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IMO, he is being disrespectful to his mother. He might as well be walking up to his mother and slapping her across the face.
Within the last couple of months, another member posted a video ('from the vault' was part of the title) that was supposed to show why Obama hates white people. There was a bit of that at the end, but I think the content INSTEAD actually backfired on the member and puts Obama in a favorable light . The video was of a reading he did for 'Dreams From My Father' at the Cambridge Public Library in 1995. Obama's intellect, talent for being able to speak extemporaneously, sense of humor (IMO, Hillary lacks the sense of humor that both Obama and Trump possess), and relationship with the content (obviously not ghostwritten) were all on display. After watching the video, I now understand better why he identified as black re the Census starting in 2000 rather than as biracial, but I still think he is wrong. IMO, the respect his mother is due is more important.
Ask Morgan Freeman....a huge Obama supporter. He feels that if you didn't have a black mama, you aren't black.
How do you know his mother didnt raise him to identify as black? You forget that it was whites who instituted the one-drop rule and it was that cultural outlook that was pushed onto others. It is not unlikely, particularly based on the time he grew up in and having a white American mother and grandparents, that he was raised to identify as black.
It surely didn't come from the African side. With the vast majority of Africans, if you are mixed, you are not fully African (and not fully whatever tribe you come from).
Further, Obama has an African-American wife, so it's even more likely that he identifies with his family.
I don't think it serves any good purpose to say we need XX% our National Team to be African American. On the other hand, if USA Swimming were really future-minded, and had the resources, they would figure out how to get more young African American kids into the talent development funnel. I suspect, in time, we'd see more African Americans shake out the bottom as world class swimmers; swimmers who would make the National Team on merit alone, and would be the best individuals to represent our country in international competition.
I did misspeak somewhat when I said "Olympic team."
An issue of diversity at that level does not indicate the problem at that level. More likely, the problem and the solution are at a far lower level--at the beginning of the pipeline rather than at the end.
How do you know his mother didnt raise him to identify as black?
Well, he was predominantly raised by his white grandparents in Honolulu, where the racial dynamics are far, far different from what they are on the mainland.
I'd pretty much guarantee that the was not raised to identify as black to any significant degree..."identify as black" simply doesn't mean as much in Honolulu.
My daughter spent her elementary school years in Honolulu, and even as the child of two "genuine" American blacks ("African-Americans" if you will), she didn't really grasp "identify as black" in that predominantly "not black" and "not white" and "not even Anglo" context.
That didn't come until we moved to Omaha as she entered middle school. She then very suddenly learned what "identify as black" meant...and it was a horribly painful lesson that she still hasn't fully put behind her at age 28.
In Obama's case, he also had a rather elite childhood--probably from the help of one of the most powerful state politicians being a personal friend of his grandfather. I know it was impossible for me to get my son into the high school Obama went to.
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Further, Obama has an African-American wife, so it's even more likely that he identifies with his family.
I suspect that's the case. What Obama knows about being "African-American," he probably learned from Michelle. Except for the last 8 years...I think that's been a lesson in itself.
Last edited by Ralph_Kirk; 08-12-2016 at 09:48 AM..
It's just not right- we need to have a black, hispanic, muslim, gay, and transgender to represent America. PC is more important than fairness or winning, right?
Is there any evidence that elite track athletes, black, white or whatever, can also be top swimmers? Has anyone ever won a medal or world championship in both sports?
Sprint training, be it running or swimming, is largely about optimizing the density and performance of Type IIb fast-twitch muscle fibers. Admittedly, there's a larger technique element to swimming, but it's nothing that can't be instilled with good coaching and years of repetition. We haven't really seen anyone, be they black, white, or other, excel at both sports at the Olympic or World Championship level because, frankly, it takes a full time training commitment just to get good at one or the other. Furthermore, the body development for one is detrimental to the other; excessive lower body bulk hurts a swimmer more than it helps.
The over-representation (relative to overall population distribution) of African Americans in track sprinting at the elite (college and national team) levels suggests that there's a greater frequency in that community of the genetic makeup that leads to a body composition that responds favorably to sprint training. I strongly contend that the reason we don't see more African Americans swimming at the elite level is entirely because we get so few of them involved in the sport at an early age.
Things are changing slowly. Some may be surprised by Simone Manuel's success, but I'm not. OK, I'll admit I'm a bit surprised she won the gold, but I expected her to be a medal contender. I've been following her for a couple years, along with her Stanford (and US National Team) teammate Lia Neal. Both were part of an all-African-American podium for the 100 freestyle at the 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming Championship.
Hopefully this Olympic win by Emanuel will inspire more young African American girls to take up competitive swimming in the future.
Well, he was predominantly raised by his white grandparents in Honolulu, where the racial dynamics are far, far different from what they are on the mainland.
I'd pretty much guarantee that the was not raised to identify as black to any significant degree..."identify as black" simply doesn't mean as much in Honolulu.
My daughter spent her elementary school years in Honolulu, and even as the child of two "genuine" American blacks ("African-Americans" if you will), she didn't really grasp "identify as black" in that predominantly "not black" and "not white" and "not even Anglo" context.
That didn't come until we moved to Omaha as she entered middle school. She then very suddenly learned what "identify as black" meant...and it was a horribly painful lesson that she still hasn't fully put behind her at age 28.
In Obama's case, he also had a rather elite childhood--probably from the help of one of the most powerful state politicians being a personal friend of his grandfather. I know it was impossible for me to get my son into the high school Obama went to.
I suspect that's the case. What Obama knows about being "African-American," he probably learned from Michelle. Except for the last 8 years...I think that's been a lesson in itself.
Again, how do you know that his mother did not raise him to identify as black? Was his mother raised in Hawaii? Were his grandparents raised in Hawaii?
You can speak to the environment in Hawaii but not with regard to Obama's home environment.
Many people identify the way in which they were raised to identify in their homes.
Again, how do you know that his mother did not raise him to identify as black? Was his mother raised in Hawaii? Were his grandparents raised in Hawaii?
You can speak to the environment in Hawaii but not with regard to Obama's home environment.
Many people identify the way in which they were raised to identify in their homes.
I guess I'm taking "identify" to a greater degree than you are.
If you merely mean that she taught him to call himself "black," yeah, she likely did. There wasn't really a choice--born and raised in the 60s and 70s, there was no such socially recognized term as "biracial." That meant nothing in the US.
That doesn't necessarily mean Obama had the psychological identity of being a black American, any more than someone born and raised in Africa does. I would argue that psychological identity as an African American isn't possible for someone raised in Honolulu, particularly having observed that in my own children.
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