The Caucasian Card

How "Brave" of Anna to write about this. Whatever. It is very easy for white people in America to pat themselves on the back about how "conscious" they are about how certain issues affect Black Americans. I don't buy it and I don't pat her on the back for being so "brave" as to say something she knows is going to get her excessive kudos from the liberal brotherhood. To boot, she's heaping praise on what many deem the "safest" candidate to support if you're white in America. I wonder what number on the list of "Stuff White People Like" is "supporting Barack Obama." Come with something new please Ms. Quindalen because this article is tired and trite, but I'm sure the very act of writing made you sleep better at night.

Signed,
An unimpressed Black woman

Thank you Anna for your courage to tell the truth from the white side. America is still racist and exclusive. Maybe not as much as yesteryear, maybe not as much everywhere. but the (internal protectionism) I made up that phrase, of white americans, socially and especially economically still very much exists. Look at the makeup of many labor unions and you still see uncle Bill, nephew Tommy, and Cousin goofy making great wages. Meritocracy my butt, most humans can learn anything with enough patient training and time, but if you aren't directed to an open door, things won''t happen. Once again great article. Those who don't get it can't because you "can't graft a new idea on a closed mind."

I'm half hispanic and I have always filled in other as that is the truth. As a life long democrat, I really want to vote for Obama, but can't and won't vote for someone because of his color. I need substance and so far, Obama hasn't shown any. I have to vote my concious and for the best man. I hope everyone votes for the best man in November and not the one Newsweek says they should vote for.

George Gapsis....what is wrong with your keyboard????? Is the question mark stuck ???? I was so distracted by that , I hardly read what you wrote !!! I think you need to re-read the article.....

Anna Quindlen???s ???The Caucasian Card??? was painful to read. When she, even in an opinion essay, so flagrantly misrepresents the facts pertaining to this issue, she loses all credibility and hurts both back and white people. Problems are never resolved by pretending they don???t exist. And dishonesty used to further one???s agenda is both unprofessional and unethical. Where is Newsweek???s editor? Even as fiction, which it is, that piece is ugly. And it tarnishes Newsweek???s reputation too.

you know what my grandparents were the first generation over in the USA so dont blame us for everything that goes wrong like not getting hired becasue you are too smart. Try not getting hirede becasue you are ugle or fat, or white yes I said it. People dont get hired for lots of reasons. Stop blaming skin color on it. If Obama doesnt get elected it will not be becasue of the "race card" the media like to keep burning it is becasue he a far left radical.

The problem with black people is (poop me).

Some get offended when we see Caucasians trying to analyze our feelings, and commentating about our lives. Rarely, are we asked. So, typically, we may skim an article such as this and go bananas when we see words - He is a Black Man- and make a judgment call and respond without reading the whole article as the people below me. Clearly, they did not read this article. I am sure because I didn't either at first. But, I did read it, and I have to say, you did good. You are almost on the Money. You covered almost every thing like you really understand.

You are very on target about what we understand, and what is clear to us. We have understood subtle racism since before many knew we could read, write, and spell too. But ??? some black Americans are not striving to speak like our oppressors anymore. And frankly don't really care to impress you, because when we show our excellence, you are offended by it and want to destroy us, like they are trying to do Senator Obama. On a news show, an angry McCain supporter made the comment about Senator Obama; ???Look at him, look how he acts, how he walks and how he talks, he thinks he is .... Ron Reagan's son, gasped and asked, ???What? How do you know what he is thinking? What, are you in his head that you know what he is thinking???? When we don't show our excellence, you act as if you think we are stupid, and when we do, you fear and hate us and call us elitist.

We don't get hired when we come across as being 'too smart??? And we are treated like we are idiots when we dumb down who we are. But so many people dumb down for the job. Why should they have to play the A$$ to get a job?

Overall you did a good job. But you missed the subtle, inflammatory racism Senator McCain intended in that commercial. It was he who was playing the Race card, in an inflammatory, very subtle manner. He was tying Obama 'the Man" as a Pimp - with two White women, as the prize. This is inflammatory because historically, black men have been lynched for being with white women. So this ad appeals to older white men, and it would make them angry. - He wanted to imply that dumb white girls are supporting Obama and they need to be protected. So with that visual, it???s a set up for a lynch mob.

Hillary started the psycho suggestive implant tactic, when she said her remark about something happening to Barack. She too was implanting signals to people who are receptive to those types of subtle suggestions, whereby she would be using mind control tactics on some unknowing victim to do her bidding. Now you can call it conspiracy thinking if you want to, but we call it experience. Over all, you really did a great job. Thanks! ??? of course, when I said ???you??? You understood what I meant.

:)
Moiko

After learning more about the Born Alive Infants Protection Act and learning that Sen. Obama opposed providing care for infants that survive abortion, I can not consider voting for him for POTUS. I am now giving my full support to the McCain campaign. My full statement is posted under Decoding Neck-and-Neck here on Newsweek.

Thank you. The McCain campaign trots out his imprisonment for every purpose, no matter how unrelated. Can't remember how many houses he has? -- he lived for 5 years in the Hanoi Hilton. Wrong on the war? -- he's a great patriot & spent 5 years in the Hanoi Hilton. And so on. No one has received more affirmative action perks than McCain: rotten student, gets into Annapolis anyway because Dad & Grandpaw are admirals; rotten student at Annapolis -- gets a commission anyway & gets good assignments. abandons his wife -- new one's dad buys him a political career. The absurdity, hypocrisy & audaciousness of his charges that Obama is a vapid elitist just like Paris Hilton make me sick, especially since McCain married someone just like Paris Hilton (if a somewhat sleazier version). McCain's sense of entitlement goes against every American value I ever learned. I'm with Harry Reid: I can't stand John McCain.

As a Black woman who does not support Obama for president, I found your editorial to be very insightful. You put the thoughts I had into words when I heard that his opponents' camp was accusing him of using the race card. Aside for believing the accusation was ridiculous, I thought about the fact that Obama has been very hesitant to speak about his race and has only done so as a response. Thank you so much for your insightful words. It is refreshing to see that people like you are willing and able to see things from another perspective, maybe outside your own personal experience.

I found the commentary insulting and demeaning as a white man. Basically what you are saying is that if I am white and not a Progressive I am a racist. What you are doing is called prejudice, or prejudging me based on what you believe I am like.
Well for your information one of my favorite politician from my state of Virginia, is a black democrat. I do not agree with him on all points, but I have found him to do what he says he will and mean what he says. Actually considering how the Virginia state Democratic Party treated him in the past, I find it surprising that he has stayed in the party.
Let look at what Obama did. He in a code terms, in a speech basically said that those who were against him were going to use the color of his skin, to scare people. Can you or he show me where McCain has done that? Can you show me a major media personality, that is against Obama, that has done that? I have not heard of it. What i have heard mostly is the mantra that I should vote for Obama, because he is black and if I do not vote for him I am a racist.
My problem with Obama, is not the color of his skin. I could careless if he was purple and had 6 eyes. I have a problem with his policies, which are socialist in nature at the least and bordering on true communism in some cases. I also have a problem with his lack of experience.
Most of the racism I find in this country today comes from the Progressives. In todays society if I hear a person commenting on another's race, they are most likely a Progressive or over 60 years of age. For most of the non-Progressives I know race is not an issues. What is a issue is a persons characters and beliefs. There was a famous person who suggested that we should judge a person on those factors, who was that, oh yes it was Dr. King.

This is a brilliant and insightful article. People of color do inhabit multiple worlds. It is like being multi-lingual. I came from an extremely accomplished family that has been professional or at the very least highly educated for at least a century. My grandfather went to the University of Indiana to medical school in the early 20th century - admitted because he received the top grade on the admission examination in the state. He became a financially successful physician who could not stay in hotels and had to sit in the balcolny at the movies. His descendants vacation on Martha's Vineyard, hob nob with top executives, but still to a certain degree, live in two worlds. When I hear people describe Obama as exotic I hear in that code word and others that he is not a true American and I am appalled. But, the fact that so many millions of voters of all ethnicities voted for him is an affirmation of our collective humanity and that maybe racism in America will be a distant memory for my grandchildren.

You conveniently forget to mention that Obama used the "race card" to take all his negatives (e.g. lack of experience) off the table. Recently, he generously says that he will never question the patriotism of a man who underwent torture for his country. How magnanimous!