The day after the election, I was waiting for my meal to be cooked at the Marketplace when one of the chefs struck up a political conversation with me. He said that people shouldn't be excited because a black president has been elected; they should be excited because a Democrat is being put in office. I wondered why this guy was lecturing me, but later, I realized he was completely right.
Race shouldn't have had anything to do with peoples' reason for voting. Having the first black president is a tremendous thing in a country with a racial history such as ours, but it was accomplished in all the wrong ways. Why was there such a significant increase in black voters? One might logically assume it was to support a black candidate. But that means that there were voters who wouldn't have gone to the polls if there were two white candidates. Someone who is only inspired to vote by that fact that a black candidate is running shows a preference for one race over another. To me, that's a form of racism.
Am I being too harsh? What would you think if I told you that I, being a white person, am going to vote against President-elect Barack Obama in 2012 because I would like to see another white president in office? And if there are two black candidates, I probably just won't vote if there isn't one of my own to support. You'd call me a racist, right? This is why I am sick of hearing about what a historical election this was. If you think our country has broken down a racial barrier, you may be right, but the racial divide in America is alive and strong.
Tommy Saunders
Trinity '12
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