"Black Enough"

A poll in NY Times website asks "Do you think Obama is Black enough?" The options are yes, no and maybe.

Articulatation, cleanliness, cocaine use, and not being Black enough, are you keeping tabs? The NY times posted a (pretty slanted) article questioning Barack Obama's racial identity (hell, the interview Stanley Crouch of all people)and the messages is clear. America has room for only one type of Black American. If you are not articulate enough, you make white people uncomfortable, if you are articulate enough, then you aren't Black. We've been hearing about this the past week a lot.

But NYT brings in issues of nationalism:

“When you think of a president, you think of an American,” said Mr. Lanier, a 58-year-old barber who is still considering whether to support Mr. Obama. “We’ve been taught that a president should come from right here, born, raised, bred, fed in America. To go outside and bring somebody in from another nationality, now that doesn’t feel right to some people.”


“They [Americans] have a right to be somewhat suspicious of people who come into the country and don’t share their experience.”

Obama wouldn't be able to run for presidency if he wasn't born in America, his nationality IS American. I know that APIDAs get the perpetual foreigner stereotype thrown at us all the time, but I still ask, at what point does someone become American? Do most people consider Arnold Scherzenegger to be Americanized or iconic for our culture? Does he get questioned for being American enough (or white enough)while in office?

The article continues to debate his blackness, saying that he didn't lead the life of a "typical" Black American. I doubt most politicians or high achievers led typical lives, period. I find it funny that the author didn't use any Obama's direct quotes about how he identifies in his memoirs, or talk about his experiences working being a community organizer, or his experiences with racism.

And I voted "YES"

This is about the only voting I can do. I just downloaded my forms to apply for U.S. citizenship (from Dept. of Homeland Security- haha) and I may not get accepted (or rejected) in time to vote in 2008. At what point am I allowed to legally become American? If 15 years isn't long enough, please stop taking my tax money.

*sigh*

note: I was going to link the article, but NYtimes requires an account to login.