Our Post-Racial President

Causing an uproar about race.

Remember the thoughtful discussion about race that we would have as a result of our first Black President? I guess that is on hold.

Update: Mark Steyn weighs in as only he can.

One Man's Perspective

On the 2008 Presidential Race.

via stoptheaclu.com.

I believe that you believe that I believe

Zogby poll reveals that most Americans don't think of themselves as racists. But they believe that their neighbors believe that minorities are inferior.

Why ask Americans what they believe their neighbors believe?

Pollster John Zogby said, “Over my years of polling, I’ve learned that Americans tend to offer socially acceptable responses when questioned on their own views about race and prejudice. That’s why in this poll we predominantly asked people about “most Americans’” views on race and prejudice. We believe this provides a far more accurate window into how people really think about these issues. Americans are more forthcoming when discussing the problem in the context of their neighbors’ lives than in the context of their own lives.”

In other words, Zogby believes that most Americans are racists. And liars.

Do you believe that?

Via memeorandum.

It's all about them

Korean students fear backlash.

Is this a realistic fear? There was notably little retaliation against Arabs (or Muslims) after 9/11, and that incident was not only much larger, it involved a group of people with a particular ethnicity/religion, who acted out of an ideology that they openly tied to their group characteristics. Americans deserve credit for making the important distinctions and not succumbing to bigotry.

At no time during any of the wall-to-wall coverage I saw of the massacre yesterday did anyone pay especial attention to the fact of Cho Sueng Hui's Korean-ness. Not students at Virginia Tech, not families of students, not reporters and not the talking heads. In fact thee only people who cared particularly about his Korean-ness were these guys--the Asian-American Journalist's Association.

"There is no evidence at this early point that the race or ethnicity of the suspected gunman has anything to do with the incident, and to include such mention serves only to unfairly portray an entire people," the journalists' group said in a statement. "The effect of mentioning race can be powerfully harmful. It can subject people to unfair treatment based simply on skin color and heritage."

Additionally, the group's statement said that it wished to remind the media that "the standards of news reporting should be universal and applied equally no matter the platform or medium, including blogs."

Mmmm .... no!

James Joyner, echoing Ann Althouse, says that Barack Obama's adoring admirers are afflicted with the soft bigotry of low expectations.

I’ve often made the comparison between Obama 2007 and Colin Powel circa 2000: non-threatening black men with the ability to express themselves extremely well and without the baggage of having taken a lot of public stances on controversial issues. Another comparison, though, is illustrated by an old Chris Rock joke: “People say Colin Powell speaks so well. What’d they expect him to say? ‘Ahmma drop me a bomb’?” There’s something incredibly condescending to think of saying that a man who has risen to the ranks of 4-star general or United States Senator is “articulate,” but it’s always meant as a compliment. In reality, though, it’s a backhanded one.

Persuasive orators are actually kind of rare in this day and age--even among those elected to public office.

The US Senate these days isn't exactly the Roman Senate in terms of rhetoric. Case in point: John Kerry, whose stump speeches in the last campaign were less than Ciceronian. And even admirers of the current President wouldn't classify him as a skillful orator. Or his father before him, Mr. Vision Thing. For that matter, Eisenhower was criticized for his lack of rhetorical skills and his Vice President was also less than inspiring at the podium.