quote:

ORIGINAL: stella41b

I think it's perhaps telling that all of a sudden since Obama won race has become a big issue.

I agree with Sundowner that race is less of a problem here in the United Kingdom than it appears to be in the United States.

I recently had this issue to deal with myself in the theatre. Last week I held a casting among professional actresses for a role in one of my plays 'Switch' and over 20 actresses turned up, one of whom was black. These women turned up to a pub and were given a copy of the play to read on the spot and then they had to give their interpretation. As the turn out was so good I decided to start a new production. Two of the actresses stood out by a mile and one of them was the black actress. I gave the role to the white actress and cast the black actress in the leading role in the second play. My only criteria was how they interpreted the play.

When I look at someone first and foremost I see a human being and a gender they're presenting themselves as and this is what I accept. Nothing else matters, nothing.

Okay, so PE Obama broke through a cultural stereotype but the way I see it he won the election on the strengths of his merits as a politician and his ability to inspire hope and confidence in enough people to elect him, much in the same way as Tony Blair did when he became the first Scottish PM in the UK.

These discussions on these boards appear to be focussing on racial integration between white and black people but let us not forget that many non-white people such as the black community and the Asian community still face prejudice and oppression from within their own communities and this too is something which takes years and even generations to overcome and to break down their own cultural stereotypes.

I can see this happening in London and for the first time young black people are increasingly rejecting the negative stereotypes and prejudices of their parents and the church and refusing to see race in terms of skin colour but in a more realistic perspective, i.e. that they are part one one race - the human race.

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

observer.. meet DRH (affectionately known as Red).. I think the two of you will get along famously......:) Red..meet observer (she's kinda close to you) and she's obviously wicked smart.. and despite this thread I think the two of you havemuch in common as far as world views go :) maybe more?

*hugs*

quote:

ORIGINAL: Daddysredhead

Yup, GT, like we were talking about this wknd.  My kids, some of my nieces and nephews... all "mutts" and all damn special in my family's eyes.  [:)]

quote:

ORIGINAL: slvemike4u

quote:

ORIGINAL: Aynne88

uh huh, with the pretty blue color. [&:]

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ORIGINAL: kittinSol

quote:

ORIGINAL: Aynne88

The round filing cabinet? [8D]

Yes, the one with the pretty waterfall :-) .

Aynne have you noticed either of the Inauguration threads....BTW my Cmail and yahoo still work...[:D]

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Give me a fucking break and try just once speaking your mind, it might feel refreshing.

quote:

ORIGINAL: celticlord2112

quote:

Give me a fucking break and try just once speaking your mind, it might feel refreshing.

Of course, it's never probable that one might dislike his politics, lack of character, or lack of principles, skin color be damned.....[8|]

quote:

ORIGINAL: celticlord2112

quote:

Give me a fucking break and try just once speaking your mind, it might feel refreshing.

Of course, it's never probable that one might dislike his politics, lack of character, or lack of principles, skin color be damned.....[8|]

quote:

ORIGINAL: mc1234

quote:

ORIGINAL: celticlord2112

quote:

Give me a fucking break and try just once speaking your mind, it might feel refreshing.

Of course, it's never probable that one might dislike his politics, lack of character, or lack of principles, skin color be damned.....[8|]

I live in one of the three blue counties in NJ.  I'm surrounded by people who voted for McCain.  I've never heard one person say they didn't vote for Obama because of skin color.  They had intelligent, well-thought-out reasons for disagreeing with his policies, ideas, what he represented as a Democrat, etc.  It's insulting to think that if someone disagrees with the President someone somewhere is going to be thinking that person is racist. 

Do you think Obama faces his critics every day thinking they're racists or do you think he gives them enough credit to have their own beliefs, although they may be contrary to his?  If we're going to fall back to playing the 'race card' for every criticism, this national conversation is going to go nowhere fast.  Interestingly enough, this is something I've only seen on these boards, not in real life, nor by anyone surrounding Obama. 

quote:

ORIGINAL: Aynne88

Again, read the entire comment in context. I'll wait. I live in a very blue part of New England and I heard several times people say that would not vote for a black man. Right in person. Live and in the flesh. Huh. Anway, as I wrote, clearly, in simple english, I am not directing that to all anti  Obama ones, just the ones that make constat thinly veiled racial remarks right here and dont have the balls to come right out and say it. So if it does not apply to you, then it simply doesn't.

quote:

ORIGINAL: mc1234

quote:

ORIGINAL: celticlord2112

quote:

Give me a fucking break and try just once speaking your mind, it might feel refreshing.

Of course, it's never probable that one might dislike his politics, lack of character, or lack of principles, skin color be damned.....[8|]

I live in one of the three blue counties in NJ.  I'm surrounded by people who voted for McCain.  I've never heard one person say they didn't vote for Obama because of skin color.  They had intelligent, well-thought-out reasons for disagreeing with his policies, ideas, what he represented as a Democrat, etc.  It's insulting to think that if someone disagrees with the President someone somewhere is going to be thinking that person is racist. 

Do you think Obama faces his critics every day thinking they're racists or do you think he gives them enough credit to have their own beliefs, although they may be contrary to his?  If we're going to fall back to playing the 'race card' for every criticism, this national conversation is going to go nowhere fast.  Interestingly enough, this is something I've only seen on these boards, not in real life, nor by anyone surrounding Obama. 

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Again, read the entire comment in context. I'll wait.

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ORIGINAL: celticlord2112

quote:

Again, read the entire comment in context. I'll wait.

I did, just for shits and giggles....  Yep, you're still assuming people reject the person because of his skin color.

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Anyhow, you are saying that was never the case?

quote:

ORIGINAL: celticlord2112

quote:

Give me a fucking break and try just once speaking your mind, it might feel refreshing.

Of course, it's never probable that one might dislike his politics, lack of character, or lack of principles, skin color be damned.....[8|]

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Personally, I like the guy, and thinks he has some traits that a President really needs. It's just his economic policies that scare the crap outta me. Those economic policies would scare me if he was white, green, purple, black, or orange.

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ORIGINAL: Naga

quote:

ORIGINAL: rulemylife

Well, I'll make you a deal. If you document your claim on how everyone's taxes are going to be raised under Obama I promise not to ignore it.

Real quick:

http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2008/11/is_obama_swiping_the_taxcut_is.html

You can also google Wall Street Journals on the topic. For example:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122463231048556587.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121910303529751345.html?mod=googlenews_wsj