Monday, November 2, 2009

Racism

This article claims that the citizens of Atlanta are about to elect a white mayor. The claim is that Atlanta's demographics have changed, and the citizens are about to elect a white mayor.

The contest is posing some delicate questions for a city that has long prided itself on its progressive racial attitudes - the "city too busy to hate."
The funny thing is that the white candidate leads in the polls- even among black voters (who make up 59% of the electorate). Of course, the black politician's supporters had this to say:

[A] memo, written by political science professors William Boone and Keith Jennings, warned that black Atlantans need to act quickly to thwart a Norwood victory and maintain black political control of the top job in the city.

"With the 'Black Mayor First' approach, there is an unstated assumption that having a black mayor in Atlanta is equal to having a black social, economic and political agenda, or at least someone in office who would be sensitive to that agenda if not a full promoter of that agenda," the memo said.

The ad hoc group, called the Black Leadership Forum, suggested that blacks unite around Mrs. Borders, calling her the most electable black candidate.
This is a racist attitude that I find reprehensible. Can you imagine the outrage if a white candidate's supporters circulated a memo espousing a "white Mayor first" approach? Why can't we have a pro-citizen approach? A minimum government approach? Why does American politics equal screwing one group to the benefit of the other?

2 comments:

medic7603 said...

interesting. disturbing but interesting. but if you had been in my "diversity in education" class you would have learned just as i "learned" that in america black people CAN NOT be racist. that was a long argument with the instructor, but i digress. imagine if it was white male mayor first?? too bad you weren't properly indoctrinated before seeing this. would have kept your blood pressure at a government approved level.

medic7603 said...
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