2008 Woodie Awards
Race, religion, and gender shouldn't be considered for presidential candidacy
Counterpoint
Ben Brown-Steiner
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Opinion
Does race, religion, and gender matter in the presidential elections?
Let's take a look at South Carolina's recent Democratic primary. "The choice in this election is not about regions or religions or genders," Obama said Saturday night after the votes were in, "It's not about rich versus poor, young versus old and it's not about black versus white. It's about the past versus the future." While this is what I want to hear from a presidential candidate, it's not necessarily true. In South Carolina, about half of the voting population was black, and around 80% of them voted for Obama. In this case, race absolutely matters.
Take a look at how the election is covered in the media - New York Times: "So Far, Obama Can't Take the Black Vote for Granted," and Time Magazine: "Is Obama Black Enough?" From MSNBC: "Romney gets Mormon Vote in Nevada caucus." And for Hillary, from a blog: "Why Clinton's 'Woman' Card Will Work," and my personal favorite from CNN: "Winfrey could help Obama draw woman voters from Clinton."
One can't help but feel reverberations of sexism or racism in these headlines, but that's not the case. Jeff Alworth, a writer for BlueOregon, says it best, "It's possible to use race to split and segregate, but for most people, the intention is the opposite. The way out of this thicket of history and context is not to ignore race, but to see it for what it is."
If Obama becomes our next president, it will be an important and historical time for our nation. Finally, there will be a black presidential role model to add another notch to the American ideal that anyone can become president. And it's exactly the same if Clinton becomes our next president. This election is important because of race and because of gender, and discrimination is no where to be seen.
While the media covers the election with sweeping statements centering on stereotypes, devoted to demographics, and sometimes simplified to the point of stupidity, this is not done so with evil intentions. This diversity is what makes our country great, and to ignore the influence of these different groups of people removes some of the glory.
Let's take a look at South Carolina's recent Democratic primary. "The choice in this election is not about regions or religions or genders," Obama said Saturday night after the votes were in, "It's not about rich versus poor, young versus old and it's not about black versus white. It's about the past versus the future." While this is what I want to hear from a presidential candidate, it's not necessarily true. In South Carolina, about half of the voting population was black, and around 80% of them voted for Obama. In this case, race absolutely matters.
Take a look at how the election is covered in the media - New York Times: "So Far, Obama Can't Take the Black Vote for Granted," and Time Magazine: "Is Obama Black Enough?" From MSNBC: "Romney gets Mormon Vote in Nevada caucus." And for Hillary, from a blog: "Why Clinton's 'Woman' Card Will Work," and my personal favorite from CNN: "Winfrey could help Obama draw woman voters from Clinton."
One can't help but feel reverberations of sexism or racism in these headlines, but that's not the case. Jeff Alworth, a writer for BlueOregon, says it best, "It's possible to use race to split and segregate, but for most people, the intention is the opposite. The way out of this thicket of history and context is not to ignore race, but to see it for what it is."
If Obama becomes our next president, it will be an important and historical time for our nation. Finally, there will be a black presidential role model to add another notch to the American ideal that anyone can become president. And it's exactly the same if Clinton becomes our next president. This election is important because of race and because of gender, and discrimination is no where to be seen.
While the media covers the election with sweeping statements centering on stereotypes, devoted to demographics, and sometimes simplified to the point of stupidity, this is not done so with evil intentions. This diversity is what makes our country great, and to ignore the influence of these different groups of people removes some of the glory.
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