Full text of the speech can be found here.
Tuesday in Philadelphia, Barack Obama gave a speech entitled "A More Perfect Union". The speech was intended to address race in the country. Many were comparing it to say Mitt Romney's speech about how Mormonism plays into his elected official life or the same as John F. Kennedy addressing religion. But unlike religion, which can be a choice, race and ethnicity are luck of the genetic lottery.
Events over the past week have also seemingly forced Barack Obama to comment on the issue of race. First, was Geraldine Ferraro's comment that Barack Obama has the advantage of being a black male in the election cycle and then her lack of apology for making such comment. Next, were the questionable remarks made by Reverend Jeremiah (allegations that the government created AIDS to unleash on African-Americans or God damn America, et cetera.) Obama distanced himself from those remarks and condemned as something which does not represent him, his campaign, or the way he would govern.
The statements made by both are divisive to this country and the least of the most important things the media should be arguing about. So, Barack Obama decided this past weekend the issue needed to be addressed.
I found the speech incredibly refreshing. He addressed the very beginnings of racial divide in this country- our Constitution and the "original sin of slavery". We had to compromise to make this country eventually work. And it was a devastating compromise to millions of people and generations of innocents. We can't undo what happened in our past, so where do we go from here? What are we fighting about? And why?
One of the most intelligent remarks made in the speech was this:
For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle ... or as fodder for the nightly news. ...
We can tackle race only as spectacle ... or as fodder for the nightly news. ...
We can do that.
But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.
He makes such an outstanding point (and here is why I like him so much.) He is incredibly thoughtful about addressing these issues. He is a man not just made of words, but he is a man that says and understands thoughtful words.
In his speech, Barack Obama remarked on both the black and the white communities. How blacks still have anger left from the '50s and '60s and middle-class, working whites have sentiments leftover from the time of immigration, working hard, and making everything from the bottom-up. Both groups feel left out and jaded by politics. Not to mention pandered to or taken advantage of.
Perhaps one of the difficulties of speaking about race is that it's been a long time since the Civil Rights movement. One of the things of being a twenty-something is that I've never seen enforced segregation. I've never seen separate bathrooms. I've never not been aware of civil rights. I've lived in a different generation where diversity and acceptance are normal. But I have seen the results of neighborhoods that segregate themselves or people who stereotype. Or people who live those stereotypes. It's an unfortunate result of those prior things that were left unfinished.
But Obama makes an excellent point that I agree with, these remarks and focal points act as a distraction. It's fodder for the news and pundits. It misses the issues which matter to everyone and our day to day life. We've been split in so many ways- through economics, by red and blue states. Divides in race, gender, and generation seem to be so staunch this election. If we cannot move past these things we are just born into and cannot change, we have no hope of succeeding in the future. Our Constitution was full of compromises and a document, albeit great, was made by man. Our uniting factor is our faith in politics and the dreams, hopes, posterity that democracies provide.
We all see the war. We all experience the faults in healthcare. We all suffer from the drop in economy. We must realize that our race, our gender, our age cannot change ANY of that, but it is attitude and politics that can and that will.
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Originally written and posted by me on 20dc.com here
Also posted on my Barack Obama blog.
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As a black kid in the age of supposed "equality" it is very interesting to compare the days of hate, and overt inequality to today. I wouldn't say that intolerance has gone away, just taken a new form in hopes that no one will recognize it, and therefore live with it. Obama hits the nail right on the head. Race, as well as many other things have sadly become cannon fodder. Just something that the media and politicians can use to distract us with. These are real problems, but what they do is instead of addressing them in such a way as to try to solve them, they just address them. They say "Hey!! this is a problem" instead of saying "Hey... this is a solution to that problem"
Based on history, i have come to the conclusion that people want to avoid confrontation and change. We are habitual, and this results in problems that should not even exist at all lasting for years on end. Look at all the people who stood by and watched the Civil Rights movement, the Holocaust (cough America cough) etc. etc. It takes a strong minded person to bring up these problems and unite people into solving them. Is Obama that kind of person. i think so, but only time will tell
I definitely agree with you.I would even go as far to say the race and bigotry I have seen has been silent acts (probably because they know it's unacceptable.) And pointing out the problem is just a distraction- we definitely need to start having solutions.
Absolutely, I was impressed with his retort to the statements of his pastor. He did not back down. The conviction to stand by him has impressed me. From what I can see, most...not all, but most of the statements were true. We are a country ruled by rich white men. That's not a mystery, the reaction from the media would almost prove it. The integrity that Mr. Obama has shown is what I look for in a leader, if you can't trust him after this....
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/beendown2long
I found the Ivy league language very interesting, but the content of the speech was as empty as all his other campaign speeches. He said "We can tackle race only as spectacle... but if we do ... we'll be talking about another distraction."
Suggesting in the context of that paragraph that we shouldn't make this an issue, since it's a "distraction".
Meanwhile a few paragraph's before that he said "the comments ...reflect the complexities of race ... a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges... this reality requires a reminder(that) "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past."...the legacy of discrimination - are real and must be addressed".
Basically suggesting that this is a real issue and something we need to talk about. Those contradicting statements were made in the same speech only paragraphs apart. AND THEY SOUNDED GREAT... you've gotta love him, only Barack can pull such a fit off.
He said "some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias." Meanwhile it's his own magazine that dug out the dirt on Ferraro in the "12th paragraph of an obscure newspaper"- Gingrich
He also said "I have never been so naïve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own."
Meanwhile unlike Mitt Romney, he never thought of addressing the issue... even 5 seconds before it started affecting his candidacy.
Who is he fooling? You?
I'm not sure what the "Ivy League Language" is that you are referring to...is is the complexities in sentence structure? He's very well educated and a scholar in Constitutional law, so I damn well expect him to talk as such. I would hope someone educated spoke as such. I certainly wouldn't expect my boss, my professors, or my parents to speak to me in a "lower language". Could you not decifer what he was saying? Perhaps you are speaking more to the eloquence, which many are attracted to.
However, I believe you may have missed the point of the speech. His point is that race is a complex issues and that there is a generation who is still stuck baring the scars. No one can deny that and the issue needs to be addressed. HOWEVER, it is not the end-all, be-all issue of the campaign and should not play a major role in the campaign as the media and others seem to be pushing it to be. Like this comment right now. There is nothing about the issues at hand and simply there is a racial issue, yes we need to address it, but frankly there are other issues which affect us all that is imperative to getting past the divide and on with our lives.
Am I fooled by what? I accept that he is a man and not a god and he will make mistakes. I never even suggested he was a demi-god. I am saying it's refreshing to hear some of the comments he made on a difficult, touchy subject. There's no way you can satisfy everyone in one speech or with words- it's just impossible and I expect that.
And that Gingrich quote you're citing is from Neil Cavuto's show on Fox. I hardly consider Fox or Cavuto substance worthy in the news or academic world just based on sheer flaws and sacrifices it makes in journalistic integrity. I don't expect to be liberal or even moderate, but class, eloquence, and integrity seem to be lost in their reporting. Gingrich has also been quoted as saying that the comments Ferraro made were "childish" but you know "true". It doesn't seem to serve the country well by taking people's opinion seriously who say things to the effect that Obama's success is due to his advantage in being black. It divides us. It has absolutely nothing in political discourse. And I highly doubt people wouldn't say a word if someone would say "oh McCain's success is due to his advantage in being white". Do comments like that help anyone? Absolutely not. Do they exist? Yes. But do we make it the front page story and the only thing that matters? Absolutely not.
I like how what he said today on the radio has been swept entirely under the rug.
His speech sounded great to me, but after his words today, Obama is nothing but a backstabbing politician who I will not vote for. He said, "the point I was making was not that my grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesn't. But she is a typical white person, who, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn't know, well there's a reaction that's in our experiences that won't go away and can sometimes come out in the wrong way. And that's just the nature of race in our society. We have to break through it."
I know his political campaign covered his ass for him, but Obama is a big boy and should cover his own ass. I highly doubt his manager and believe that Obama really meant what he said, or he would have publicily apoligized for the comment.
How is that comment backstabbing?
He is suggesting that discrimination and judgement happens subconsciously- and I think many would agree that we automatically judge people (look at how we treat homeless or mentally ill people) and it's as a result of actions in the past. We have to recognize our subconscious and break whatever remnants of a bygone era are left.
I'm not sure how that's backstabbing, I find that to be a rather honest truth. And I'm not sure why he would have to apologize for saying that. Could you honestly tell me that you don't automatically judge people you don't know?
Either way, this blog was about his speech on Monday and not whatever he said on the radio Thursday and his original point was that these things tend to sweep the really important issues under the rug.
But it wasn't an era, he said it was inbred to white people. That is a racist statement in of itself. I understand what he was trying to say, but it is hypocritical (not backstabbing, my bad) to say that we need to end racism yet he says white people can't help but be racist. I'm sorry but that isn't psychobabble there, that is his feelings on it. His own staff apologized for him by saying that, that wasn't what he meant.
No I usually don't judge people automatically. Lets take a recent incident for example. I was seated at a table next to three black kids. I judged them about five minutes after I sat down when they started discussing leaving and not paying. Then when they ran out and didn't pay the bill, then I judged them as people I couldn't trust. Not because they were black, but because they skipped out on paying. Not all people judge subconsciously. I do, but very rarely. I didn't judge subconsciously, but I judged five minutes in when they started talking of leaving.
This is a very important issue. And when he can stand up and say that it isn't and then make an off hand comment like he did and expect it to sweep it under the rug, then he needs to change that view. Because you know that if a white person had said it, he would be in deep shit.
As a Black person,I found the speech to be quite tame. I wanted him to name names.
“I hope the departure is joyful and I hope never to return.” - Frida Kahlo
No, you cannot touch my hair
That's interesting-
what kind of names did you want to be named?
I didn't mean literally mean name names. It's just that I heard so many people talking about how great the speech was and how I have to hear it. I heard it and it was so broad and nice it could have been on the Disney channel. It seemed like he was trying his hardest not to offend White people.
“I hope the departure is joyful and I hope never to return.” - Frida Kahlo
No, you cannot touch my hair