Do You Judge Or Decide On looks Or On Qualifications?

Recently, in response to a comment on the American Presidential Race taking on a negative racial bias, I posted a blog that asked, “Are People Really Racist Or Just Scared Of The Unknown Quantity?” To which I received a couple of rather different responses. I have already shared the first view and now share the second. This is my American friend Lynx’s view on the political scene in America. “You know Walter, it's not so much about that, as it is, so many people's refusal to vote for ANYONE of a race or gender SOLELY based on that one characteristic. That is indeed the saddest part. After 232 years of wars and infighting for individual rights, we still haven't gotten beyond skin color. I'm not saying I'm pro-Obama or pro-McCain. I'm merely saying that we as Americans (and anyone in a democratic-voting nation) need to judge candidates based on qualifications, not things they were born being. We shall see how this "competition" changes us as a country and the entire world before too long. I can only hope it isn't a step backward.

Now you are right though too. A lot of the more "rural" folks, especially those who have rarely if ever visited a big, culturally diverse city, are usually not as "racist" as one would deem them. They just don't know how to approach something or someone so radically different from them.”

Now my original blog was actually in response to a comment from America about whether people would or would not vote for Barak Obama because He was black. My response took the view that many people were not really racist but were afraid of people who were different and that they usually needed time to get to know people who were obviously different to them before they will trust them. This little rule crosses all racial boundaries and covers the differences between young and old educated and un-educated and even between Locals and Outsiders. I was taking the view that the whole Obama thing was probably more that he was new and untested and an outsider rather than just a black and white issue.

Although I am sure that a small minority will most definitely take that view. However I was talking about the vast majority and not a few narrow minded bigots that you find in all races and creeds, which I also believe may be loud but still small in actual numbers when the vote is counted.

However that aside and I may turn out to be totally wrong here (as usual), but I believe that Obama will not win the Presidency this time around. Not because of skin colour, but only because people need time to get to know where He really stands. I believe it is the fact that He has not yet been “Blooded" into real politics and not His skin colour, that will stop him this time, but expect him to be the winner next time around, mainly because of the strengths gained from this election.

Thus I don’t believe that a loss now will really be because of his skin colour, or many people’s racial blindness and hatred, but because of his inexperience and untestedness. And one should not confuse that reason as being racial or racist. Well that’s my say. What’s yours?