The "R-" word: are you racist, or just skeptical?

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

According to the press, because Barack Obama mentioned the looks of our favorite dead presidents, the race genie is supposedly now out of the proverbial bottle – as if it hadn't actually been filling the air for what seems like forever.

Everywhere you turn, the talking heads are flapping about the Obama statement which the McCain campaign insists "played the race card."

Obama was making the case that McCain is trying to point out how black he is to turn off fence-sitters by saying that Obama "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bill."

Well, duh! What other American president has ears like Mickey Mouse? OK, maybe the other guy from Illinois, but still.

The Obama camp denied having played said card but the implication is clear, and the junk coming out of the McCain camp (did McCain even know who Paris Hilton was before his Karl Roveian ad ran?) comes pretty close to just flat-out saying "beware the young black man."

But…would it be so wrong to be wary of someone who didn't look like Washington, Lincoln, Hamilton, Jackson, Grant and Franklin to take the helm of our listing American ship? Isn't it human nature to be suspicious of the newbie? Or the odd bird?

Not right, mind you, but human?

What I'm getting at is that we can't allow ourselves to become a nation afraid to dissect, criticize, or even dislike any African American – even our most famous and first presidential one – without being labeled a racist?

Of course, I can say that sitting from the lofty protected perch of non-whiteness. In fact, the good folks at the Pew Hispanic Center just cleared me of racism charges, as well – they just reported that Hispanics are favoring Obama over McCain by nearly three to one so I'm assuming now all Latinos no longer have to be tarnished with the "Won't vote Obama because they hate blacks" label, though the fat lady ain't sung yet.

Still, just for a moment, step away from the context of the historic presidential race (and if you're anything like me you wish it were history already). Maybe Smokey Robinson's "Tears of a Clown" always grated on your nerves. Maybe George Washington Carver popularized dishes featuring what you consider to be the most evil legume. Maybe Condoleezza Rice's politics or her rendition of Schumann's Piano Quintet in E flat drive you insane. That doesn't mean you're a racist.

It could be that you're too uptight, spent too many days next to a heart monitor after an allergic run-in with a PBJ, or are simply tone deaf. None of those should imply you think less of anyone who isn't white.

Don't buy into the hype. An uproar over race is exactly the type of thing the traditional media outlets like to whip up in the hopes it will sell more newspapers or make a bigger splash during the ten o'clock news, but it doesn't need to translate into real life.

None of us can afford to vote – or not vote – for anyone based on the silliness you hear on the TV or the radio. Analyze, dissect, argue, and decide but leave the white, brown, black or green guilt out of it.

There will always be racists and just plain old jerks – that's life. An old white guy or a young black guy president might be just another part of life, too. Whichever way it goes, feel free to love him or hate him on merit and without fear of being called the "R" word (and I don't mean "Republican").

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact:eejaycee@600words.com

Comments

[churchill]

Mr. Obama is mixed race. I find it incredibly interesting you speak of racism, and yet, you didnt even get his race correct. And as for your "lofty protected perch of non-whiteness" you have seemed to have adopt a philosophy rooted in White vs Black school of thought. I certainly dont think you need to fear being called the "R" word, as your 600 words seem to have declared your postition.

[peter flemister]

Being against or for Obama based upon his political views, his personality or style are all fine. And being against or for him because of his race is a price that we have to pay for living in a free society. As a Christian I am mindful of the fact that God could force us all to bow down and believe but that he gave us the gift of free will. Denying that racism exist or diminishing any claim of racism as a card game is intellectually and factually dishonest. I have no problem with racism or white supremacy as long as it is out in the open for all to see. Slavery and Jim Crow preceded affirmative action as expresssions of white supremacy.

[Jack Spatafora]

Solid commentary...personally I sense that racism is something the pundits and the spinmasters blather about (talking to themselves mostly)without ever really touching the emotional inner sanctums of the voters out there...their racist hangups trace back to our evolutionary ancestors and have taken so long to take root that it will take more than a few electioin cycles to alter...does that make me a racial fatalist?...well, yeah, in some ways....but in this election I'm especially hoping my Calvinist pre-disposition is wrong

[Juan Carlos]

Thanks for this Esther. It is one thing I noticed about young Latinos, especially in the Chicago area. You had to be for Obama or you were just wrong.Obama is a politician and therefore his work and message must always be scrutinized. I would do the same to an elected official who was Latino.