# Ok - how is Obama the first African-American US president?



## RiffWraith (Nov 6, 2008)

He is HALF African-American - his dad was from Kenya; his mother a 100% white woman from Kansas. He is as much white as he is black, and yet he is the first *African-American *US president. I find that odd. Is it just me?


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## choc0thrax (Nov 6, 2008)

I don't find that odd.


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## Dr.Quest (Nov 6, 2008)

Dad=African
Plus
Mother=American
Equals
African-American
It just adds up. :D 
J

Oh, and... o-[][]-o


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## hbuus (Nov 6, 2008)

RiffWraith @ Fri Nov 07 said:


> He is HALF African-American



Which half?


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## Robobino (Nov 6, 2008)

Blue + Yellow = Blue

The Dream is alive!


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## david robinson (Nov 6, 2008)

hi,
i don't find anything odd about it, it is, after all the USofA.
DR9.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Nov 6, 2008)

Maybe this will help you understand the significance. You'll remember that Jesse Jackson was right there with Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement in the 60s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSyzZCDhJCA


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## Robobino (Nov 6, 2008)

I guess Sarah Palin is right : Africa IS a country... 

Or Obama would be an African-North American...


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## RiffWraith (Nov 6, 2008)

Nick Batzdorf @ Fri Nov 07 said:


> Maybe this will help you understand the significance. You'll remember that Jesse Jackson was right there with Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement in the 60s.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSyzZCDhJCA



Actually, that has nothing in the world to do with my original post. Which was, btw, not about J.Jackson, nor was it about civil rights.

I don't know - I just find it wierd that the average person walking down the street who has one caucasian parent and one african american parent is not considered aòœþ   Š¤ œþ   Š¤œþ   Š¤œþ   Š¤œþ   Š¤œþ   Š¤œþ   Š¤œþ   Š¤œþ   Š¤œþ   Š¤	œþ   Š¤
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## Nick Batzdorf (Nov 7, 2008)

Exactly, artsoundz. Who gives a frick.

"Speaking of the media, anyone remember how Obama was a complete unknown a couple of years ago? To me, this Obame phenomena felt very much like a not so spontaneous media build up."

Obama burst onto the scene when he gave an incredible keynote speech for the Democratic National Convention in 2004. That was when he first showed how extraordinary he is, and people were talking about him being president immediately after that. The media did not create him a couple of years ago - I think perhaps you just hadn't heard of him.


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## Ashermusic (Nov 7, 2008)

Why are we avoiding stating the obvious? While Barak is indeed the first mixed race president (that we know of, at least) he frequently self-identifies as Black and he LOOKS Black.

Also, there were at least a dozen reasons to decide to vote for or against him that were far more important to Americans than race, which is why he not only won the election but also carried the state of Iowa, which has a 2% African-American population.

Which also should finally put to bed the idea that the U.S. is still overall a racist country.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Nov 7, 2008)

On one level, yes - you don't see the imbeciles with the sheets on their heads. But we still have serious inequalities to address, and I think it's too early to get rid of Affirmative Action.

Remember, there's still a chronic underclass. 1 in 15 black adults is in jail, 1 in 9 black men between the ages of 20 and 34. Pretty horrendous.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/us/28 ... ref=slogin


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## Niah (Nov 7, 2008)

I don't think that anyone is avoiding stating the abvious here.

Lets not forget how this thread has started...

is obama black? afro-american? half afro-american? These are are all very important and existential questions I'm sure with everything that is going on :roll: 

For most of Americans things like the colour of your skin or race may not matter but it's the country where I see these issues being brought up more than in any other country.

It's odd considering it seems to be one of the most diverse countries in the world, or maybe that same diversity is the cause for the need or so much labeling...who knows.

I am not saying that people shouldn't discuss such issues or topics after all what happened is historical in that sense.

But the importance that has been given and is still topic of discussion is way too much IMO.

In this campaign all I could see is that colour and gender is still controversial and almost a handicap.

When Hillary was running, all the media and people talked about was the event that America could have a woman president in the future.

It was all about stating the "obvious", Hillary is a woman Barack is black and nothing else mattered.

I haven't seen a line said or wrote in the media about the fact that Finland has a woman president or that the germany's chanceler is a woman too.

Now that Obama has won we are still talking about this. Wonder what people are going to say if Hillary runs again.

Stating the "obvious" that these people are black or blue or man or woman is taking away the atention of what these people are all about, who they are really, their ideas, their achievements...

I have to accept that we still see the world like this, but in politics this is just shameless.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Nov 7, 2008)

I think you need to have lived in America during the civil rights era to understand why this is a big deal, Niah. You obviously know the history of slavery here, but it's hard to comprehend in the abstract. When I was in Boston in 1980 going to college, there was still blatant racism - not the more subtle kind that's much harder to deal with. This is a major milestone.

That anyone cares that a woman got as far as Hillary did must seem really weird in Europe, because there have been queens going back through the ages. And indeed it is weird, but I can't say I agree that the media focused on race and gender to the exclusion of the real issues.

Also, it's worth pointing out that there are far more serious racial and religious divisions in other parts of the world. You find caste systems all over the planet.


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## Ed (Nov 7, 2008)

This is called RiffWraith being pedantic.


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## kid-surf (Nov 7, 2008)

No...it is not.

I'll explain why when I get a sec. But first: I'm likely the only guy here who can speak with any authority on matters of biracial Americans.

To hint at where I'm going: No, biracial is not one and the same as black (nor African American), it is not semantics. Hardly. In fact, it can be worlds apart. As with my family.

I'll be focusing on Jay's understandably naive comment. I could give a crap about sensitivity issues, we're talking about deciphering the underpinnings of false ideologies.

Yet...agreed. Technically, Obama is "African + American". Point being, most biracial people are not.

Another hint: This is a psychological issue above all else. Notice the "African" distinction is placed before the "American" distinction. "Black" always precedes "White" when describing a biracial person. Basic psychology. Pigment is the first thing one SEES. They do not LOOK exactly like ME, therefore their story must be XYZ.

False...

I'll be back to break it down. This issue is very hard for some to decipher.


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## Ashermusic (Nov 7, 2008)

kid-surf @ Fri Nov 07 said:


> No...it is not.
> 
> I'll explain why when I get a sec. But first: I'm likely the only guy here who can speak with any authority on matters of biracial Americans.
> 
> ...



I am not sure where you are going with this Kid, but I do want to point out that I said "mixed race", not biracial.


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## RiffWraith (Nov 7, 2008)

Ashermusic @ Sat Nov 08 said:


> I am not sure where you are going with this Kid, but I do want to point out that I said "mixed race", not biracial.



Maybe you did - but remember one thing. Obama is NOT mixed race - he is biracial.


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## RiffWraith (Nov 7, 2008)

I think this is going off in a different direction here. I was, in my initial post, trying to be PC. Maybe I shouldn't have. Let's forget nationality here for just a moment. Why not do this:

Obama is the offspring of a white woman, and black male. He is as much white as he is black, and yet he is the first *black* US president.

I guess I find it odd that he is not being called the first biracial US president. 

Let's look at this from another angle. Take a small country in Africa - one that has never had a caucaisian president. Then one day, that country's populace elects a person who is the son of a black man from Kenya, and a white woman from Kanses. ie, he is the racial equivalent of Obama, and acutally has the same features and skin tone. Will he be called the first white presidnet of that country? And to take this to the next level, do they in that country say, "hey - we now have the first American-African president"?

Ok, proceed.....


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## Ashermusic (Nov 7, 2008)

RiffWraith @ Fri Nov 07 said:


> Ashermusic @ Sat Nov 08 said:
> 
> 
> > I am not sure where you are going with this Kid, but I do want to point out that I said "mixed race", not biracial.
> ...



Mixing only 2 ingredients is still mixing. So whether he is 2 or 20 components, that is still mixed race to me. I make no distinction between them.

But then again, I make no distinction between races anyway. As Dennis Prager correctly says, "There are only 2 races: the decent and the indecent."


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## Nick Batzdorf (Nov 7, 2008)

You're supposed to hit the slow pitch: "He's not mixed race, he's one race - human!"

But to me the way this thread is going isn't very interesting. What we're really talking about is that light-skinned blacks/dark-skinned whites (take your pick what you want to call them) have often been made to feel alienated - they're considered white by black people and black by white people...all of which is especially stupid.

My brother's children are bi-racial. They're both truly wonderful kids, and thank goodness they have absolutely no issues with their "race" so far. I don't know how to express how much it would break my heart if that were to change.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Nov 7, 2008)

"Dennis Prager"

What an asshole. That guy is a walking commercial for anti-Semitism.


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## kid-surf (Nov 7, 2008)

This is one of my nieces. She is *THE SAME* racial make-up as Obama...and...myself. Would she be considered "Black" or "African American"? Of course not...she's got very light skin, blond hair and green eyes. Yet, she is every bit as black (and white) as Obama. That is...from a genealogy stand point. 

Our president might as well look like her, they are *THE SAME* racially.

I'll eventually get to the point, but mull that over in the meantime. I will further make the point that; many do not know the first thing about what it is to be biracial. Hopefully I'll be able to help some of you to see outside the box. Said another way...past the end of your nose. 

Point being: Folks PRE-JUDGE w/o realizing they do. THAT is the issue here...


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## Nick Batzdorf (Nov 7, 2008)

She's a *lot* cuter than you, Kid!

But thank you for helping me see outside the box.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Nov 7, 2008)

Mariah Carey for president in 2016!


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## Thonex (Nov 7, 2008)

The U.S. Census Bureau's definition of race and other interesting definitions.

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_68184.htm

*Race*

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population, Public Law 94-171 Redistricting Data File. Updated every 10 years. http://factfinder.census.gov.
*
Definition:*

The concept of race as used by the Census Bureau reflects self-identification by people according to the race or races with which they most closely identify. These categories are sociopolitical constructs and should not be interpreted as being scientific or anthropological in nature. Furthermore, the race categories include both racial and national-origin groups.

The racial classifications used by the Census Bureau adhere to the October 30,1997, Federal Register Notice entitled,"Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity" issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

*White.* A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "White" or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish.

*Black or African American. *A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "Black, African Am., or Negro," or provide written entries such as African American, Afro American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.

*American Indian and Alaska Native. *A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment.

*Asian. *A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. It includes "Asian Indian," "Chinese," "Filipino," "Korean," "Japanese," "Vietnamese," and "Other Asian."

*Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander.* A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicate their race as "Native Hawaiian," "Guamanian or Chamorro," "Samoan," and "Other Pacific Islander."
*
Some other race. *Includes all other responses not included in the "White", "Black or African American", "American Indian and Alaska Native", "Asian" and "Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander" race categories described above. Respondents providing write-in entries such as multiracial, mixed, interracial, Wesort, or a Hispanic/Latino group (for example, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban) in the "Some other race" category are included here.

*Two or more races.* People may have chosen to provide two or more races either by checking two or more race response check boxes, by providing multiple write-in responses, or by some combination of check boxes and write-in responses.
*
Comparability.* The data on race in Census 2000 are not directly comparable to those collected in previous censuses.

The concept of race is separate from the concept of Hispanic origin. Percentages for the various race categories add to 100 percent, and should not be combined with the percent Hispanic. Tallies that show race categories for Hispanics and nonHispanics separately are also available.
*
Scope and Methodology:*

The data on race were derived from answers to the question on race that was asked of all people in Census 2000.


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## artsoundz (Nov 7, 2008)

Nick Batzdorf @ Fri Nov 07 said:


> Mariah Carey for president in 2016!



maybe if she does ONE song that isnt some boy crazy crap. 

Hey ladeeeee, YOU touch MY body>>>>>


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## Lunatique (Nov 8, 2008)

In the media, they've always categorized anyone with half-minority blood by their minority half as far as I can remember--IF the person looks enough like that minority half. For example, Vanessa Williams and Haley Barry were ALWAYS considered black even though they are only half black.

Then you have someone like Keanu Reeves, who's half Chinese but he's never been categorized as Chinese because he looks nothing like a typical Chinese.


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## Ashermusic (Nov 8, 2008)

As I said earlier, a lot of it is self-identification and looks. If you have more than 1 racial component but your looks favor one and you self-identify as that, then that is how you will be perceived.

The term "mulatto" used to be used in cases of people like Obama but it has fallen into disfavor as being a symbol of denial of a person's Black heritage and therefore prejudicial. The one good thing about the term however is that it did not stress either the black or white racial component.


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## Christian Marcussen (Nov 8, 2008)

Well... Obama says he's a "mutt"... So perhaps that's a better term 

I love Obama... smarts AND humor. And making fun of seances also strikes a nice chord with me, although he had to appologize :D


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## Ashermusic (Nov 8, 2008)

Nick Batzdorf @ Fri Nov 07 said:


> "Dennis Prager"
> 
> What an asshole. That guy is a walking commercial for anti-Semitism.



Maybe so, but on this point he is correct IMHO.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Nov 8, 2008)

Yes, and so pithy.


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## artsoundz (Nov 8, 2008)

I didnt know you had as lisp...


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## Ed (Nov 8, 2008)

double post


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## Ed (Nov 8, 2008)

kid-surf @ Fri Nov 07 said:


> This is one of my nieces. She is *THE SAME* racial make-up as Obama...and...myself. Would she be considered "Black" or "African American"? Of course not...she's got very light skin, blond hair and green eyes. Yet, she is every bit as black (and white) as Obama. That is...from a genealogy stand point.
> 
> Our president might as well look like her, they are *THE SAME* racially.



Kid, you're looking at this from a scientific standpoint. Technically racial divides dont make any scientific sence anyway, but to have a black president is a big deal. It doesnt matter what Obamas genes are, it only matters what he looks like and the fact that he is half black. Im sure you arent contesting the point that its a big deal to have a non-white president so thats why i say the topic of this thread is being pedantic.


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