The Sorry State of Black Racism

With the looming backdrop of the 2012 Presidential elections, framed by national unemployment figures of 9.2%, (40.7% for Black youth 16-19yrs, vs 24.2% national basis)[1], many eligible Black voters may be thinking of voting for Barack Obama on the basis of his skin color.  Unfortunately this is totally not the right approach to a Presidential election, and while there would be a 50% chance of being the correct decision, and circumvents the adequacy of detailed research, the fact remains that this does not qualify as the dreaded phenomena of Black Racism.

Modeling Components of Racism and Racial Bias Intensity

No minority can advocate voting on the basis of color….. the reasons are pretty clear, since the same basis should hold for the majority, and then where would we be?  The minority vote does not get one to the party, it just gets one through the door. Not one to pop the bubble of fervency and radical enthusiasm, the fact remains that without showing some prejudice, discrimination, or xenophobia in the proceedings, a vote for POTUS does not qualify as fundamental Black racism.
As disappointing as it may seem, voting from the minority perspective is very different from the majority view. A similar problem is more easily resolved in valuations of companies based on future ownership versus being a penny ante shareholder. The minority vote is tinged with colors of hopeful opportunity, relief, pride, and psychological self-projection. When the candidate is also a bona fide smart, charismatic, educated individual there is also the benchmark element, in that Dubya has set the standard for the modern Presidential nadir. The point is that where the minority candidate has strong competitive qualities, the case for racism becomes more coincidental than causative.

The larger challenge however, given that Black votes may already be lining up to be counted, lies in taking the opportunity to get below the numbers and the trends. To follow the timeline of the government expenditure and exercise the hard fought right of voting based on a balanced conviction that POTUS is doing the job of protecting the USA both on the economic and terrorist fronts, in the short as well as the long term. This challenge includes motivating, and encouraging young children to take an interest in the logic of the selection process of government, and further nurturing this interest in a manner that promotes merit over color.

 

 

 

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[1]http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/06/teen_unemployment_remains_high.html