How do you respond to ppl who make the statement that if Obama wins 'it will be hell for white people?'?

If Obama wins and does a lousy job it will be hard for everybody but it seems a large portion of America is willing to give him a chance.

I can’t believe people think like this. Obama is half white fer crissakes, but even if he was fully black it’s just the MOST ridiculous question. I’m not sure it even warrants an answer. Sarcasm is always fun though: “It’ll be hell for white people like his own mother, will it…?”

I have never heard anyone say such a thing. I guess the only comeback I can think of is something along the lines of “Not as bad as the hell Bush/Cheney created for all people.”

Break the wrist and walk away.

I am sorry for you that you have to be around people with that kind of ignorant and limited attitude.

I might take the high road, “You are absolutely and completely wrong about that, and I will be very happy when you get to see that you were wrong during the next four years.”

Or I might challenge them. “Hell? In what way? Why on Earth would you think such a thing?”

When Jessie Jackson ran fro president I sort of had that feeling. I felt like he was oppressed and ready for revenge. I am proud to support Obama partly because he does not see himself as a victim. His very presence exudes leadership and rising above our past to embrace a better future. I don’t know if there is any other response to the ignorance and fear you are witnessing besides taking the high road and following Obama and Biden’s example of not judging their motives, just their judgement. I am really proud of how Obama has managed to keep the high road in the face of such below the belt tactics by his opponent. We should all watch and be inspired to do the same.

You could say “Well I’d stock up on the KY jelly because were all screwed if McCain wins”.

Your question raises a couple of issues:
Racism exists, but it too has degrees.
There are those racists who believe non-whites are generally inferior and, therefore, do not have the capacity to lead.
At the other end of racism, there are those whose extreme hate for non-whites is so intense that they believe that their are non-whites who feel the same, but opposite way they do; their fear is that Obama will “empower” their non-white counter-parts to wreak havoc upon the whites.

I believe the greater danger re: racism is the subtle racism raised by the inflammatory voice of Sarah Palin and the republican side of the population.

@ivgr – Well said ivgr. Great answer.

I hear that stuff all the time… I have neighbors that say he’s the anti-christ, hahaha. Oh, well, in that case…

I mean SERIOUSLY.

I know, I can’t stand listening to them anymore. Thanks to everyone for their help, so far. I just want to smack ppl.

Anyone that racist is already making the world hard for themselves.

Nothing Obama does will work for them.

First off, arm yourself with the facts. Then next time you hear this, say, “oh really? In what way?” Then confront their ignorance with the facts, preferably in front of other people who support Obama so they come off looking like ignorant, racist jackasses. Even if they say this to you when no one else is around, when you are with others who think the way you do, and you see that person walking by, call them over and say, “you said earlier that you think that if Obama wins the election, it will be hell for the white people, and I just got to thinking about it, and I was wondering if you’d mind telling me why you think that?”

This probably won’t change their small minds (not enough room in there to change), but a) it will make YOU feel better, b) it will expose them as morons, and c) it will make them reluctant to say anything more to YOUR face because they know you’ll make them look foolish.

And chin up, only 20 more days…you’ve undoubtedly seen these people gloat about their ignorance for 8 years, what’s 20 more days? Then YOU get to gloat.

@deaddolly: If you do engage in the smacking of people, make sure they are McCain supporters.

I respond with “It will be hell for my family with all of his tax hikes in our braket.”

You could say, “Yeah, I heard they’re already making plans to move all the whiteys to Illinois. They’ve been buying razor wire in bulk and are working on an encampment as we speak. If I was you, I’d leave the country now and never come back…maybe try South Africa.”

Yes, smacks to McCain supporters only!

I shouldn’t even watch The View anymore…Hasselbeck needs to be flogged…

Even if I vote early, it won’t stop these idiots from talking. I’m constantly amazed at ppl who have no clue what the issues are and where the candidates stand on those issues.

MY BIGGEST PET PEEVE: stupid people

Wow Eambos, you must be rich!

@soapchef – you and i really do think alike. I was just going to type that.

Eambos;
Were you being sarcastic since it’s her boss?

I wouldn’t.

Everyone is allowed to believe whatever stupid crap they want.

Just keep it off of me.

How about:

I’m sure that ignorance is bliss for you, but please try to think about how it affects those around you, especially in a public place.

It’s a self answering question. I hope it will be hell for the remaining bigots in this country.

@bri, fist bump and lurve for you!
I just don’t know when folks are going to get it. In general, the Republican party does not care about you and me. This Joe sixpack bs that Palin spouts off about is actually an insult to the working class. I can totally understand being a Republican if you are the CEO of a company and your tax bracket is such that you want to protect the status quo, but for the average American earning UP To $250K, what are they thinking? The GOP looks at you as a worker bee who should feel lucky to have your miserable little life, your mind numbing job and according to Sarah, your reward to look forward to is your six pack at the end of the day. They are the only ones that deserve to have a real life and by GEORGE, they are gonna make sure it stays that way!

“Nice racism, whitey.”

lol…my boss is very, very well to do and high maintainence.
I have to beg her to give our employees a 10 cent raise. I should be paid more…she’d be lost if I left. I’ve often given employees $20 here and there for their good work. Don’t get me started…
My sister and her husband, on the other hand, are working people and they feel the same way as my boss. I just don’t get it.
I think people just don’t want to know or change anything.

I personally haven’t heard anything that overtly racist. I think my eyes would bug out and my jaw would drop at such an ignorant, offensive remark. That would probably clearly establish my own feelings on the matter. If it was someone I knew, I’d have to let them know that I would now have to reassess my opinion of their decency and intelligence. That comment has nothing to do with politics and everything to do bigotry.

My tendency would be to say that whoever gets in is screwed because of the giant fucking mess that they’ll be inheriting.

This all makes my decision to move out of this area much easier.

At least WI is a blue state!

Milwaukee is one of theeeeeee most segregated cities in the US.
We have different areas for every race, creed and color.

@dolly;
how sad!

@Judi Yes, it is. I was amazed when I went to Detroit, how non-segregated it was. It felt strange to me, not knowing if I was in a good neighborhood or a bad one, because the people were all blended. That was even sadder, when I realized what I was thinking.

I feel you Dolly, I’m from Memphis.

A lot of people ‘round here seem to think Obama is seriously some kind of Secret Agent Muslim Terrorist. Cause they saw it on the internets… or Fox News…

I’m shocked at the ignorant garbage I hear on a daily basis.

“No ma’am, he’s not an Arab, he’s a decent family man.” Aren’t they listening?
Never mind of course, that he had done everything up to that point to whip em up into a hate filled frenzy.

Bakersfield is very conservative, but I don’t see that kind of overt racism, unless you add “wardrobeism” too. Saggy pants and bling is more acceptable among white “gangstas” than it is among black “gangstas” here. I think people assume that the white ones are just “wanna be’s”

Re taxes: It’s all about whether you pay as you go or you spend now and pay later. Of course that is what we have done for most of the last generation. People have feared the tax and spend Democrats so we have had the don’t tax but still spend like a fleet of drunken sailors Republicans.

Now we are going to have to pay the debt for Star Wars anti-missile fantasies, supplying arms for every tin pot dictator who kissed our massive ass, picking fights with every nation that wouldn’t pucker up, and finally embarking on an ill fated war just to fulfill a lot of 60’s draft dodgers’ wet dreams.

We allowed, no we encouraged those activities and now we are going to have to pay the bill plus interest. Where is the money going to come from? It’s obvious we have little if any credit, so that means increased taxes. Personally I believe in taxes on those who have been undertaxed. I think millionaires should pay the same 25% of their gross income that I do. I think capital gains, money that comes from things you buy, should be taxed at a higher rate than every $ you labor for. I think if you inherit $1 million you should kick a little of that back to your country. I think that there should be no cap on social security taxes, if you earn $250,000 you should pay SS taxes on all of it.

And as for the rest of us, because the majority of us fell for the BS, we all will have to cut back. We will have to give up the SUV, the 3500 sf house for the family of 4. We will have to give up weddings that rival those of royalty. We will have to realize that we don’t have a constutional right to shop til we drop. We will have to pay now for what we have allowed to be overcharged for, blown up and otherwise allowed to be wasted-tough luck for the minority who didn’t vote for the wastrels because we will pay too.

Segregation in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area is more subtle, and more structural. There are certain neighborhoods that are higher in crime, which are also higher in black population and higher in poor population…I suppose that exists everywhere. But one thing you’ll find is that these neighborhoods, particularly in Minneapolis, are kind of cordoned off in a subtle way…like if you’re trying to get to the highway, the poorer the neighborhood, the harder it is to find the on ramp. But then again, when I think about it, maybe that’s looking at the cause and effect backwards…perhaps if they put an exit ramp into those communities someone might build gas stations and convenience stores and bring some money into the neighborhood.

We’ve also got a couple areas of town that are almost completely Mexican…but white people by and large don’t feel unsafe visiting these areas, they have some of the best restaurants. I think minorities will always be more economically disadvantaged, and therefore those who are left behind will congregate in certain neighborhoods. But I don’t think of that as segregation per se.

OH! OH! How about this?

“Not all white people, just the racists and the bigots.”

I had a man come into my home (to give an estimate on new windows) and spout off some of this nonsense! I had already signed the contract, and handed him a check for the down payment when we started talking about my husband being a John Wayne fan. He said “I guess he’ll be voting for McCain then, because he’s an honorable man.” This was before I had changed his mind… I light-heartedly said, ” Yes, and I’m voting for Obama. As you can imagine, it gets pretty interesting around here.” He then proceeded to tell me, in no uncertain terms that I had better rethink my vote. According to this man Obama is an evil, muslim, terrorist and a black racist who hates his half white background and will take it out on the whites. It was all I could do to keep my jaw off the floor and usher him to the door. I wish I’d had the guts to take back my contract and check and tear them up, but honestly, he scared the shit out of me!

@august;
Is he still coming into your house?!!

Years ago I didn’t hire a guy to resurface the parking lot of a 128 unit apartment building because he had a bumper sticker that said “Impeach Clinton and her Husband Too.” I always say the best pastors and history teachers never let you know their political persuasion, I really should add sales people too.

If you want to see how a city should deal with diversity, visit San Francisco. We are only 7mi X 7 mi so there are no real ethnic “ghettos”. There are “economic” areas but in most of the city you can walk 6 blocks and see every homes of every different ethnic group as well as very poor, middle class and very expensive condos. Also we have been very successful with mixed housing. While most new apartment buildings are very expensive, they are required to set aside middle and low income units.

There are lots of other reasons to visit San Francisco including our idiots are not racists.

@galileogirl – I lived in Alameda for 3 years. San Francisco is my favorite place in the world. I loved it.

Was just there, (San Fran) a few months ago…I agree WIDE open city. I couldn’t believe your min wage was already over $9/hr! And gotta love Mayor Newsome…he became my hero when he just up and said, OK, that’s it, gays can get married here in San Francisco (until they shut him down).

dale, how was the weather? From mid July to early Sept we were very foggy. Then we had a week in the 80’s (whew hot!!!) but since then in the 70’s.

@Judi: While walking him to the door I ascertained that he would not be present when the windows were installed. If he’d said he was going to be there, I’d have either called and cancelled, or had my husband be home at the time of installation.

gg, remember the weekend of the Chinese New Year Parade? That’s when we were there. For the MOST part it was beautiful, especially compared to Minnesota, about 55 degrees or so, but I go the feeling that most of the locals thought the world was ending. Out on the Wharf all the shops had space heaters running, that really cracked me up! The only bad weather was the day of the parade itself…we were going to watch it, then we got some of the worst rain and wind I’ve ever seen. It completely destroyed our umbrella and we ended up taking refuge in the Old Navy for a while, then catching a shuttle back to the hotel, so we missed the big parade! :{

It ALWAYS rains on the parade, that’s why we watch it on TV and let the tourists get wet! And at 50* we make snowmen out of shaved ice.

This was like a frickin’ Tsunami though. I seriously thought I was going to have to grab my son by the ankles to keep him from flying away.

Malakai, I’m from Memphis too! (I don’t live there anymore) but I saw a close family friend recently, and she pulled that same shit on me!

She though Obama was (and I quote) a “plant” as in planted, by Muslims, oooh, scary Muslims! They’re all terroists! and they’re trying to take over the world! Just like the Jews!

Her evidence? Obama isn’t participating in the campaign finance system! He doesn’t have to report where his donation come from! They must all be coming from muslims!!, well, okay, and some black people, but mainly muslims!

It was completely ridiculous. I think living in a place like that changes you. I really do. She moved to Chattanooga for a little while, but she complained that she couldn’t figure out where the “good” neighborhoods were. Everything was all “mixed together”. You have these “nice houses” next to “shabby ones” unlike Memphis, apparently.

Yea you don’t have to sell crazy around here… we’re all stocked up.

@ la Chica;
How sad for your friend. It must be a miserable existence to be so irrationally afraid of someone just because of his race. Also to be afraid of a whole group of people just because of their religion. I’m sure Jesus and Mohamed are both disappointed in how fundamentalist extremism that has infiltrated their followers.

Of course the response to the campaign financing issue is that if a candidate the govt system you have to limit the amount of the donations. You can’t hide them. I was amazed that my donation was posted in the internet along with my address and employer. So it’s just ignorant to say a candidate can hide his contributers. Whoever is getting the most contributions is going to turn down the campaign financing contributios.

What might be fun is to go to the donors list site and put in your friend’s city’s zip codes. Tell her if she can find the neighborhood with the least Obama contributions that might be “best” for her. Of course it will probably be the economically worst area because there are Obama supporters everywhere but the poorest neighborhoods will have smaller amounts.

Given the fact that his mother was white, I would have to say that I don’t consider him not white. I consider him an American.

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone just saw others as people and not as one color or another?

Like Stephan Colbert

Deaddolly, I believe answer to your question would be, “If you follow the Golden Rule, I doubt you have much to worry about.”

Alf (Love that shortening.): The golden rule gets me in a lot of trouble.
Kind of assumes that people want to be treated the same way that you do.

Nimis, that’s why buddhism advocates one treat others how they want to be treated. :)

I wouldn’t even bother. What can you tell a racist loser?

News Flash…He won. And he’s making it hell for EVERONE.

@ItsAHabit , what have you personally lost since Obama took office?

@IchteosaurusRex – you mean besides his/her mind?

Virtually everyone will soon be paying much higher taxes and having less left to spend, any children and grandchildren will have have much less freedom and opportunity, and I’ve lost my faith in the future.

@ItsAHabit How do you figure virtually everyone will be paying much higher taxes? Assuming you’re basing that on the Health Care bill, presumably the actual cost of health care will go down. Higher taxes will be more than offset by lower health care costs.

I really hope you’re right. I don’t know of any government program that has not cost considerably more than promised.

@ItsAHabit Well, you said “He’s making it hell for everyone.” @IchtheosaurusRex replied “what have you personally lost since Obama took office?”. You came back with a prediction, which may prove true… or may not. How is that “making it hell for everyone.”? Why not reserve judgment until the truth is known?

That’s a good point. But I think there’s every reason to believe that pessimism is in order.

I’m basing my assessment on history. Politicians make promises that their programs won’t cost more than they say but they are always wrong. What is it about this program that will make it uniquely different from all the others?

Even the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports that, according to its analyses, it will cost much more than commonly projected. When the CBO says it will cost more, you can confidently assume that the bill will not save money as promised but will skyrocket in costs. And that will exacerbate our national debt and its carrying costs even more. And that increases the future burden on children and grandchildren even more.

This might be the exception to the rule. I certainly hope it is.

The president has already stated that his energy program would dramatically increase the cost of power over what it would otherwise be. So we know that this will be a budget-buster for sure.

In this case, I hope it doesn’t raise energy costs as much as he says.

None of this seems to bode well for the future. I DO hope I’m wrong.

I think that Obama is like most black and mixed race people. They are concerned about their family, jobs, and want a government that gives everybody a fair chance at success. My daughter lives in Columbia Maryland, famous for being a roosting place for Yuppies. I tried to think about difference between my daughter’s (white) family and those of their neighbors. I can’t think of anything. I personally don’t care much for the Yuppie culture but can say, from personal experience, that racial lines blur so much in the upper middle class that they seem to disappear.

I would say, “Everyone who believes this, please raise your hand…”

“OK now, please keep your hand up if you voted for George W Bush twice…”

“Thank you. Now raise your hand if your IQ is below 85….”

“Wait, wait…..you, you, you and you…..don’t lower your hands…”

I once worked with a woman who was bright and pretty fun. After meeting her husband, who also seemed great, I wondered if these people might be really good for my wife and I to socialize with outside of work.

One day, she very sincerely told me that if you look really closely with the right light and camera-angle, you could detect the very small beginnings of horns protruding from the president’s forehead.

So there went THAT potential friendship…