Mind the Gap.

I’m pretty much fed up at this point. First Jesse Jackson leaves his mike on and gets caught talking about how he wants to cut Obama’s nuts off. Then Phil Gramm calls America a nation of whiners. Then we have the cover of the New Yorker. And then I read this.

But let’s look at the context of what Jesse may have been caught saying. “Obama’s talking down to N*ggaz.” But aren’t N*ggaz the ones who are being irresponsible.

But I digress.

It is incumbent upon Barack Obama to close the racial gap. But if he can’t is it his fault?

There are a lot of white people who want to stay in Iraq. There are a lot of white people who are not comfortable with a black man becoming president no matter what. There are white people who like Barack Obama but do believe in his message. My overall point is that there are too many variables at play here for Obama to actually close the racial gap in this country. His message of unity has put a magnifying glass on fault line that is race in America, making us more conscious of it, and making some of us resentful that he’s indirectly brought the problem to light.

In my humble opinion it is not Obama’s job to improve race relations. The responsibility falls at the feet of the people. I for one am not going to fool myself into believing that just because a black man can become president means that racism is over. It is a huge step, but that does not erase the vile legacy of racism in this country. Now the average white person reading this is probably asking himself well then WHAT WILL? WHAT DO YOU PEOPLE WANT THEN?

I want white people to understand that it is not that simple. I would like white people to acknowledge that the issue is far more complex than they would like to admit. White people’s idea of racism and what is racist is a far cry from what black people feel is racist.

But vote Obama in the fall anyway. It’s a step in the right direction.