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remember the term ‘reverse racism’? you probably don’t even have to ‘remember’ it because its still used today. it was a response to affirmative action. it was the first thought when the ‘rooney rule‘ was instituted in the nfl. in this day and age, the idea is still there, but as we all know, people have refined their true feelings by using indirect patronization.

so, in this 2.0 day and age, where are we? honestly, the masses have just gotten better at saying it without actually ’saying it’. i was reading this article on msnbc.com about how obama needs to revel in the hollywood love affair that is him and the media. while i don’t argue that it will come crashing down as people stop laughing about his chances as a viable candidate, the part of the article that made my eyebrows jump was the reason why the love affair exists in the first place: his race.

according to the author, obama ‘needs to be treated just like all the other candidates’ and the only reason he isn’t is because he is black.

he smiled with his wife on oprah. he was on the cover of ebony. he can do no wrong. but, wait…BECAUSE he is black, that is why people like him now? oohh, look at the darky running for president. he’s so interesting. let’s touch his hair and see if his skin comes off when i touch it.

see my point?

i’ve heard the arguments of why i’ve been hired at my job. i’ve heard the conversations about why the NAACP shouldn’t exist. i’ve heard why kwanzaa isn’t a big deal, why black history month is watered down, and why jack and jill isn’t important.

the facts still remain:

1.) all of these programs, organizations, and groups exist BECAUSE the first thing that pops into someone’s brain when they see me (or him) is: black.

2.) you are not black and do not know what that is. your history in the united states is that of privilege no matter what creed you claim. whether you claim it or not, that privilege exists and you benefit from it by default. it’s like being the son of michael jordan. yeah, he didn’t ask for it, but the assumption is still there.

3.) the only way to progress is to put it out there. instead of dancing around ‘how should we tear obama down without coming off as racist’ or ‘we have never had to scrutinize a black candidate before’, lets put it out there. if we don’t, you’ll get more Senator Biden comments of being ‘articulate’.

4.) being black may not be new, but it still is an issue. period. let’s all take a chapter from dave chappelle and ask the question you want to ask so we can all laugh, cry, and discuss how pathetic it is that people still see it that way. ask michael richards. he STILL wants to talk about it.