ANSWERS: 43
  • because blacks want him to be'
  • I blame racism against crackers.
  • Good question. I consider him mixed race rather than black.
  • Because he's not considered white. Anybody that has a visible amount of any ethnicity in them is immediately declared as such. If we had a 1% asian candidate, but he had some asian features, he would end up being the asian candidate. It's a press thing, and everybody is geeking out about the first election where either a "black man" or a woman can become president of the USA.
  • Because he looks black. It doesn't really matter what he is, just what he looks like. Sadly.
  • Does the color of his skin really matter? Hes no different then anyone else. Its whats inside him that is going to make the difference as a predsident.
  • He's got more "black" heritage in him than any other candidate running.
  • By what criteria do you find him to be "half white?"
  • because he looks black. Also he atracts black voters as to them it looks like som1 to stand for them. While the hill bilyies only see the black. he may do a good job in making america a westernised state.
  • Because it suits his purpose. He counts himself as a black man to gain notoriety. Just because ones skin color is dark doesnt back him a black man. He was raised by a white mother and then a white grandmother. His black father deserted him at a very young age. He was brought up in all white traditions. So lets get passed the color of skin and get down to the roots of a heritage
  • Because he doesnt want to claim his white heritage.
  • The same thing that makes McCain white when he is actually a sickly shade of pink.
  • The whole thing is ridiculous. I know for a fact that there will be some people who refuse to vote for him simply because he's "black." There will also be people who vote FOR him simply because he's "black." But such is democracy. Sigh.
  • I'm reposting the answer I put to pretty much the same question: I think this is an interesting question - although it has no bearing on my vote. I'm mulatto (black and white) and very much identify with being mixed. I, personally, would correct someone if they were to call me one or the other. I think it's easier for the media to go by the 'one drop' rule..... as a society we like to be able to clearly label people and well, Obama being mixed just might be too confusing for some. As for how Obama identifies himself, from what I read, I think there was a time when he clearly identified more with his African side, but I would like to believe that now he embraces ALL of himself and enjoys the unique perspective that comes with being mixed.
  • Question of the month!!!! He is bi-racial and should not be pigion-holed in to one race. The blacks want him "just black" and the white people think it's the way to go. He is not all black any more than McCain is all there. I'm voting for Obama, because I just could not stand the thought of that flip-flopper and his "girl friday" one heartbeat away from the most important job in the world. She doesn't know anything about the world problems. It's not a position for on the job training about EVERYTHING.
  • "introducing our new product, its the US presedent now with 50% more chater"
  • Because as he has grown up, people that did not know him, saw him as black. He did not have the privilege of having a sign on him that said "50/50". Therefore, he had to face all of the oppression that comes with being black. He didn't get to only receive half of it.
  • Right or wrong, it's traditional. I think it's a petty tradition, but it still exists.
  • How does it go?....If you hear hoofbeats, you think horses, not zebras. That's unusually fitting in this case.
  • Just another ploy to garner votes by the dems yo...
  • His features make him appear black: skin color and tone, hair, facial features. Plus, the news media really plays it up, because the first black President is a much better news story then just another Democrat winning.....
  • he was playing to the people during the election. forget about the fact that he was raised by a white mother and grandmother with almost no contact to his african american father, who funnily enough wasn't 100% african american himself. it can't be cultural. if that was it, he'd play up the caucasion side. i think it's just what the people want to see. they want to see a "black" man win presidency, and he just looked black enough to give himself an edge. the fact that his whole campaign is about "hope and change" and he himself is way different (physically) than any other candidate made his whole campaign congruent in an almost subconscious way. obama is actually only 12.6% black.
  • Because he is a symbol. For centuries, people of color in America have been oppressed. This oppression was not one based on a person's individual heritage's, whether they were a descendant of Ethiopian slaves, or affluent Indian students, it was determined by the division of white and non-white. Segregation in the south didn't care if you were half white, quarter black, or any combination of other races. Police didn't ask you how black you were when they beat and firehosed peaceful protesters. Mobs didn't check birth certificates before lynching a colored man. One drop of "impurity" was enough. Although the sins of our fathers have faded from the consciousness of many, but the issue has never faded completely. The history of the presidency reflects this. There has never been a president or vice president with any visible "impurities" in their race. The term "black" for Obama is just a convenient one, but it does reflect the perceptions of people when they see him. He is colored, but he will be President, and that is a very big deal.
  • I would say hes the first African-American president :)
  • Because as he has grown up, people that did not know him, saw him as black. He did not have the privilege of having a sign on him that said "50/50". Therefore, he had to face all of the oppression that comes with being black. He didn't get to only receive half of it.
  • Reception is everything. I doubt that most Obama voters even considered his true lineage. BY the same token, many voting against him did.
  • For the same reason that he's a Muslim
  • I find this to be a very good question. It seems to me that he is a man running for the President of The USA. A racial classification should have nothing to do with it. I hope he is prepared for the next four years.
  • Think of it like this, I have half glass of clear water and half glass of black ink, when I mix them together it becomes a full glass of black water no matter what. Although not as extremely black but still strong black water. No offense but just a theory.
  • For the same reason Tiger is a black golfer. Stereotyping and profiling and possibly role-modeling too. Take it for what you will, he's not white and they just say "not white" instead of black/pink/orange/blue/ect.
  • because now in the usa if you have some color your negro.
  • Because Western philosophy is based on a system of binary oppositions, i.e. black/white, male/female, tall/short. This means that society can't recognize shades of variance between the two. Since "black" is still considered by some to be inferior to whiteness, that part of Obama's heritage is more likely to be recognized, even though he's biracial. He also can't pass for white because his skin is darker. But you are correct that people should recognize both sides of his heritage.
  • he's black because his father was black, and his skin is dark. The way he explained it was, when he was asked by a white interviewer: Let's both go try to hail a taxi and we'll see who's black. Or something to that effect.
  • Hes half Arab and white
  • I believe it's due to history. If we remember back on the plantations, if the new-born had and ounce, or, 1% of black within them, they were considered black and were treated as such.
  • I don't know. He is mixed so I dont know why anyone calls him black. I think he should state he is mixed, is he ashamed of his white heritage?
  • I am not an American, but as I understand it, people who have even one black parent are considered black.
  • For the same reason my nephew who is 50/50 says he's black, because most people can't see past his brown skin color, but if he said he was white, he'd either be called a liar or forced to prove it, so he embraces that he's black. Not only that, but until birth certificates, job applications, Etc. make a slot that says 50/50 they have to pick one or the other.
  • I think the media is making it into an issue. He is an American, was a US senator, and it now the President-Elect. I don't know why color is an issue at all.
  • I guess because the black shows more than the white.
  • Because I think that somewhere along the way, HE decided to consider himself Black. Seems OK t'me!
  • same reason as Halle Berry was the first Black woman to receive an Oscar
  • Does he look white to you?

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