Play the Race Card at Your Own Risk

Please pay attention to what your president-elect is doing, black people (and people of all colors who voted for him.) Now is not the time to wipe your brow and go *phew.* Just because he's black doesn't mean that you can go back to being political couch potatoes; just because he's black doesn't mean you ought to agree with all his policies, nor expect that he's always working with our best interests in mind. It does not mean we can kick back and relax, or that we are now considered full and worthy citizens in this country. And it especially does not mean you need to get your ass on your shoulders when a white person criticizes him. Dr. Cornel West, one of the most righteous brothers on the face of the earth, expressed this sentiment quite succinctly: he is both one of Obama's biggest supporters and his one of his biggest critics. All of us who cast our votes for him would be very wise to take a similar tact.

This is a perfect case of be careful what you wish for. We've got ourselves a black president. The historical significance of this can never be diluted or disputed. But I exhort you to keep this in mind: we have ourselves a president (who's black.) He was elected President of the United States of America, not President of the United States of Black People. He's not going to decide on signing this policy or enacting that law like, "Hmmmm, will black people like this?" Forget about it. PAY ATTENTION, but pay attention with a critical mind. He will get raked over the coals by people who want to see him fail because he's black. There's a whole bunch of folks lining up to say I told you so. You cannot allow this to cloud your judgment. Watch out for them. Call them on their shit because it's foul. But if you get mad and play the race card just because a non-black criticizes him (like Al Sharpton does every time someone sneezes in a black person's direction) you will be doing so at your own risk. You are risking being reactionary, risking acting like the victim, risking missing the opportunity to critique what might really be going on. Ask yourself, why is Whitey jumping all up in Barack's face? Then ask yourself, why is Whitey jumping all up in Barack's face? Maybe he's doing dirt. Because he will, you know. Some think he already is. For instance, he's electing people to his Cabinet, like Bush's defense secretary Robert Gates, who have a history of supporting the wars in Iraq and Afganistan, when part of his campaign hype was promising to end these horrendous, unjust wars. Was he talking out of his neck to get elected? Maybe, maybe not. These are the type of issues that require further investigation. While Barack's Cabinet candidates so far are both Democrat and Republican, none of them are especially progressive.

Conversely, let us also resist the urge to sling around that tired-ass epithet "Uncle Tom" as soon as we perceive Barack as "selling out" to Whitey. First of all, read the book, because you're ignorant for using that term if you don't know where it comes from or understand its historical context. Secondly, if he does something you don't like, it's way too easy to call him a sell-out. That is not critical thinking. Lack of critical thought creates such things as bigots, Sarah Palin, bricks, and other undesirables we don't want participating in our political processes. If Barack pisses you off, that's good—it means you're paying attention. It means you're not just drinking the doped up Kool Aid. Get involved in activism. Write him a letter. Start a blog. Do something. Sitting there calling him names will not make him accountable, nor will it improve your status in this society.

Let the man do his job and remember always what his job is: President of the United States. I don't know about you, but I really hate it when one famous black person speaks and the rest of the world thinks he or she is speaking for all of us. Last I checked, we weren't the Borg. Barack is not our spokesperson. Be aware of bigoted critics, but also be aware of following him like a blind dog. Whether you like it or not, there are other issues on the table besides us and him. He knows it. So should you.