Since I don't update my blog as regularly should or want to, I totally missed out on the election mostly because politics isn't exactly something I follow (or understand). But this year's election was truly historic, ending with a decisive victory for America's first biracial candidate, Barack Obama. But we all know this. What I want to talk about now is not the election or the change in our nation's politics that this win will (hopefully) create. What is want to discuss is post-racialism. This phrase has been buzzing around all year in response to Obama's campaign. Only now that he's actually on his way to the White House do I feel I guess confident enough to talk about it.
Post-racial basically means that racism is dead, racism is over, and race doesn't matter to anyone anymore. The fact that a black man, or at least a man with an African-American ethnic background, was supported by America's people and elected to its highest office means that race didn't matter. Seems cool, right? And on the surface it seems true. I mean that fact that Obama won means he garnered a lot of white support, since black people only make up about 13% of the population. But this entire concept of post-racialism is complete and utter bullshit.
Why? Because during the campaign, the issue of race was coming from every media outlet. All the news networks kept asking "Will whites vote for Obama?" Well, why wouldn't they. He's smart, qualified-- oh wait, half of him's black. Guess that's reason enough for doubt. No one asked if blacks would support him. They assumed we would, just because he's black, as if black people don't care about issues and blindly follow anyone brown (this attitude exists in every facet of society and it's suickening. I can't count how many times I'm questioned as to why I don't like 'black things" what the hell are 'black' things? The night sky?). On the flip side, the media asked "Is Obama black enough for black voters?" One, just the idea of being black enough feeds into sterotypical depicitions of blacks and two, the whitewashed cable news networks wouldn't be qualifieid to judge anyway.
To use this term, I think is to sweep America's complex racial history under the table and start over. It's too much of an over-simplification, ignoring the realities. Yes, we're getting a black man in office, but I still don't see any on the television. I still see police unfairly harrassing minorities. I still have to worry about what neighborhoods I can enter if I don't want to be accosted. Race still matters. It matters on the street and in the office. It will matter until the diverse peoples of the United States have attained complete equality. I'm not just talking about picking your seat on the bus. I'm talking about being able to one day wake up without the baggage your skin color carries with.
That's not to say we should strike out race or ethinicity. To suddenly say your racial or ethinic identity is no longer valid is wrong, and that's what"post-racialism" is to me.
This is a sensitive issue and so for the first time, you don't have to listen me about it. But ask yourself this: Are our nation's racial wounds really healed now? Or is just a quick-fix band-aid?
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