Racism is a sticky subject. Some people like to confront it head on while others do not feel comfortable discussing the subject; however it would be foolish to say that racism does not exist. In Luke's US Politics blog, "Obama: the post race-president?" addresses racism in our country today, especially considering we recently elected our first African American president.
Luke rightfully concluded that "racial tensions have not been eradicated" by simply electing Obama as president. I think it's foolish to assume that this would happen. However, one thing that I would have to disagree with is the writer's assumption that people's excitement over our new President was because it meant the "mess from slavery" had finally come to an end. That probably has something to do with the excitement, however I think it's more of the fact that this election was so progressive. Whether Obama or Clinton won the primaries, it was distinct because it showed the nation that you don't have to be a white male to gain support from the country. This is important for people to see because Obama (and Hillary) gave hope to those who before felt restricted by stereotypes.
I don't necessarily think that racial tensions are worse than before, but I think that an African American president will of course cause some people to make a scene. Rarely in the past have we had someone that represented new, progressive ideas of the nation and was welcomed with open arms by everybody. With change there will always be those who reject it. I generally agree with Luke's opinion that Obama is not the post-race president, however I do think that he is one step closer to that.
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