Lots of Obama, little change
Honestly, I’m excited for the next four years of Barack Obama’s term, but I’m also nervous at the same time. His entire campaign was run under the slogan of “change we need” but so far he hasn’t been changing direction at all, with practically every member of his cabinet having served under previous presidents.
I should also mention that another point he made was to end this “harsh bipartisanship.” How can he do that with a cabinet compromised almost entirely of democrats so far? Consider his Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, an infamously aggressive democrat.
Lest we forget, Barack and Joey B. are the first and third most liberal senators in the U.S., respectively. C’mon Barack, please be the first politician to follow through.
Daniel Schaefer
Undergraduate
Is the American flag red? I do not mean, does it contain red; I mean, is it exclusively red? Does home of the red carry the same meaning as home of the red, white and blue? Red by itself is a color, but all three together are the symbol for freedom and democracy. They have ability to instill pride and insight riots.
Where am I going with this? It’s obvious that a flag comprised of three separate colors can’t be boiled down to one color. Why then do we call Barrack Obama the first African-American President, when he is not African-American?
Now wait, I am not saying that he is not part African-American, all I am saying is he is not exclusively African-American. Why as a country do we sum up a man with a white mother and an African-American father as simply black? By this logic, I can say with the same amount of accuracy that he is our 44th white president.
I realize he looks black, but as a country, are we not striving toward looking past appearances and tearing down labels? So I ask you, did we elect an African-American president, or a multi-racial one?
If you agree it is that latter, then please stop printing articles that label him simply as black. Stop printing articles that are essentially saying we know that you had a mother, but she doesn’t count.
In a New York Times article, Obama said, “I am the son of a black man from Kenya, and a white woman from Kansas.” So the secret is out; Barrack Hussein Obama, Jr. is, in fact, a multi-racial American.
I am truly sorry to be the bearer of bad news to all those who see him as a pioneer for black America. However, this opens up a new perspective; maybe now he can be a pioneer for all Americans — black, white and every shade in between.
I did not vote for Obama and would never vote for him. Not because of his race, but because of his party. But even as an avid Bill O’Reilly viewer, and someone with 950 KFYI on his radio preset, I can honestly say that if this country is truly a melting pot, I can think of no better man to represent that ideal.
Matthew Goldberg
Undergraduate
Since the election, various political action groups have embraced the phrase “Obama Nation,” which is a homophone for “abomination.”
In my view, this is a veiled form of antilocution and may qualify as hate speech, perhaps by definition! That is, “abomination” means “worthy of or causing disgust or hatred.” As if that were not enough, in some circles, “abomination” carries special religious significance, fanning the flames of controversy.
According to Allport’s scale of prejudice in society, “antilocution” is speech in terms of negative stereotypes and negative images. While antilocution itself may not be harmful, it sets the stage for more severe outlets for prejudice.
Haven’t we had enough of this kind of divisive rhetoric?
David Wright
President, Aslan Society at ASU
