Home / Fall 2012 / Blacks for Romney unfairly targeted

Blacks for Romney unfairly targeted

I recently turned to Headline News and watched my first episode of Piers Morgan. He is not someone I look to for newsworthy information, but the topic being discussed sparked my interest.

 His guest was actress Stacy Dash, most known for her role as “Dionne” in the 1995 film “Clueless.” She addressed the backlash she received on Twitter for being an African American voting for Mitt Romney.

 Dash explained how over the past four years, she went from being a faithful Democrat voting for President Barack Obama to wanting America to go in a different direction. She now endorses Republican candidate Romney.

 Dash was criticized by her fellow African Americans because of her support of the Caucasian Romney.

 This year during the Republican National Convention a CNN poll reported that zero percent of the African American community supported Romney, when there were actually African Americans at the convention. Though few and far between, they were there.

 Race should not be the decisive factor between candidates. Democrats, since JFK became president, have statistically controlled the African American vote. Before then, because of the abolition of slavery and the opportunities given during Reconstruction, African Americans tended to side with the Republicans.

 In 2008, the race for president became segregated and in part, made Obama the choice for many minorities only because he was African American. African Americans, other minorities and young people lost reasonable sensibility and emotion for whomever’s policies were the best all because their favorite celebrity, television personality or even family member convinced them to vote for a man because he was a dynamic, hip black speaker.
Anyone who did not echo those sentiments that were of color or young were deemed uncool or an “Uncle Tom.”

 Television influence played a large role as well in racial stereotyping the election.

 For Example, during a “Rock the Vote” voting telethon, BET hosts for the event, Queen Latifah and Terrance J, spoke to the audience saying  blacks should vote for Obama because he is black by continuously invoking that Washington needed “CHANGE.”

 During the telethon they also cut to a young, African American man who was at a Republican rally and asked him whimsical questions to make him seem as if he made the wrong choice for invoking his politics as an American. Queen Latifah even went to the point to call the young man “lame” for being there. This is the day I stopped watching BET permanently.

 Stacy Dash did not want a repeat of this fiasco. She made an informed decision going against the popular opinion in her community, to say, on Twitter, this year her vote has changed.

 Threats and insensitive remarks soon followed in rebuttal because young people who are easily influenced by popular culture, young Americans and stars thought that if you do not vote Obama, you are stupid… Like BET taught them in 2008.

 In 2016, when Barack Obama cannot run for a third term and the presidential slate is clean with new candidates of different nationalities and genders from all parties, who will the minorities and the youth of America rally behind then? I guess only then, we all will have to make informed decisions on our own intuitions.

 Dash brought to light that judging a man on the content of his character and not his color is a problem for individuals who are not used to being their own person. Stepping out of the box no matter what people may say is key in development in life. Separating and not meshing your feelings with others ideals can make you a logical, sound-minded person and help others define themselves on their own terms as Dash did.

(I am not a Republican nor do I advocate against President Obama. This civic issue of American free speech and how it cannot be invoked alarmed me enough to discuss this topic.)

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