Comments on: You Gotta Believe http://pimpmyvote.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/you-gotta-believe/ A source for commentary on the latest stories impacting the 2008 presidential election, young voters and race in America. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:46:28 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Eisa http://pimpmyvote.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/you-gotta-believe/#comment-31 Eisa Sun, 06 Jan 2008 15:03:31 +0000 http://pimpmyvote.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/you-gotta-believe/#comment-31 I caught a bit of Chris Matthews on C-Span before the Iowa caucuses, and I was charmed by his forthcoming response to Obama's campaign. He said that his Boomer generation really had to deal with race and racism in ways that the youngest members of Gen X and all of Y do not. He said that, as a kid, it was big deal if there was a "Black kid" in the class, and that was something his generation would go home and tell their Greatest Generation parents. Young people today don't do that. Race is certainly used to describe a "Black kid" or "White kid" or whatever, but there is a very different value attached to race by younger Americans. Matthews said he, like a lot of white Americans, is standing on one side of the racial divide, the side that is honestly struggling with internalized racism and trying to emerge better citizens, and looking across the racial divide at the stalwarts of ol' school prejudice and racism, into the faces of their white counterparts there, and urging them to cross over and join them on the path to healing. I thought that was a powerful revelation, and I think Matthews articulated the thoughts of many others with backgrounds similar to his. Having said that, I really don't think all that many white folk are in a dilemma over Obama's race. I think there are more older white Americans standing with Matthews than there are on the other side. Maybe we, Black folk, should drop the issue of color. After all, why are we so shocked that a bright, articulate, empowered, graceful Senator from the African American community is inspiring so many Americans' hope for substantive improvement through innovation and change? Clearly, the average American is there with Matthews - and they're over it. We should get over it, too. I caught a bit of Chris Matthews on C-Span before the Iowa caucuses, and I was charmed by his forthcoming response to Obama’s campaign. He said that his Boomer generation really had to deal with race and racism in ways that the youngest members of Gen X and all of Y do not. He said that, as a kid, it was big deal if there was a “Black kid” in the class, and that was something his generation would go home and tell their Greatest Generation parents. Young people today don’t do that. Race is certainly used to describe a “Black kid” or “White kid” or whatever, but there is a very different value attached to race by younger Americans. Matthews said he, like a lot of white Americans, is standing on one side of the racial divide, the side that is honestly struggling with internalized racism and trying to emerge better citizens, and looking across the racial divide at the stalwarts of ol’ school prejudice and racism, into the faces of their white counterparts there, and urging them to cross over and join them on the path to healing. I thought that was a powerful revelation, and I think Matthews articulated the thoughts of many others with backgrounds similar to his.

Having said that, I really don’t think all that many white folk are in a dilemma over Obama’s race. I think there are more older white Americans standing with Matthews than there are on the other side. Maybe we, Black folk, should drop the issue of color. After all, why are we so shocked that a bright, articulate, empowered, graceful Senator from the African American community is inspiring so many Americans’ hope for substantive improvement through innovation and change? Clearly, the average American is there with Matthews – and they’re over it. We should get over it, too.

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