For Some, Uncertainty Starts at Racial Identity - NY Times

[psychobueller]

MOBILE, Ala. — The McCain campaign’s depiction of Barack Obama as a mysterious “other” with an impenetrable background may not be resonating in the national polls, but it has found a receptive audience with many white Southern voters.

In interviews here in the Deep South and in Virginia, white voters made it clear that they remain deeply uneasy with Mr. Obama — with his politics, his personality and his biracial background. Being the son of a white mother and a black father has come to symbolize Mr. Obama’s larger mysteries for many voters. When asked about his background, a substantial number of people interviewed said they believed his racial heritage was unclear, giving them another reason to vote against him.

“He’s neither-nor,” said Ricky Thompson, a pipe fitter who works at a factory north of Mobile, while standing in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart store just north of here. “He’s other. It’s in the Bible. Come as one. Don’t create other breeds.”


More at link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/us/politics/15biracial.html?_r=1&oref=login


I am speechless....

[Eric J in MN]

1. Does the Bible really say anything against interracial marriage? NT

NT

[Retrograde]

3. Leviticus contains prohibitions on mixing

"Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee."

But then Leviticus also prohibits trimmnig beards. I haven't found anything that specifically prohibits marrying outside one's tribe, but I'm not a biblical scholar.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. It would be odd if there were such a prohibition -

seeing as how the Hebrew Moses married a daughter of Moab. Not to mention that the exodus, the beginning of Israel, included diverse peoples along with the escaping Hebrews.

[Schema Thing]

2. There is a secular version of this going around too

or at least they don't use the bible as their crutch.

I'm on a discussion board where this "who is he, and why did he emphasize this or that side of his race?" bullshit is bandied by at least a couple of people.


Some people really are just too stupid for life.

[NOLALady]

4. Pathetic.

"his racial heritage was unclear"

That could apply to about 90% of Americans whose ancestry in this country goes back at least 200 years. Europeans, Native Americans and Africans were mixing it up big time from the moment they got together. Some relations were mutual, others not so much. It's a little late to worry about "the other" as this melting pot has been mixing for a long time.

[Stuckinthebush]

6. I live in Alabama

We're kind of stupid here.

Thank god we aren't the norm.