Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Yeah, well, okay

I get what you're saying. I still don't like the way he skirted the idea that America really, really sucks for what it's done to black folk; especially when the next sentence out of his mouth expresses regret and sadness for Native Americans. To me, that sounded like he was saying that NA are really deserving of our collective compassion, but African Americans are subject to all manner of evil without even having to be sorry about it. But I think it's a good point that NA are totally pushed aside and forgotten, perhaps because a "reparations" gesture was extended.
Ultimately, the real issues seem tied to poverty as much as they are to race. Well, almost as much. That's why Obama's vision about what the country is and what it can be are so inviting. We've pretended that hard work and merit alone make "the dream" happen; perhaps we can take another step in getting real about who we are and what we're about.

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