Sunday, May 18, 2008

Racism vs Sexism

As Carlos Mencia has pointed out, when Obama becomes President, racism in America will be officially over, at least towards African-Americans. I myself have made comments of that sort about racism on this very blog. So when I read this post, it reminded me of something else I've been saying about the Democrat candidates. That's the fact that black men were given the right to vote in this country by the Fifteenth Amendment long before the Nineteenth Amendment extended that right to women. Racism may be dying, but sexism is alive and well. Yes, there are still pockets of racism in certain regions, but sexism knows no such regional boundaries. Did you know that the Equal Rights Amendment expired? Not enough states ratified it in the time period allowed, even when the deadline was extended, which is not surprising, given that there weren't many women in Congress at the time. Maybe that's why the pay disparity between the sexes is still acceptable in corporate America. While I would love to vote for the female candidate to see the first woman President, I cannot in good conscience support that particular candidate. I think a good many people who have voted for her, especially in the past couple of weeks, have actually been voting against Obama (see my previous remark about pockets of racism). I really see no difference between her and the Republican candidate. I vote according to whether I think the person is the best candidate for the job, contrary to the popular "vote for the candidate you'd rather have a beer with". I don't drink beer, and I don't drink coffee, either. I'm voting for Obama not because he's black, but because I believe he's the best chance this country has for real change. As Dennis Miller used to say, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

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