George Graham

Plumbing the Depths of Racism in America

So you think the nasty nonsense about President Obama’s birthplace will die away now that he has released his “long-form” birth certificate? Think again.

It’s just beginning.

Lies and false allegations are flooding the Internet. Books are being published. Bumper stickers are coming off the press. The money-making machine based on absurd conspiracy theories (click here for details) is ramping up even more vigorously than before. And about a third of the American public will be lining up with their money in their hands, eager to get in on the game.

Questions are being raised about such details as the certificate’s designation of Obama as “African,” instead of “Negro,” which – the questioners say – was the more “natural” word at the time.

A torrent of articles are examining the document in minute detail, desperately trying to make the case that it is forged.

And, of course, there’s the “humor.”

The piece of trash shown above is just one example of the contemptuous and contemptible venom spewing forth from the depths of American racism. I found it on Google. It originally appeared on rense.com, a web site operated by one of those right-wing talk radio nuts.

Now it’s no longer a sly crusade, laden with code words and euphemisms. By releasing the original “long-form” certificate, the president has flushed the creepy-crawlers out from under their rocks.

Of course, the “birther” crusade has been racist all along.

A recent study from the University of Delaware shows that the president’s race-minded detractors view him as “less American.”

The study concluded that:

Many in the media have speculated that current criticisms of Obama are a result of his race, rather than his agenda. We believe that the current results are an empirical demonstration that this is sadly the case. As the United States approaches important decisions regarding issues such as economic reform, health care, and overseas military interventions, the intrusion of racial attitudes in the evaluation of political leaders’ performance is ironically inconsistent with what many believe to be ‘American.

But I’m sure you didn’t need a study to tell you that. Most intelligent people realized it all along.

About the author

gwgraeme

I am a Jamaican-born writer who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States. I live in Lakeland, Florida with my wife, Sandra, our three cats and two dogs. I like to play golf and enjoy our garden, even though it's a lot of work. Since retiring from newspaper reporting I've written a few books. I also write a monthly column for Jamaicans.com