The Essence of Obama

How could one of the most intriguing politicians to come around in years generate such asinine political coverage? Yes, I'm speaking of the media-annointed Black Messiah that is Barrack Obama. By now everyone knows of his upbringing, which I don't need to repeat here. Like him or not, he must be praised for his rhetorical and oratorical skills. He has a way of galvanizing crowds and tapping into voters' frustrations with the political process and with politics in general. He has generated a rare level of enthusiasm among even the most casual political observers that he must be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, Obama has become the subject of a lot of noise coming from the media, both legit media entities and unreputable ones. Such stories include an obvious joking reference comparing his wardrobe to that of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the focus on his middle name (LIKE, OH MY GOD!!! DID YOU KNOW BARRACK'S MIDDLE NAME IS HUSSEIN?! IS HE A TERRORIST SYMPATHIZER???), and most recently the false story of him being educated in a school for religious fanatics in Indonesia when he was all of six years old. To his credit, Obama has handled these potential landmines with a commendable degree of success, firmness, humor, and tact.

However, a new story is currently playing itself out in the media, and it's one that is far more damaging in my estimation:

"Is Barrack Obama Black enough?"

As ridiculous as this story is, I fear it may be more damaging to the state of race relations in the United States and to Blacks in general (be they politicians, schoolchildren, or regular workers) than to Obama himself. It's a story that serves no useful purpose other than to reinforce long-standing divisions that Obama has so deftly been able to bridge throughout his professional career. And worst of all, this story is an embarrassment to Black Americans everywhere.

Let me disconstruct the premise of "Blackness" and then debunk this mind-numbingly stupid question.

First of all, no one group of people is monolithic. Not all religious conservatives attend church services every Sunday. Not all college athletes major in sociology or sports medicine. Not all New Yorkers are liberals, nor are all Mississippians conservatives. Not all women are feminist activists. Not all Frenchmen are pacifists. And not all Muslims are terrorists.

So why is there a single such thing as "Blackness?" Or a universal "Black experience?" And who defines what "Blackness" and "experience" are anyway?

There is such a tremendous amount of diversity within the Black population. Many of us can trace our family lineages back to slavery. Others descended from freemen. Some are second- or third-generation African immigrants. Others are new immigrants themselves. Some have ties to the Latino community and speak fluent Spanish. Many are refugees from Haiti and other impoverished countries. You also have Black Africans and Black Caribbeans. There are even a few Black Canadians within our borders. And we can't forget the biracial or multiracial children who are considered "Black" by virtue of the "one drop rule." You have your Black gangsters, Black professors, Black athletes, Black rappers, Black scientists, Black homeless, Black businessmen, Black underclass, and Blacks living in majority White areas. In light of all this diversity, there are bound to be countless experiences among them that are likely not shared by the different groups I just listed. So why would there be some universal definition of what "Blackness" is and is not?

Secondly, Obama has gone to great lengths to make this campaign about the voters, rather than himself. He has tried not to make race an issue in this campaign, but it seems like the more he tries to neutralize this issue by not talking so much about it, the more it's thrown back in his face. Who is making race an issue in this campaign? It's not Obama, that's for sure. While his own upbringing and geneology may be a fascinating case study in race relations and racial identity, he is most certainly not running as a race-baiting politician.

It is disingenous and contradictory for people of all colors to talk about the importance of looking past race and then get sucked into this "is he Black enough" drivel. Unfortunately, some of the biggest doubters of Obama's "racial authenticity" are ignorant Blacks themselves.

The Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have come to define Black America, even though they don't speak for wide swaths of the Black population. Both Jackson and Sharpton are polarizing figures that are often viewed with suspicion among the larger electorate. However, these two leaders are still highly influential in the Black community because of their continued devotion to their cause and their past struggles for equality. Other Black politicians in majority-minority congressional districts are often in the Jackson-Sharpton mold. Because Obama does not devote every other sentence to talking about racial injustices that fire up the Black base and remind Whites of their Whiteness, he comes across as a horse of a different color that is not to be trusted.

While the Revs. Jackson and Sharpton are owed a great deal of gratitude for their sacrifices and struggles during the civil rights movements of yesteryear, their rhetoric makes it seem like little has been made in the way of progress. And as long as they continue to be seen as occupying center stage in the Black community, it makes it harder for the newer generation of Black politicians (Obama, Harold Ford Jr., Deval Patrick, Chakah Fatah, etc.) who have greater cross-racial appeal to be viewed as credibly as a traditional Black politician that runs primarily on blasting the vestiges of slavery and discrimination.

Why do Blacks do this to themselves? My own personal beliefs about Obama's candidacy aside, I am not going to undermine his campaign by suggesting "he's not one of us" because his ancestors were not American slaves. Who cares? And besides, I'm sure many of these people who criticize Obama for this don't know much about their own ancestral history or of Black history in general. It's this shallow type of nonthinking that does far more damage to Blacks than anything a White racist could do. Conservatives must be having a field day over this story because Blacks (and by extention, liberals and Democrats) have circled the wagons and opened fire on themselves by "pulling the race card." Could you imagine how conservative satirists are viewing this situation? "You mean to tell me it's not okay for me to make an issue out of calling you 'Black,' but it is okay for me to accuse you of not being 'Black enough?' Are you serious?!"

Simply ridiculous.

Because Obama is able to generate a lot of support among Whites, Blacks foolishly question his devotion to the Black community and to Black "issues" (e.g., affirmative action, reducing poverty). They often say "If he's so popular with them, he can't be so good for us, right?" This type of self-defeatist thinking exists at higher levels of the government too. South Carolina State Senator Ford really stepped into it recently by warning that Obama would drag down Democrats up and down the ballot everywhere because he's Black. (Then he endorsed Hillary.) The fact that such ignorant people have direct influence over the laws that govern us is quite troubling. Do the people who posit such nonsense really have such a low level of confidence in themselves and in the Black race they are a part of? Do they view themselves as so unattractive to Whites that they could never receive even a modicum of White support?

For Blacks who want to see a Black president in their lifetime, Obama offers them that opportunity. The fact that he is biracial has no bearing on his ability to understand the problems and issues facing Black communities across the nation. It took more than 220 years for a Black to be considered a serious contender for President. Waiting 50 more years for Tyrone Watts from the ghettos of Brooklyn or the projects of Tupelo, Mississippi, is not a valid reason for opposing Obama today. If you want to criticize Obama, then criticize him for his policy positions, his voting record, and his experience. Average Joes (or Jamals) may be good at asking questions about Obama's racial authenticity, but they are even better at providing answers to an entirely different question:

How ignorant can some people be?

This debate about Obama may be about Black and White, but it's leaving the nation and the image of Blacks in general black and blue.