Even with CHANGE, somethings stay the same. MSNBC correspondent, Chris Mathews said of President Obama that, "I forgot he was Black for an hour." It just shows that even if you achieve the highest office in the United States some still judge you by your race. Were Chris Mathews expectations less because the President is Black? In my opinion this is another example of modern day racism. No one has every commented that they forgot previous Presidents were white, so why the need to put attention on the fact that Obama is Black. Is a Black man not suppose to be able to stand in front of a predominately white audience and properly articulate his point? Chris Mathews statement translates to: For a Black man he is so well spoken. It is a disgrace that instances like this still take place in today's society.
I will place one positive spin on this statement. Many Blacks thought that since President Obama would be in office, things would be easier for Blacks. The commentary by Mathews shows that even as a Black President, you are still held to a lower standard. So if the President is held at a lower standard, how is the "average Black" viewed? Hopefully this situation will help those Blacks that were disillusioned that things would be easier realize that things are just as hard, if not harder now that will have a Black President. The time is now to hold yourself at a higher standard and motivate yourself to do more than you were before.
I agree with your take on this topic and wanted to weigh in. While Matthews' comments were out of line, we as Black people have to take some responsibilty for the way that others view us. When former president Clinton's personal indiscretions were made public, many Blacks began to refer to him as our first Black president. Does this imply that a Black president would somehow be inadequate or unable to stay out of trouble? How can we expect others to look at us as capable if we don't portray ourselves as such? We must hold ourselves accountable and end this association with lower standards if we want others to do the same.
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