Is racism the only thing that could stop Obama?

Lately Barack Obama has made me rather wary. Looking closely at his policies, it's clear that his administration would not be a every progressive's dream. Obama's pretty conservative economically and his plan for Afghanistan doesn't differ much from McCain's. The United States would still have military bases across the world under his presidency and even Guantanamo is unlikely to close. Yet despite these flaws, he's still light-years ahead of John McCain, who's platform is argubly Bush 2.0 if not worse. The lesser-of-two-evils situation has become exasperating to say the least but that's the reality of American politics today.

An article by Jacob Weisberg in Slate confronts an unsettling idea: racism might really keep Obama out of office. Weisberg examines the statistics and comes to the conclusion that a sizable proportion of white voters are uncomfortable about Obama's presidency principally because of his skin color (or because of some ridiculous idea that he's secretly a radical Muslim). I recall a Daily Show segment during the primaries in which an older woman voter basically said she didn't vote for Obama because his middle name is Hussain. Will this election go down in history as the one where voters made their decision on the basis of a candidate's middle name?!

Maybe African heritage really is a bigger burden in politics than a vagina. I thought it was the opposite while Clinton was still in play, but who can really say? If Hillary was the Democratic nominee, we might be having this same conversation, except the polls would be saying that men felt uncomfortable voting for a woman.

Regardless, I agree with Weisberg's statement that choosing McCain over Obama will not just be a misstep for the American people. It will signal to the world that we're still just as backward as we've always been with regards to race.

Re: Once a Stripper, never a Feminist?

From the latest Ms. Magazine:

In your Spring 2008 issue ["Milestones"], Diablo Cody is quoted as saying she is a feminist. [But] in Cody's book Candy Girl, she tells about her life as a stripper, lap dancer and peep-show entertainer. Her life as a sexual entertainer and sex object for males hardly seems like a feminist activity. Perhaps she was one of those "young women" that Helen Mirren mentions [in "Lest We Forget"] who have been empowered [by] sexual objectification. Cody and others like her who have used their bodies as sexual objects have disrespected women and encouraged the subjugation of females.
-Pat Tate, Millersville MD

This is a troubling road to go down because society already rejects and denigrates the sex worker. While I think idea the that women can find things like stripping 'empowering' is questionable at best, rejecting strippers and other women who work in the sex industry is not going to solve anything. We need to answer a few questions first. Why is it that sex work is the best-paying gig for some women and what does it say about us as a society that we don't offer them anything better? I don't mean to paint Cody as a complete victim, or say that women can't consciously choose sex work but why must these women be further degraded by feminists, who should be their allies? Why is it so hard to see from their point-of-view? Why can't we identify with the 'fallen woman?' (or do away with such terminology for that matter?)

Referenced portions from Spring 2008:

Milestones-Four films written by women were nominated for screen-writing Academy Awards this year, an Oscar record. Diablo Cody, who won best original screenplay for Juno, said, "As a feminist, and someone who feels that women are marginalized in this industry, I'm thrilled that women are getting this sort of recognition."

Lest We Forget-"Being a sexual object is mortifying and irritating, yet it's giving you power--an awful power that you've done nothing to deserve, a powerless power. I think some young women fall in love with that power, and it's really objectifying. And when it starts falling away, it's an incredible relief. -British actor Helen Mirren, to More magazine