Barack Obama looks like he’s going to annouce that he’s running for President (Beet.TV has a link to the news, along with news about how Barack is using online video). Already most of the press (and most political bloggers) have decided that the race for Democratic nominee is between three people: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards.
I’m getting pissed off about something I’ve noticed in my conversations. No, not when people tell me they either don’t know enough about Barack, or think he’s not experienced enough. That’s quite acceptable at this stage in the game.
But I’m throwing a little test into the conversation. I then follow up a comment like that with this: “I think he isn’t going to get elected because of the color of his skin.”
What follows my statement is what really pisses me off: I haven’t had many people disagree with me. Admittedly small sample size, but now more than 100 people.
That’s what I call “default” racism. You might call it “invisible” racism. Or something else. But it still is racism. If someone says something racist to you, and you don’t disagree, aren’t you also racist by default?
It’s also interesting that I haven’t seen the major political blogs, or Web sites, take on the issue of race and the 2008 candidacy.
Oh, and what does this have to do with technology? Not much until I start remembering my Silicon Valley childhood when I was my son’s age. I remember a neighborhood family coming around to my parents asking “we’re thinking of selling our home to a black family and wanted to let you know about it.”
I’m sick of the default. What about you?
I’ve participated in numerous discussions on Obama and Clinton, and in every one I’ve made two statements. 1) I don’t think Obama can win because of his race 2) I don’t think Clinton can win because she’s a woman. That’s not racism, that’s acknowledgment that racist attitudes exist out there. I would vote for either over any other candidate out there.
Elections aren’t usually landslides, they’re close. Each of those candidates will garner additional votes because of their race/sex but they will also lose votes for those reasons. I think attitudes, and demographics, have changed in this country – but not to the degree that the candidates won’t still suffer a net loss of votes.
On the other hand, if Clinton and Obama would take a higher route, thinking of how this country would gain from their pairing as running mates rather than what they themselves would lose, I think you’d see a surefire win that would propel us into a more positive future.
I got an idea. Why don’t we just go with whoever gets nominated?
I got an idea. Why don’t we just go with whoever gets nominated?
[...] Robert Scoble, a big boy in the tech blogging world, made a post tonight about ‘default racism’ as it apples to Barak Obama’s chance of winning the white house. But I’m throwing a little test into the conversation. I then follow up a comment like that with this: “I think he isn’t going to get elected because of the color of his skin.” [...]
“I’m sick of the default. What about you?”
Well I’m sick of reading about who might be running in an election that is almost two years away to be honest. I think it was Dave Winer who said recently that the elections in the US are are becoming a full-time issue nowadays. It’s getting ridiculous.
Anyway the comment isn’t racist, of course it isn’t. I’m sure there’s a fair number of black people who have said it too, does that make them racists?
“I’m sick of the default. What about you?”
Well I’m sick of reading about who might be running in an election that is almost two years away to be honest. I think it was Dave Winer who said recently that the elections in the US are are becoming a full-time issue nowadays. It’s getting ridiculous.
Anyway the comment isn’t racist, of course it isn’t. I’m sure there’s a fair number of black people who have said it too, does that make them racists?
I am tired of the bias against southern states. Last time I checked New York was about to explode because of that black man who was killed by the police outside a nightclub, and LA isn’t known for it’s race friendly relations. Anyone in Massachusetts remember that murder case around 17 years ago where the white guy said a black man killed his wife when it was him? You think that won’t happen in Oregon, Seattle, or Vermont anytime soon??? Racism is everywhere. I am not saying there is no racism in the south, just that you northern/western ‘liberals’ should look at your all white neighborhoods first, and fix your states first.
I am tired of the bias against southern states. Last time I checked New York was about to explode because of that black man who was killed by the police outside a nightclub, and LA isn’t known for it’s race friendly relations. Anyone in Massachusetts remember that murder case around 17 years ago where the white guy said a black man killed his wife when it was him? You think that won’t happen in Oregon, Seattle, or Vermont anytime soon??? Racism is everywhere. I am not saying there is no racism in the south, just that you northern/western ‘liberals’ should look at your all white neighborhoods first, and fix your states first.
Hey podesta – don’t recognize you, sorry. Are you dropping my name in this conversation for any particular reason?
For whatever it’s worth, Robert or anybody else reading is welcome to contact me to talk about any topic. I’m easy to find
I don’t have much to say about the topic except I’d like to see the Clintons back in the White House.
I’d take them over any candidate I’ve seen and the current abomination in office. And you know if Hilary is in the White House Bill is too and I’ll gladly take him and his intern screwing antics over anybody else in the field at the moment.
I wish the elections were here now, in fact. We can’t get Bush out of office soon enough for our economy to further go into the toilet and a senseless war to claim more of our brave men and women soldiers.
Hey podesta – don’t recognize you, sorry. Are you dropping my name in this conversation for any particular reason?
For whatever it’s worth, Robert or anybody else reading is welcome to contact me to talk about any topic. I’m easy to find
I don’t have much to say about the topic except I’d like to see the Clintons back in the White House.
I’d take them over any candidate I’ve seen and the current abomination in office. And you know if Hilary is in the White House Bill is too and I’ll gladly take him and his intern screwing antics over anybody else in the field at the moment.
I wish the elections were here now, in fact. We can’t get Bush out of office soon enough for our economy to further go into the toilet and a senseless war to claim more of our brave men and women soldiers.
Osama shouldn’t be President because he’s not qualified. Scoble, what about the people that are saying Mitt Romney has no chance because he’s LDS? (Mormon?) Colin Powell was pulling pretty good numbers a few years ago when people were lobbying for him to run. I don’t recall anyone mentioning he had no chance because of the color of his skin.
I think the thing that will work against Osama is his name, (add his middle name: Hussein, to that) and well, his past apparent cocaine use. Couple with the fact he has no significant accomplishments to show for. Repeat after me: “Senators do not get elected President”
Osama shouldn’t be President because he’s not qualified. Scoble, what about the people that are saying Mitt Romney has no chance because he’s LDS? (Mormon?) Colin Powell was pulling pretty good numbers a few years ago when people were lobbying for him to run. I don’t recall anyone mentioning he had no chance because of the color of his skin.
I think the thing that will work against Osama is his name, (add his middle name: Hussein, to that) and well, his past apparent cocaine use. Couple with the fact he has no significant accomplishments to show for. Repeat after me: “Senators do not get elected President”
“I’ll certainly be leaning towards voting for whoever DOESN’T try to put it as the Democrats against the Republicans, or the rich against the poor.”
Well you can cross Edwards off that list as well. He’s still going with that “two Americas” thing that did him in in 2004. What did Einstein say the definition of insanity was? Doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result?
“I’ll certainly be leaning towards voting for whoever DOESN’T try to put it as the Democrats against the Republicans, or the rich against the poor.”
Well you can cross Edwards off that list as well. He’s still going with that “two Americas” thing that did him in in 2004. What did Einstein say the definition of insanity was? Doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result?
Scoble do you even know the definition of “racism”? Based on your post I submit that you don’t. This country has seen fit to apply the “r” word to every racial situation they see. That’s because of the heavy connotation the word carries.
What you are describing is more bigotry than racism. And there IS a difference. I don’t think there are many in this country that would think a black man is incapable of being president BECAUSE of his race. THAT would be racism. What you describe is people not wanting to vote for Osama because he is black. That is bigotry. Use the terms properly.
Now, I submit that Osama won his Senatorial race because he is both Black and a Democrat. The voters wanted to see themselves as enlightened. Here’s a question for you: Can a Black Republican be elected President? Would Osama have a this much gravitas if he was a Republican? How many times have we seen blacks and liberals accuse black conservatives of being “Uncle Toms”? Clarence Thomas? Colin Powell? Condi Rice?, JC Watts? So what do you call that type of judgmentalism?
Scoble do you even know the definition of “racism”? Based on your post I submit that you don’t. This country has seen fit to apply the “r” word to every racial situation they see. That’s because of the heavy connotation the word carries.
What you are describing is more bigotry than racism. And there IS a difference. I don’t think there are many in this country that would think a black man is incapable of being president BECAUSE of his race. THAT would be racism. What you describe is people not wanting to vote for Osama because he is black. That is bigotry. Use the terms properly.
Now, I submit that Osama won his Senatorial race because he is both Black and a Democrat. The voters wanted to see themselves as enlightened. Here’s a question for you: Can a Black Republican be elected President? Would Osama have a this much gravitas if he was a Republican? How many times have we seen blacks and liberals accuse black conservatives of being “Uncle Toms”? Clarence Thomas? Colin Powell? Condi Rice?, JC Watts? So what do you call that type of judgmentalism?
Vote for Osama? Layz, you mean Obama. Barack Obama is his name, yes? Talk about Freudian slips!
Vote for Osama? Layz, you mean Obama. Barack Obama is his name, yes? Talk about Freudian slips!
@86. Really? Tell that to Ted Kennedy. He calls him Osama. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APx2YJ-_jos
And then CNN makes the same association…THE OTHER WAY!!! http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/CNN_comments_on_Obama_gaffe_in_0101.htm.
So, if a Senator in HIS OWN PARTY makes the slip, and a News organization partial to him can make the mistake, how likely do you think the uniformed voter will be to make the same association come election time? Like it or not, some people will associate his first and middle name with two of the most hated figures in the US since Hitler.
@86. Really? Tell that to Ted Kennedy. He calls him Osama. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APx2YJ-_jos
And then CNN makes the same association…THE OTHER WAY!!! http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/CNN_comments_on_Obama_gaffe_in_0101.htm.
So, if a Senator in HIS OWN PARTY makes the slip, and a News organization partial to him can make the mistake, how likely do you think the uniformed voter will be to make the same association come election time? Like it or not, some people will associate his first and middle name with two of the most hated figures in the US since Hitler.
[...] Scoble has an interesting commentary on “Default Racism” that Danielle hipped me [...]
Is it considered racism if you hate everyone equally?
By the way, I wonder what Al Gore thinks of the media forgetting about his “movie”. If I were Gore I’d just learn to lay low and make a few $billion with Google for now.
Is it considered racism if you hate everyone equally?
By the way, I wonder what Al Gore thinks of the media forgetting about his “movie”. If I were Gore I’d just learn to lay low and make a few $billion with Google for now.
I don’t think it would be considered racism if you hate everyone equally as long as you can turn that hatred inward as well. You are what you hate, right?
The media forgot about Al Gore’s movie? I guess the Oscar nod and flood of articles about it after the nomination are considered “forgetting” then?
I don’t think it would be considered racism if you hate everyone equally as long as you can turn that hatred inward as well. You are what you hate, right?
The media forgot about Al Gore’s movie? I guess the Oscar nod and flood of articles about it after the nomination are considered “forgetting” then?
This pretty much put’s it all into a nice little package. Don’t get
>me wrong I have and work with many black people and they are my friends but
>if I wore a shirt to work that say 100% WHITE oh boy they’d be pissed and
>I’d be a racist. I just don’t get it…?
If this hurts your feelings, Please let me know!
Proud To Be White
Someone
Finally said it.
How many are actually
Paying attention to this?
There are African Americans,
Mexican Americans,
Asian Americans, Arab
Americans, Native Americans, etc.
And then there are just Americans.
**************************
You pass me on the street
And sneer in my direction.
You Call me “White
Boy,” “Cracker,” “Honkey,”
“Whitey,” “Caveman”
. And that’s OK.
But when I call you, Nigger,
Kike, Towel head,
Sand-nigger, camel Jockey,
Beaner, Gook, or Chink …
You call me a racist.
****************************
You say that whites commit
A lot of violence against you,
So why are the ghettos
The most dangerous places to live?
You have the United Negro
College Fund. You have
Martin Luther King Day.
You have Black History Month.
You have Cesar Chavez
Day. You have Yom Hashoah. You
Have Ma’uled Al-Nabi.
You have the NAACP.
You have BET.
If we had WET (White Entertainment
Television)
We’d be racists.
**************************
If we had a White Pride
Day .
You would call us racists.
*************************
If we had White History
Month .
We’d be racists.
**************************
If we had any organization
For only whites to “advance” OUR
Lives .
We’d be racists.
**************************
We have a Hispanic Chamber
Of Commerce, a Black
Chamber of Commerce, and
Then we just have the plain
Chamber of Commerce.
Wonder who pays for that?
If we had a college fund
That only gave white students
Scholarships
… You know we’d be racists.
*************************
There are over 60 openly
Proclaimed Black Colleges in
The US , yet if there
Were “White colleges” …
THAT would be a racist college.
****************************
In the Million Man March,
You believed that you were
Marching for your race
And rights. If we marched for our race and rights,
You would call us racists.
***************************
You are proud to be black,
Brown, yellow and orange, and you’re not afraid to anounce it.
But when we announce our
White pride …
You call us racists.
**************************
You rob us, carjack us,
And shoot at us.
But, when a white police
Officer shoots a black gang member or
beats up a black drug-dealer running
From the law and posing a threat to society
You call him a racist.
****************************
I am proud.
But, you call me a racist.
***************************
Why is it that only whites
Can be racists?
I hope no one is offended by this
That is not my goal, my goal is to wake some sort of us not I we not me
This pretty much put’s it all into a nice little package. Don’t get
>me wrong I have and work with many black people and they are my friends but
>if I wore a shirt to work that say 100% WHITE oh boy they’d be pissed and
>I’d be a racist. I just don’t get it…?
If this hurts your feelings, Please let me know!
Proud To Be White
Someone
Finally said it.
How many are actually
Paying attention to this?
There are African Americans,
Mexican Americans,
Asian Americans, Arab
Americans, Native Americans, etc.
And then there are just Americans.
**************************
You pass me on the street
And sneer in my direction.
You Call me “White
Boy,” “Cracker,” “Honkey,”
“Whitey,” “Caveman”
. And that’s OK.
But when I call you, Nigger,
Kike, Towel head,
Sand-nigger, camel Jockey,
Beaner, Gook, or Chink …
You call me a racist.
****************************
You say that whites commit
A lot of violence against you,
So why are the ghettos
The most dangerous places to live?
You have the United Negro
College Fund. You have
Martin Luther King Day.
You have Black History Month.
You have Cesar Chavez
Day. You have Yom Hashoah. You
Have Ma’uled Al-Nabi.
You have the NAACP.
You have BET.
If we had WET (White Entertainment
Television)
We’d be racists.
**************************
If we had a White Pride
Day .
You would call us racists.
*************************
If we had White History
Month .
We’d be racists.
**************************
If we had any organization
For only whites to “advance” OUR
Lives .
We’d be racists.
**************************
We have a Hispanic Chamber
Of Commerce, a Black
Chamber of Commerce, and
Then we just have the plain
Chamber of Commerce.
Wonder who pays for that?
If we had a college fund
That only gave white students
Scholarships
… You know we’d be racists.
*************************
There are over 60 openly
Proclaimed Black Colleges in
The US , yet if there
Were “White colleges” …
THAT would be a racist college.
****************************
In the Million Man March,
You believed that you were
Marching for your race
And rights. If we marched for our race and rights,
You would call us racists.
***************************
You are proud to be black,
Brown, yellow and orange, and you’re not afraid to anounce it.
But when we announce our
White pride …
You call us racists.
**************************
You rob us, carjack us,
And shoot at us.
But, when a white police
Officer shoots a black gang member or
beats up a black drug-dealer running
From the law and posing a threat to society
You call him a racist.
****************************
I am proud.
But, you call me a racist.
***************************
Why is it that only whites
Can be racists?
I hope no one is offended by this
That is not my goal, my goal is to wake some sort of us not I we not me
Injustice has put it too simply, and indulged in some fallacies. This is a topic that requires some reflection and subtlety – if the problem were simple, it would be resolved.
I say that last because there is an enormous will to efface racism from our national discourse and personal attitudes. People are embarassed to be racist – and this is a real step forward. There are now and will always be people who lack the clarity and self-control to deal with the different == antagonist feature that comes standard with human beings (look at the manual – it’s listed as a known bug
, just as we haven’t yet nailed down the wifebeaters and cheaters and adulterers and theives and murderers and etc. Obama will rise or fall on his character – because there really are very few that let race override all other considerations now. We’ve just seen too many good and competent folk to let the tropes of ‘inferiority’ overtake us completely.
I’ve lived outside the States in several parts of the world, and seen the racism that abides in these places. Let me tell you, since you obviously don’t know, that the “default racism” is MUCH less destructive than the daily, bald-faced, rampant racism that prevails in many parts of Europe. Yeah, they’re civilized here, but scorn for people of different ethnicities and nationalities is a part of life.
We work actively to keep this from infecting our children – but we’re anxious to go back to the States so we don’t have to be so darned vigilant all the time. There are still places in the US that things are “bad” – but there’s nowhere in the US that’s as bad as most of the rest of the world, and here I include the Deep South and South Central. Things are pretty tame here in comparison to the greater part of humanity.
Just some perspective.
Injustice has put it too simply, and indulged in some fallacies. This is a topic that requires some reflection and subtlety – if the problem were simple, it would be resolved.
I say that last because there is an enormous will to efface racism from our national discourse and personal attitudes. People are embarassed to be racist – and this is a real step forward. There are now and will always be people who lack the clarity and self-control to deal with the different == antagonist feature that comes standard with human beings (look at the manual – it’s listed as a known bug
, just as we haven’t yet nailed down the wifebeaters and cheaters and adulterers and theives and murderers and etc. Obama will rise or fall on his character – because there really are very few that let race override all other considerations now. We’ve just seen too many good and competent folk to let the tropes of ‘inferiority’ overtake us completely.
I’ve lived outside the States in several parts of the world, and seen the racism that abides in these places. Let me tell you, since you obviously don’t know, that the “default racism” is MUCH less destructive than the daily, bald-faced, rampant racism that prevails in many parts of Europe. Yeah, they’re civilized here, but scorn for people of different ethnicities and nationalities is a part of life.
We work actively to keep this from infecting our children – but we’re anxious to go back to the States so we don’t have to be so darned vigilant all the time. There are still places in the US that things are “bad” – but there’s nowhere in the US that’s as bad as most of the rest of the world, and here I include the Deep South and South Central. Things are pretty tame here in comparison to the greater part of humanity.
Just some perspective.
[...] technical evangelist, and vp of media for podtech.net, had a really interesting article about the concept of ‘default racism’. essentially, scoble did a little test of his peers to see if his statement of ‘obama [...]
particle size
Hi. Very nice blog. I\’ve been reading your other entries all day long..lol.
Barack Hussein Obama’s father, stepfather and grandfather were Muslims. He was by Islamic law born a Muslim. This cannot be changed. Mohammed said if anyone turns his back on Islam, kill him. Why no death threats by radical Muslims? Do they know something we don’t? Obama became a Christian when he started having political ambitions. (read up on his church for a shock) How do we know he’s a Christian? Because he says so? The principle of Al-Takeyya conveys the understanding that Muslims are permitted to lie.
He is indeed a liar. Not only about being a Muslim has he lied, but he stated that his father was a ‘goat herder’ when he was a prosperous farmer. He’s an admitted drug user. He was involved in a shady real estate deal with a guy who associated with radical Muslims. He has demonstrated his immaturity by trying to get Fox banned from his news conferences, and by warning against making fun of his ears. He’s an empty suit pimped by the media. As someone said, the presidency is not an entry level position.
Barack Hussein Obama’s father, stepfather and grandfather were Muslims. He was by Islamic law born a Muslim. This cannot be changed. Mohammed said if anyone turns his back on Islam, kill him. Why no death threats by radical Muslims? Do they know something we don’t? Obama became a Christian when he started having political ambitions. (read up on his church for a shock) How do we know he’s a Christian? Because he says so? The principle of Al-Takeyya conveys the understanding that Muslims are permitted to lie.
He is indeed a liar. Not only about being a Muslim has he lied, but he stated that his father was a ‘goat herder’ when he was a prosperous farmer. He’s an admitted drug user. He was involved in a shady real estate deal with a guy who associated with radical Muslims. He has demonstrated his immaturity by trying to get Fox banned from his news conferences, and by warning against making fun of his ears. He’s an empty suit pimped by the media. As someone said, the presidency is not an entry level position.