Clarence Page - Obama not exactly black ? Just what does that mean?

[Quetzal]

Obama not exactly black ? Just what does that mean?

CHICAGO — Some people, particularly those who are tone deaf to the ironies of life, have a problem with Barack Obama's race. They have a hard time deciding what it is.

Ever since the front-running candidate for the U.S. Senate from Illinois burst onto the national stage with a riveting keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, I've been hearing from readers who question why the media, including me, insist on referring to Obama as "black" or "African-American" when he is "really" biracial.

Are we trying to render his white Kansas mother irrelevant? No, I say, we're just recognizing that the realities of race have more to do with psychology, sociology and politics than actual science.

The perspective of my questioners was well-expressed by one of my favorite political writers, William Saletan, in his coverage of the convention for Microsoft's Slate.com Web site:

"Obama isn't exactly black," Saletan wrote "His mother is white and came from Kansas. His father came from Kenya. Obama is, in short, African-American — a term that (the Rev. Jesse) Jackson Sr. has too casually applied to people many generations removed from Africa, often through other continents. Obama's father went back to Africa years ago but that doesn't change the hue of his son's skin or remove his African name, Barack. So the son embraces his blackness."

more...

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/outlook/2754644

Note: I have had my eye on Obama since March - and I am not even from Illinois. Thanks for choosing an excellent Democratic nominee Illinois - he will make a fine Senator. :-)

[Racenut20]

1. From what I have seen and read of him

He is intelligent, and tuned into people, so what the hell difference does it make what color he is. If we need to say "black-american", then why don't we say "white-american", or if "African-American" and "Latin-American", then why not "Euro-American" ?????

It is all very confusing, with the attempts to be politically correct for Jesse Jackson.

But as dumb as I may be, I would think that one born in America with a parent who was born in Africa would be a TRUE African American.

[xchrom]

2. what a stupid thing to say

as many people of colour will tell you{particularly african people } -- just the smallest amount of african blood in this country makes you black.
it's not the attitude, biases or prejudices of black folk that make this so.
it's white society that makes it this way.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

3. Exactly

The least bit of extra pigment in your skin will make some treat you different. SOme treat you different just by looking at your name.

[gatlingforme]

4. That means Page is not exactly on this planet. Obama is what

he says he is.

[Nexus7]

5. What that means is that...

What it means is that Clarence Page has to turn out 300 words, and as a semi-democrat, he just can't spend all that verbiage praising anybody, even if it is deserved. So he's got to dig out the caveats, so that some loud-mouth right wing shill can say that even the (so called) left wing rag that is the NYT said Obama is lying about his heritage. It is the worst kind of equivocation, especially because you can't go outside without stepping on some really interesting issues to talk about in this race, but Page went directly to the bottom of the barrel.

[Radical Activist]

6. Most African-Americans are multi-racial

That's the legacy of interacial marriage and masters raping their slaves for many years. Most any black person in America has at least some distant relationship to a white person.