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corysub -> RE: transcending racial prejudice (11/10/2008 6:54:09 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Sundowner
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.
What stella said [sm=applause.gif]
Obama is being made into the "black" President by the media and by his supporters. As much as I disagree a great deal about this man, he ran a great campaign with tremendous empathy towards the fears of the people. McCain could never articulate his message with the independent voter as Barack was able to do. Sarah Palin, in my view,did a much better job of articulating her politcal philosophy, notwithstanding the leash put on her by the campaign and the partisan attacks by the media. While there is no question that some voted for or against Obama because of his race, they seem to be a small minority. Most of our discussions here in the burbs of Philly centered around each candidates qualifications and if we thought their vision for America was our vision. I think we are going to have to live through the next 70 days or so until he is inaugurated with the media still gloating over the liberal victory, still attacking Palin based on stupid internet blogs, and gloating in the defeat of Bush. Like any victorious army, however, now it comes down to dividing the spoils and it's going to be interesting to see who gets what job..what appointment, what money, from the new administration. Let the fun begin.
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