Racism works both ways.

One of my colleagues told me about a Howard Stern segment about the lack of knowledge Obama’s supporters had when they voted for  him.  She referenced this interview and mentioned that when the black people voted for Obama, they didn’t even know what his policies were; they just voted for him because he is black.  This was met with disgust by another teacher who voted for McCain. [Full disclosure: I am an Obama supporter, and I happily cast my vote for him.]  They asked me who I had voted for, and I told them.  But I felt the need to defend my decision because I didn’t want to be an ignorant voter; I wanted them to know that I DO know many of the policies and stances of both candidates.  However, I’ve had some time to think about this…

The teachers were appalled that black people would vote for a man because he is black.  To one, the idea of voting for someone based  purely on race is laughable, completely ridiculous.  What struck me, after I had listened to Howard Stern, is that the teacher did not mention that McCain’s supporters are just as ignorant.  They interviewed one black man who supported McCain, but did not know any of his policies or who his vice presidential candidate was.  I feel that the point Howard Stern was trying to make was very different than the one my colleague was trying to make.  Howard Stern was saying that there are many ignorant voters out there; people are unqualified to make decisions because they are not informed.  My colleague was saying that Obama’s supporters voted purely on race.

I do believe, without a doubt, that many black people did vote for Obama because he is black.  Is that the only reason why they should have voted for him? No, of course not.  However, there are just as many people who voted for McCain because they could not vote for a black man, or an “Arab”, or a “Muslim”.  Are these valid reasons not to vote for a person?  No, again.  Are these cases of racism? Of course they are; by determining that one race is superior or inferior to another, it is racism.

Unfortunately, we’ve all seen racism play out publicly with McCain’s supporters, who are ignorant of the facts, and chose to remain ignorant.  We have also seen the McCain people/ Republicans try to diminish accomplishments of Obama by also claiming racism with the voters.  But the reality is: black people have not always been racist against white people.  Black people have voted for many white presidents because the white males are the only ones, until this year, who have been able to make it past the primaries.  I think that there is a sense of pride that exists within a race/ group of people.  For a group of people who has been ostracized for years, it is quite an accomplishment to overcome odds, to perform better than expected or thought of possible; it is a huge reason to be proud.

Many people claim that the margin of victory for Obama is very small.  I have heard from several people that he only won because the black voters came out.  I actually heard this from a FOX commentator on election night, after the winner was declared.  When people say these things, I feel that they have refused to acknowledge all the other voters in our country.  We are not a country of black and white people.  There are so many races and mixed races, and it’s ridiculous to even try to make things so black and white, literally. Why haven’t people given the percentage of Asians, Latino/ Hispanics, and Whites who voted for Obama or McCain? According to one poll, 81% of Indian Americans support Obama; many polls showed that Asian Americans in general were more supportive of Obama than McCain; as well, Latino/ Hispanic voters were 2 to 1 for Obama.  Obama may have received many votes from African Americans, but he also received many votes from OTHER Americans.  For that reason, he will be the President of the United States.

What truly bothers me about this exchange with my colleague is the implied message in her comments.  It bothers me to no end that there are teachers and educators who view the world through very narrow lenses.  I worry about the impressions that are left on the children that they teach.