Nov. 4, 2008 will forever be embedded in my mind as one of the happiest moments of my life. The people of the United States of America elected this country’s first black President.†
The humble man from middle-class America emerged as one of the most popular candidates for the presidency since President John F. Kennedy. The tremendous support from college students all over the nation during the early campaign road for Sen. Barack Obama was not a surprise.
His story spoke to the struggles of the people, especially students sprawling on college campuses yearning for an effective change from the idiotic and ineffective policies of the Bush administration. But since Obama’s historic victory, there has been a backlash of negative publicity on youth-oriented Web sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Remarks made about Obama on these popular sites have been racist and threatening.
There have been lengthy discussions about what will happen to him now that he has been elected president of the United States. The most heated anti-Obama talk appears to be headed by college-educated persons.
Though most cynical posts are made anonymously, some users opt to show personal profile pictures and user information for all to see. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution gives all Americans the right to exercise freedom of speech, and no one has the right to take that away. But attacking a man for the color of his skin instead of the content of his character is disrespectful and malicious.
As the future leader of the free world, Obama appeals not only to the United States, which is a melting pot of different races and cultures, but also worldwide.
As a young college student, I was hurt but not surprised at the racist attitudes toward Obama’s victory. Racism of all kinds, especially institutional, existed way before Obama and will be here long after. Although this moment in history is monumental, I recognize some attitudes will not take the same approach.
Motton, an English junior, can be reached via [email protected]
