Definition:   Recognizing racism is the ability to discern the presence of negative racial stereotyping and its response/reaction and relevance to the current situation presenting itself.

Our fourth and final submission on Recognizing Racism is a commentary on the recent Marriage Vow that was presented by a pro-family group in Iowa for the Republican Presidential candidates to sign/endorse. I hope that you have picked up some clues/skills from our previous blog posts and have sharpened your “antennae” for racists’ intentions/innuendos and can now cite how this marriage pact reeks of racism.

This commentary will cite a combination of statements made in the vow that could/should have made your stomach turn from its historical incorrectness, insensitivity and blatant attack on President Barack Obama.  It did mine. I will cite just a few possible racists’ red flags. Please feel free to respond in Comments with MORE examples that you may have read or heard about in this Marriage Vow that were racists in nature.

More Importantly: How do we counteract this???

Please leave suggestions in the Comments section below for us to Discuss on Wednesday.

The particular reference in the Marriage Vow signed by Michele Bachmann that we are addressing essentially is: black children were better off in 1860, under slavery in two parent families, than born today with an African American as President.

Historical incorrectness:

1.) “Enslaved Africans” in 1860 (Sidebar: “slave” is not a job title or career of choice) were not “permitted” to form families through marriage.

2.) The children of “Enslaved Africans” were often raised by “whomever” remained/survived on the plantation to care for them, i.e., mother, father, grandparent, friend, etc. as there was no residency stability on a plantation with “Enslaved Africans” being bought, sold and killed routinely. (Sidebar: That, I believe, is how we started the relationships of “play” mother and “play” sister etc. We created families with whomever remained/survived the plantation lifestyle.)

Insensitivity:

1.) Referencing the institution of enslaving African people (slavery) without any   concern or need to be “accurate” in the portrayal of their lives and or history.

2.) The use of the social condition of “Enslaved Africans” simply as a “tool” to make a political/philosophical “point” dehumanizes and objectifies them.

Blatant attack on President Obama

1.) A reminder to their political base and interested others that President Obama is Black,  a part of the “objectified” population and therefore permissible to be dehumanized.

2.) It suggests that: President Obama hasn’t/can’t even take care of and improve the condition of his “own,” (black people) perhaps in an attempt to alienate some of his own (black people) from him.

(Sidebar: I suggest that an attack on President Obama IS an attack on all of us who believe in,  protest and vote for a free country that  allows all its citizens to equally participate in their governance.)

QUESTION:

How do we, you and  I, counteract this kind of MESS?

Please give us all some answers, some suggestions, some solutions below.

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