Obama's Speech on Race

Full Text: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hisownwords
Also see: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-campaign19mar19,1,4641756.story

Speech given today in response to growing racial tensions stemming from Jeremiah Wright's and Geraldine Ferraro's comments.

I think it is a great speech. I really respect Obama for it. Sad but not surprising that it has come to this.

Although there are more important points in the speech, one point that stood out to me was:
"Obama said that "for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible." As for Wright, he said, "I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother -- a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street....These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.""

While I, like most people, denounce racism and other forms of ignorant hatred, is it really that surprising that people harbor such views? Racism and prejudice is everywhere. If I were to cut ties with every friend/family member/person who holds a racist belief, makes a prejudiced comment, and/or lives life with a biased mind, I would be a lonely person. And that's coming from liberal CA. And have I ignorantly passed mental judgments that I would be ashamed of if it were reduced to writing and spread across the papers? Yeah.

It's better to deal with these issues openly than to act as though 'oh, no one has these thoughts (at least not normal, educated ones!!), surely not myself'... and then lambaste a person when someone close to them decides to voice their thoughts openly.

Anyway. A speech I hope will make a difference. More likely a small one than a big one, unfortunately.

On a somewhat related note, it's funny how we like to root for the underdog and then gleefully bring down those at the top, even if they are the same person. Why some people derive so much pleasure from watching others fall from grace is not something I easily understand. Schadenfreude or whatever, right? Is it human nature or something developed culturally/socially? I would have to go for the latter.

That just came from the thought that I think it's a sad state of things when, out of the NY governor ordeal, Spitzer has been brought down while his prostitute is making millions. Did he do something wrong? Yes. Should he, in light of his other accomplishments, have had to resign? I don't know. Should she be profiting off of it now? No. But here we are. We just love it.

I'll get back to posting cute pictures now.

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Picture of the Post:

Resting at the Saturday Market in Mexico City