[This will likely be first in a series if Obama goes all the way]
So I have this thing in my life’s history, in which I’m often “in the right place at the right time,” although rarely can I claim to have planned it. I won’t bore you with a list, but since the Iowa results, I find myself in that position again. So you think you know Obama? Well, I know I do, and not because we’re good friends or spent a lot of time together. I have met him and his wife, but I can’t claim that means I have a special insight into them. OTOH I can say that in terms of trajectory, he and I have a lot in common. And one thing I’ve learned is something I’m positive he’s learned too. That is: life is pretty messed up, interesting, and funny if you’re a “mullato” in America, and most especially in American politics.
The heart of the matter is found in posts like this one. Xenophon is a Righteous Brother and we are fast and true friends, and I was just teasing him for the use of the term “mullato” because I know he gets the joke. But outside of close personal relationships, people who call me a “mullato” to my face will feel the force of My Wrath.
It’s just an ugly word, OK? Please try not to use it.
I wish I could offer a better term or phrase, but the minute I try to seriously think about one, the whole project falls apart and I’m drowning in the absurdity of it. Race is a social construct, and a stupid one at that. If I had the money, I would do another study like the one I read about some time ago, which iirc took place at Penn*. In it, a biology prof took DNA samples from his students, and mapped out those samples according to certain markers which are tagged to specific geographic locations. As you know, there are some genetic markers which are only found in certain populations, and using those markers it’s relatively simple to determine a person’s “ethnic” or “racial” heritage.
So the funny part about this study was the reaction of the students**. One “Jew” found out he was 16% Asian. Another “white” student found he of significant African descent. And so on. Only about 5% of the students sampled had “pure” racial stock, that is, all from one continent like Europe or Africa. A long time ago, I read a similar report in National Geographic, and the point that stuck with me from that: even “white” South Africans averaged 9% native African ’blood.’ During Apartheid times, even!
Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that when you’ve lived my life, and fucked people with as many skin tones as I have, it’s really hard to take constructions of race seriously. I’m at that point where I laugh and openly mock people of any “race” who try to argue that their race means something about their ability and character. You probably think I’m talking about “crackers” and Klansmen, but I’m not. I’m talking about You, progressive blog reader. You and all the times I’ve seen you speak as if Obama’s “race” has something to do with his policies and abilities as a politician. It doesn’t, and you’ll say that “you know it doesn’t,” but the number of times I’ve seen that put to lie is at this point, almost uncountable.
But back to me and Obama and my arrogance for thinking I understand him…do you know what it feels like to be the Hope and Dream of a people? And at the same time, to be the Great Shame of that same group? Because that’s what it feels like, every day, when you’re a “mixed” person. How incongruous this is, with the experience of family set in strong contrast to the experiences one has with people who are not family. If you think people are confused about others of “all one race,” you have no idea how confused they are when they treat with those of us who are…even more confusing to them and their beliefs because we don’t fit into their stereotypes. You’ve never seen more heads explode than the time I was at AEI listening to McCain and Lieberman. The only “black” face in that room not serving drinks, and oh! Did faces color when I mentioned that my degree is from the place where St. Milton was elevated…I wish that guy from the Lincoln group hadn’t proven to be so afraid of me. Comment, friend! I meant what I said, I don’t hate you!
Seriously, if there is one thing that has been said to me by strangers more than anything else, it’s “What are you?” To which I have always had the first, if unspoken thought, “Gee, I thought I was human.”
The part that I’m trying to tease out is the assumptions behind the “what” in that question. Think with me for a moment; if someone said that to you, how would you respond?
“I am a doctor.” “I am a race car driver.” “I am a poor person.” “I am stoned.”
But when they say it to me, there is only ever one point upon which they want clarification. My ’race.’ Am I “all” black? Am I “part Middle Eastern?” What about “Indians” in my family? I am telling you, people are so naked when they are speaking of race, their beliefs and emotions are writ plainly upon their faces as they ask these questions.
Anyway, Obama and I live the life of Teh Suck, because we literally can’t win. We aren’t “really black.” White friends of mine have said that to me many times, and I bet Obama too. Friends, actual people who love and care about me, but they still say things like that to my face. But they mean it well! As a compliment, even. People like me and Obama, who are “articulate” and “clean,” we don’t offend the white folks, and to them, that makes us better than those they fear. They fear really dark skinned people, in case you forgot. These folks are learning to love (read: want to fuck) light skinned people like me, or the singer people say I look like, Beyonce or however that’s spelled. Let me tell you: the number of white people who want to fuck a less than fully white person has steadily risen since I was first sexually active. And yet somehow, increasing love for the not-quite-white hasn’t translated into actually better social and economic situation for nonwhite people in this country. I wonder why that is, not.
It’s no better on the “black” side of things. My first day at Chicago, I went to a minority student gathering for recently admitted grad students. I met my best friend in grad school at that meeting, and I’ll never forget it. Why? Because, unlike Harvard, Chicago only took about six black and latino students into grad programs that year. And I was sooooooooooooo worried that I’d be the “lightest” of them all. Thankfully, Lisa had the same fear, being a mostly of Spanish descent Cuban-American, and we hit it off immediately. That was the first time I realized that I was not alone, and that the pressures coming from the “minority” communities were no different than those coming from the dominant one.
Again, those are- What are you? What are your beliefs? They must be directly tied to your “race.”
Well, you don’t care about me, you care about Obama. So here’s what I want you to know: he is his own man. He’s like you, he has opinions and flaws and feelings and experiences. You think he will bring you {X} because of the color of his skin. You shouldn’t. He won’t.
Obama will bring about things that have to do with his trajectory as a political player. It’s not that hard for you to be thoughtful, and critical, about him on that level. You’re a blog reader, you do it all the time for Hillary and Hucksterbee and the rest of them. You can do the same for him.
That’s my first point. I’ll make more later. But know that you must not project thing you believe to be true upon him, just because of the way he looks. Gosh, that sounds so pendantic! And yet, I feel compelled to say it. Please try to keep it in mind.
* I have tried and tried, but I can’t find a link to this study. I read it on one of those days when I was too lazy to save it, and I’m so sorry for that now. Anyone who can help me will receive a lifetime supply of CD Luv.
** Again, I know what I think remember, but of course that could be wrong. Please, if you recall this study, show a grrl some love and share a link. I swear I’ve learned my lesson and now have a folder in which I save such random readings.
Front page
only in biology
It’s funny that most anthropologists believe there is more DNA differences in a “race” than between “races” and as such do not believe there is a biological differentiation within humans.
Not to be trite, but wikipedia has some good links. But Jebus, I can’t find the story you mention.
Here’s a timely Ironic story on James Watson (ie. Watson-Crick DNA pioneer nobel guy)
NEW YORK, Dec. 10 (UPI)
luv and thanks to you, intranets.
that was exactly the sort of link i was looking for. again, “we” all know this stuff to be true, i just wish more of us would say and link so. thank you.
Possibly...
You are referring to the 1995 article by Solomon H. Katz, of U. Penn entitled, “Is Race A Legitimate Concept For Science?”
The Bill of Rights is a born rebel. It reeks with sedition. In every clause it shakes its fist in the face of constituted authority… . it is the one guaranty of human freedom to the American people. - Frank Irving Cobb
CD, found it
Source reports/data from PSU project you mention:
http://www.racerelationsproject.psu.edu/…
Interesting Bio page on Samuel Richards (echos some of your comments)
http://www.racerelationsproject.psu.edu/…
The “Ethnicities” page from the DNA testing company that sells the kits (AncestryByDNA) used in some of these stories. (Check out the images are pretty cool)
NYTimes article on Richards class and DNA study
Christian Science Monitor article on same subject
Seriously check out the AncestryByDNA stuff
I only quickly linked to it. But it is creepy the science that determines all that stuff. I’m envisioning those triangle shapes much like a yellow star of david where people walk around with those pegged to their chests.
It will only be like 10 yrs before all of this DNA data is running around in computer databases waiting to be “lost” and stolen.
Another class
more recent west coast story of Almeda workshop but similar narrative.
and so i look at this, and weep
it would be so nice if the Great Ones could find a ’black’ writer if they’re going to fill their pages with obama stuff. too bad they told, um, someone, they didn’t need her perspective and that their stable of authors was “diverse” enough. ahem.
studying obama
hi.
i’m an al gore worshipper, but earlier had decided to support edwards. still do, but am trying to learn as much as i can about obama in the meantime as well.
thank you for your quite thoughtful, insightful, and personal perspective…
btw, give me a shout at fokowi@gmail.com sometime. i’ve been working on an idea and i would love your input…
peace
fokowi
A girl as pretty as you doesn't even have to be smart, CD
— [rimshot, laughter] — but such a pleasure.
My family’s “verticality” (to momentarily follow the Huckster) was that art was everything, the transcendant value. Granted, art from a Western European base, but I was taught to cultivate a catholicity of taste. Which is why on this blog the writing is (almost) everything, because that is (almost all of) the art.
I, er, think extremely highly of the insight “love (read: want to fuck).” That’s it. And that’s why the whole race construct is both so fake and so charged, I think. And by a not unobvious though unstated transition, why are there so few Asian bloggers?
And if Obama turns out to be the second coming of Elvis—is that so wrong?
OK, back to my cage.
[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
DNA Ancestry
There’s any number of commercial firms that will test your DNA and tell you your lineage these days. I like guessing people’s ethnicity. I base it on their names as much as looks. Back in 2004 when I was making calls for Kerry I came across a guy in Tampa who had the weirdest name so I had to ask. Can’t recall it now but it turned out his mom was Filipino and his dad of Eastern European Jewish descent. We had one of the longest political discussions I had that year with anybody. He said he was on the fence but I could tell he thought Kerry was too soft on defense. How often do you come across a redneck Filipino Jew from Florida? As with anybody who assumes I’m just a MoveOn dirty hippy from a long line of pansy ass appeasers I gave him the story about my grandfather being a West Point grad. My uncle almost dying in the Battle of the Bulge and the Tet Offensive. My dad delaying his college career as a scholarship football player at U of IL to be a flight engineer on a B-24 flying around the Pacific for 3 years. I might have gotten him with that, his dad was a tail gunner on a B-24 in Europe and his mom is forever grateful to the GIs who liberated the Philippines from the Japanese.
As for race I know what nations my ancestors emigrated from. But beyond that? Who knows and who cares I say. I subscribe to Bill Murray’s line from “Stripes”, we’re Americans, we’re mutts, our ancestors have been kicked out of every decent country in the world. As your typical bullet headed anglo saxon mother’s son among out here in the burbs it doesn’t come up much. For you CD I can see how straddling two different worlds might be more complicated. I can tell you that working on Tammy Duckworth’s campaign last year I was very pleased to see that among the kids of all colors on her staff there seemed to be a complete disregard for race.
CD I think you’re right about one thing. If people think Obama is going to be ultra liberal just because of the color of his skin they don’t know much about him or black American culture. Most black folks in the USA, unlike Obama have cultural roots in the South no matter where they live today. On a lot of issues like gay marriage and abortion the black Baptist church isn’t much different than the Southern Baptists.
60% of Democratic voters in SC are black. Hillary has a lot of support among them and if the best Obama does in NH is win by a sliver don’t look for them to automatically fall in line behind him.
Interesting to contrast CD's post...
with the carefully engineered racist hysteria from Lucianne’s spawn that Glenn describes. Translation: If Obama loses, the niggers will come for your women. It really is just about that crude. Nice to see the Republicans are running for the Presidency of The White Race at last.
[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
The New Book of More Man
I can’t wait until we’re all Tan & Delightsome.
++++
Reading Glenn's post
It’s surprising that Goldberg et al know so little about black people and Democratic politics. At this point if Hillary is going to beat Obama she’s going to have to do it with black votes in SC and elsewhere. With her longstanding connections in the black community she might be able to pull it off. I’m not saying she will but she certainly has a better shot at it than Edwards.
As for any of the Repubs beating the Dem nominee in November it’s not gonna happen. If Repubs try to gin up racial strife the Dem will win bigger.
Saturday Night Live
Do you remember the old Saturday Night Live skit with Garrett Morris interviewing another Black man about the validity of whether or not white people were more intelligent than black people? In the end they both agree how ridiculous that position is, and then Garrett Morris, whose skin is lighter than the other guy’s, says something about lighter skinned black men being more intelligent than darker skinned black men. It was a rather bizarre skit, particularly taken in the context of how Morris was treated on the show.
By the third season, after an electrifying appearance as Tina Turner, Morris became the resident drag queen. In high heels and skirts, Morris finally got regular airtime on the show. However, some close to the show saw these roles as demeaning to Morris. “It was, said one observer, as if the show actually enjoyed making Garrett ’participate in his own degradation’,” wrote the authors of Saturday Night. Never was this more obvious than in a show hosted by Cicely Tyson.
Morris, dressed as Tyson, had begun the opening monologue, when the real Tyson appeared on stage demanding to know what was happening. “I was hired by this show under terms of the Token Minority Window Dressing Act of 1968,” Morris replied. Tyson went on to scold him, “Garrett, what is happening to you?” Referring to their work together in the sixties, she went on to say, “I expected something really big from you.” She continued, “Where’s your integrity?” Morris’s response was a blithe, “Well, it doesn’t look bad on my resume … and I get to keep the dresses.” SNL writers had written the entire exchange, yet it illustrated what black audiences and performers had already been complaining about Morris.
I left SNL at that time
So unfunny. Just amazingly bad. Worse than bad. Rancid.
[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
far out.
do you know what it feels like to be the Hope and Dream of a people? And at the same time, to be the Great Shame of that same group? Because that’s what it feels like, every day, when you’re a “mixed” person.
wow. powerful.
this post was great. i know it made me wanna f—whoa. nevermind!
_________________________
.delusions of un mundo mejor.“
in Hawaii...
where I am lucky enough to live, everybody loves (wants to/actually does make love to) everyone else*, and those that have a problem with that soon leave the islands. I’ve lived here over 30 years, and still am turned on by the undeniable beauty walking around the streets of Honolulu, a result of a few centuries of DNA mixing from any-kine part of the world.
Asking someone about his/her ancestry over here is never an insult, but an expression of wonder. And we all happily reel off the homeland of every ancestor we are aware of, no matter how remote.
I always liked Arthur Clarke’s prognostication of the normality of this worldwide in the aptly-entitled “Childhood’s End.” After all, the fascination with (desire to fuck) the opposite seems to be the norm — invigorating the species and all that.
*of course, being in the human condition like everywhere else in the world, there is asshole behavior over here. Sometimes it is manifested in a way typical of a particular culture, at which point one may get rewarded with a poignant and emphatic “fuckin’ [fill in insulting ethnic term here]!”
Newcomers to this, if they have any sense at all, soon realize they don’t have to be thin-skinned about it. In a similar way, as in that of the happy mix of loving each other in every sense of the word, we all like to laugh at corny ethnic-stereotype jokes, particularly at the ones about our own primary ethnicity, because it reinforces that everyone is included in our shared Hawaii cultural amalgam.