I do not deny that a lot of the flack that President Obama is getting from the right is from racists. However, I don't think we should get into the habit of blaming ALL of the vitriol from the conservatives on Racism. Most of it, I think, is just plain ignorance. We'd be hearing the same exact arguments against Obama's policies if he were White instead of Black, the signs just wouldn't be as racially hinged. The problem is, people don't seem to be thinking for themselves. Instead of going to many different sources to get their news, they watch only one channel (the right wing typically watches FOX News (or as I say it FAUX News) and the left is more inclined to watch MSNBC after 8 PM) and all they get is a skewed idea of the issues of the day and the President's stance.
As an African American, I am tired of seeing racist being synonymous with policy criticism. Is racism there? Yes. But it's not everything, and people these days tend to say "racism" before they label it for what it really is-- pure ignorance. We can't just keep throwing "racism" around when sometimes that's not what it is because it makes it less likely that people will believe it when it really IS racism. Why do you think President Obama and his team never play that card, even when it's warranted sometimes?
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