The following post is swagger jacked from Roland Martin - you can read his version here.
Barack Obama is B-L-A-C-K!
John McCain is O-L-D!
Sarah Palin is a W-O-M-A-N!
Republicans are W-H-I-T-E!
More to the point some people won't vote for Barack Obama because he is black, no matter how many great speeches he gives, no matter how much they like his ideas and no matter how much they agree with his policies.
Some people won't vote for Palin because she is a woman and don't think a woman can handle being President or Vice-President.
Some people won't vote for John McCain just because he is old, regardless of the fact that he has had some great ideas in the last eight years, and is obviously in good enough health to face the rigors of a national campaign.
Whenever T.V. heads and pundits talk about "small town rural A" and "Walmart moms" and "hockey moms" that Sarah Palin and McCain are appealing to, they are talking about WHITE people.
And the Good Ol Party, the Republican Party, is made up almost entirely of white people - to call the GOP diverse is laughable.
So this whole argument and befuddlement about "why Obama can't seem to connect with small town voters" is just another way of saying that white voters have a hard time connecting with a black man running for president.
Clearly black people don't have a problem "connecting" with Obama - he is part of their tribe.
But what everyone is tight-roping around is the fact that gender, race, and age all are going to play a huge role in this election - maybe even greater than personality and issues.
This is an extremely close election - we all know this.
If enough people decide not to vote for McCain/Palin because McCain is old and there is a better than normal chance that Palin - a woman - might become president, then McCain will lose.
If enough people decide not to vote for Obama because they can't connect with a black man, that they refuse to vote outside of their tribe, then Barack Obama will lose.
And during an election where things like "truth" don't seem to matter anymore (especially not to the Republican party) - I would not be surprised to see some good ol fashioned race-baiting before this is done.
Unfortunately, there have been people that have used both "faith and flag" to cover up racism for centuries.
If you had to be old, female, or black in this election - what would you choose?
So you may have heard about the parade of organizations protesting, defaming, even denouncing--yikes!--the recent Ben Stiller cut called Tropic Thunder.
But amongst that number of self-anointed saints, you will not find the NAACP, Rev. Al or Jesse, or anybody who might've been in "Black in America." Tis a pretty amazing feat. Just how could this be? How could you put a man in blackface and NO ONE find it offensive?
Well...they did.
And rather brilliantly, if I may add. The first point is, Downey's portrayal of Kirk Lazarus, a 5 time Academy Award winning actor who has his pigmentation altered in order to play a black sergeant, is not blackface. This ain't Birth of a Nation. Those who have tried to tie Downey's role to the unholy legacy of minstrelsy have failed miserably. The only ones who are mocked in this portrayal are those who lack authenticity. Kirk Lazarus' "realness" is laughable; but you are not laughing at his "blackness", you laugh at his futile attempt.
In the crazy cast of characters, his portrayal reminds me of Carl Weathers in Predator, though I've heard comparisons to Fred Williamson as well. Though Alpa Chino, the only "real" black character in the film, checks Lazarus at different junctures of the film, (At one point, Stiller's character says, "What's wrong with you people?" To which Lazarus responds, "What do you mean you people?" Chino quickly quips, "What do YOU mean by you people?") you leave the film tickled by Downey's portrayal of Lazarus' portrayal of a black man. (Or in his words, "I'm the dude, playing the dude, who's playing the dude.)
I appreciate it Hollywood. Thanks for skipping on the shuck and jive.
Few people in our generation can compare to Christopher Devon Burton.
The amount of awards and recognition he has racked up thus far in staggering.
Funny thing is - he barely seems to notice.
A lover of both his God and his Country, Chris Burton has devoted his entire life to helping people.
If you want to do something for Chris Burton on his birthday - go to the hood nearest you, find a kid who has it a little worse off than you did, and mentor him or her.
Don't just give your money to a cause. Don't just volunteer at a food bank.
Find one person, one family, one community - and start building relationships.
Sometimes we have to stop helping, and start saving lives.
This is what Chris Burton does on a regular basis. This is why we salute him. This is why we are proud that he writes for Art Star.
Chris we wish you well in Seminary and look forward to hearing about that truth you find on those mountaintops.
We will be right hear listenin'
Happy Birthday!!
Love,
Art Star
Check Out The Best Of Chris Burton:
Keith Olbermann Went In!
Swag Science 101
A Letter Of Apology To The Boston Celtics
Dis Blog Shall Continue Even Bloggers Have Stopped Blogging
Yes We CAN Style On You
Magic Tricks With Pencils Are No Laughing Matter
