewed McCain as more of the same, dooming the republicans before they even had a nomination. A blindfolded chimp with a pencil in his teeth could've gotten elected as long as he represented something other than Bush & Co.

Not that I'm belittling Obama or his accomplishment. It is truly amazing that only a short time ago a woman caused a national uproar because she wanted to plant her arse on a bus, and now there is a black president (call him half black or half white if you will, but the public goes by appearance, not pedigree). For a minority race to go from not even being able to vote to actually running the place in less than a century is amazing.

No, I'm not belittling Obama, and my heart is actually gladdened that he's finally taken the reins. For better or for worse, history was made today. I'm simply saying that had the majority of the people been happy with the last 8 years they'd have sworn in another Republican today, black or white.

ThankYou George W Bush AND Welcome President elect Obama

Reply #44 – January 20, 2009, 02:42:22 PM

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there is nobody in the United States of America more responsible for getting Obama elected than GWB himself

Bullseye!