White America – Not Racist!

If the election of Barack Obama seems to prove anything, it is that white Americans, as a group, are not racist. They voted in large numbers for Obama. If widespread racism existed, we would have seen different results. Racism isn’t a feeling that you put aside for something as important as the presidential election.

Blacks on the other hand, voted for Obama by a huge percentage.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/politics/bal-te.exit05nov05,0,4265903.story

While this doesn’t mean that black people voted racially, it certainly can’t mean that they didn’t.

Another observation is that many blacks did not believe that a black man could be elected president and the fact that he was, turned out to be an amazing moment in their lives. The reverse sentiment didn’t appear with white Americans. While many white people disagreed with Obama’s politics or thought he was inexperienced, not many were shocked that a black man was elected (and men wouldn’t have been shocked if a woman – Hillary Clinton – had been elected). This is a stunning difference between the races and sexes in America.

We can hope that this election brings great things to our country. First, that it shows that most of America is not racist. Second, it shows that American is a meritocracy – that people who work hard, improve themselves, and leverage their opportunities can become successful. Not everybody can become president, but their race or sex won’t be the limiting factor. If these two ideas emerge from this election, America will have achieved an historic victory.