I got my first overtly racist anti-Obama comment today while phoning central Pennsylvania. It was a 62-year-old man, who said, simply, "I'm not voting for the black man." I moved to end the call, but he continued, "I've worked with hundreds of black people." He meant that as a defense ("Some of them are my best friends!") but the point was clear. At least he was honest.
It's interesting, then, to read on-the-ground reporting from Levittown, Pennsylvania, in today's NY Times, which was echoed on Daily Kos. "Levittown is whiter, older and less educated than the rest of the nation -- and Pennsylvania is made up of many Levittowns," writes Michael Sokolove, a Levittown native. Perhaps I was calling into one of them.
I grew up a short bike ride from the original Levittown -- Levittown, New York, the one featured in all the social studies textbooks. Actually, I grew up in what Bill O'Reilly calls "the Westbury part of Levittown," which is to say, Salisbury. In 1981, my family moved to a split-level (so, not a real "Levitt" house) just off Old Country Road. By then, suburban New York was in flux, and I suspect it was around then that Levittown NY took a different turn than Levittown PA. Maybe a third of my high school classmates lived in Levittown proper, and I remember, as the Cold War wound down, hearing rumor of Grumman's shrinking fortunes as demand for its F-14 began shifting away.
Back then, blue-collar work meant a middle-class lifestyle. But the economic shock of Gruman's decline and ultimate sale, coming so soon after the 1987 recession, put Long Island on the path to a post-industrial future. From Stony Brook in the east, biotech was coming; from the west lapped waves of money from New York's capital markets. Gruman was to Levittown NY what Fairless Works was to Levittown PA, but with the luck of geography the older Levittown escaped the millstone around its neck. (Ironically, Fairless Works is called "the mill"). Today, the median household income of Levittown NY is $78,454 to PA's $58,985; industrial work comprises 17% of PA's jobs but only 9% of NY's. (Latest data for NY, PA).
In other demographic matters, the two Levittowns are almost identical. They also share a similar history. As Sokolove reports,
"And on matters of race Levittown has a particularly shameful history. It was billed as "the most perfectly planned community in America," and part of the plan was for it to be whites-only: 5,500 acres, stretching across three Pennsylvania townships and one borough, closed off to blacks. The first development of mass-produced homes by Levitt & Sons, Levittown, N.Y., on Long Island, which dates from 1947, had the same exclusionary policies. William Levitt weakly insisted that he would love to sell houses to black families but had "come to know that if we sell one house to a Negro family, then 90 to 95 percent of our white customers will not buy into the community. That is their attitude, not ours."
And so, as of 2000, both Levittowns were 94% white, with PA's having a few more blacks and NY's having more Latinos (many of whom are counted as white) and Asians.
The racial history of Long Island was sometimes written in stone, as in the low highway overpasses that Robert Moses allegedly designed to prevent New York City buses from reaching the beach. It's also written on the crazily overlapping boundaries that divide up our school districts. Mr. O'Reilly might be excused for not knowing whether he hailed from Levittown or Westbury; my high school drew from both, plus East Meadow, and belonged to the East Meadow School District. (Two other school districts also covered Levittown.) Yet our school did not take students from the other side of Old Country Road, a majority black and Latino community known as New Cassel. Those kids went to Westbury High School, in the Westbury School District.
I was one of about a dozen Asian kids in my class of 181 (ours was the smallest class the school had ever seen), and I'm pretty sure the only non-Hispanic black kid in the class was in the special education program (he was deaf). Unlike Sokolove's experience in 1950s PA, Jews were much more numerous in my high school, and especially my part of town; today, Jews comprise some 15% of Levittown NY but only about 5% of Levittown PA. And while I don't have up-to-date demographics at hand, from what I've seen Levittown NY has become more diverse since the 2000 census, especially among Latinos and East and South Asians.
I can't speak directly to the Levittown, proper, experience, but growing up in the next town over in the 1980s, my experience of race was -- while not uncomplicated -- not fraught with hatred or even significant overt prejudice. I don't know if it was our particular generation (the youngest children of the oldest hippies), religious diversity, or -- as some of my friends have suggested -- high marijuana usage in my school, but when I compare notes with peers from other schools from elsewhere in the country, I do believe that I had a uniquely peaceful, even idyllic, childhood. Which is not to say that race never surfaced in ugly ways (in retrospect, I think the Archie Bunker lookalike next door hit golf balls on our roof on purpose), but that it wasn't quite as simple as kids lining the halls making Chinkie jokes, either.
On the other hand, I wasn't black.
Still, it frankly surprises me that I haven't encountered any overt racism in working on the Obama campaign these past few months until tonight. Even if racism is out there, it's shrouded in code words or perhaps lying to pollsters -- which implies that even racists of the old-school sort know that the public consensus is against them. There's a lot to be thankful about in terms of race relations in this country, and the Levittown that I know in New York gives me hope about the future. So, too, do some of the Levittown PA residents that Sokolove reports on. Said John Annunziata, a former local politician, "When he won Iowa, it touched my soul. I was very emotional. I felt like we were moving toward what this country should be."
Gene Koo blogs over at AnderKoo - check it out.
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Okay, since we're supposed to be having this conversation, I just have to ask. A man identifies Obama as the black man and he's a racist? If the rules on whites are this strict, then racism will survive forever.
It was also in the tone and the context, if you read on for the rest of the paragraph. Answer me this: would you say "the black man" if the man's blackness was not at issue? Was the person so clueless that he knew the person's race but not his name? There are a lot of over-sensitive charges out there (Bill's "fairy tale" statement was way overblown and not "racist", as was Hillary's LBJ statement), but this is not one of them.
What the Clintonistas don't want anyone to focus on, is the enormous importance electing an A-A as prez of the US would have on the rest of the world.
We're regarded as a racist society -- justly or unjustly, according to your perspective -- and selecting a member of an historically disenfranchised and abused segment of our society, would disprove that theory, or go a long way towards that end.
Having a Pres. Obama would also diffuse the argument that the US is anti-Muslim, partially b/c his middle name is ME -- a fact which we are daily reminded of -- and, therefore, would probably discredit the Islamic extremists' calls for our destruction.
I grew up in a very racist society -- NW Lousy-ana, in the 1950s -- and the people in PA are the same as the segregationists who were ranting about giving blacks the right to vote or attend school with whites, only they weren't as chicken-shit about it like Pennsylvanians are. At least they didn't talk out of both sides of their mouths about being bigotted -- they were proud of it!
The voters in PA seemed a little embarrassed about their racism.
Instead of looking at race and color it might be better to listen what the candidates are saying, have been saying, and what their records are. Then match it to what you would like to see happen come 2009. With Obama we really do not need to play the race card, one way or another. He did not come out of racist America, but is the son of an African and a white American woman, right? He was educated in Hawaii, in Indonesia, and at great Universities. He is like the *Africans* - from Surinam, Netherlands Antilles, Curacao, I knew in The Netherlands. He does not have any personal baggage. Now if we can just get, once again, beyond race and beyond gender, and see and hear people, whole persons, with ideas, educations, life experiences and histories, things will become so much easier. Listen and hear. Check the facts. Vote FOR the person who will do the job. Not AGAINST race or gender. That is irrelevant in the same manner that Obama's once again repeated assertion today that he was against the war in Iraq is. We HAVE a situation, a war, outrageous debts, no universal healthcare. How are we going to get what we want? Who has the better record of getting proposals through Congress and to a conclusion? Pay attention, do not kvetch about nothing. Waste of time and effort.
sounds great but is BS
"He did not come out of racist America" no he chose to belong to one. He could have gone anywhere he wanted after HARVARD he chose Chicago and he chose to go to that church. and yes he gave a speech aainst the war but then he voted to fund it like everyone else, I dont get it!!
"He does not have any personal baggage" except Rezko, wright, michelle , and his lying all the time about those people.
ajic --
Hmmmm . . . you bring up Obama's church affiliation but fail to mention Hillary's. Why is that?
Could it be that you don't want anyone to know that HER pastor was busted for child-molestation?
Or that she was a member of some mysterious "fellowship" at the same church?
As for guilt-by-association and the whole Rezko-thing you Clintonistas keep trying your hardest to spotlight, what's up with Ron Burkle and the Yupica-uranium-Kahzakstan deal? And how much of the money Bill made off the deal has been funnelled to Hillary's campaign?
There are none so blind as those who will not see. It's sad that you are so blinded by hate or whatever that you can't educate yourself to learn that the 'personal baggage' you list is lies and mistruths.
I don't know if the man was racist or not; actually, you didn't allow him to explain himself to find out. Just because he said he isn't going to vote for the man that is black doesn't mean anything. Your response to him seems more racist than his unfinished remarks. Maybe you should reconsider your thinking. Maybe it is you that is the biased one. You definitely are from what I can tell.
mmm611:
You are amazing! Are you being honest when you assert that someone saying "he isn't going to vote for the man that is black doesn't mean anything." What is there to add to finish this remark? Did you even make an effort to read the entire article before concluding that the writer is biased?
Poor blogger - time to hit the bricks and get away from the think tanks, ivory towers, coffee houses, etc. and hang with the peeps. Willie Horton didn't play big in this country 50 years ago - it was a wee bit more recent. Rev. Wright wouldn't mean horse pucky if he was a white minister. There are many white ministers with some pretty bent ideas which preach to our politicians and get a pass b/c they are white. Bill when he was running for his first term was golfing at an all white club. If Penn could get away with it his campaign logo would be "Don't be fooled - Obama is a n***ger." It would get him more votes than his Anti-NAFTA rift. Racist America is not a "state" of being. It is a process. One which is older than our country. We have done too little to change the process so the state remains. The day white America isn't surprised when they first learn their new boss is black is the day we have arrived. I have never seen a commercial on Network t.v. where there is a bi-racial couple. Hmmm? So you can all act surprised while the polsters selling you Cambell's soup know the score.
I guess now you must understand how Hillary feels when a man says he will not vote for a woman.
cae:
Well, at least she now stands to benefit from those who wouldn't vote for a Black person. No wonder she has been insisting that Obama can't win. Surprisingly, an increasing majority of us, of all races, do not consider gender or race as an issue in deciding whom to vote for. Personally, I am more concerned with jobs, housing, education, and especially the lives of young soldiers of all races and genders being killed and maimed in this dumb, Illegal war in Iraq. I am also equally concerned of the millions of Iraqis who have either been slaughtered, or forced into exile, in my name and financed by taxes. I pity a man who would not vote for Hillary because she is a woman, and I also pity any one who would not vote for Obama because he is black. The Young people sacrificing and dying in Iraq are from all races and genders. Blue collar workers losing their jobs because of corporate outsourcing come from all races and genders.
>Even if racism is out there, it's shrouded in code words or perhaps lying to pollsters --<
I don't see much point in lying to pollsters about which candidate you're backing, though I've heard that people do so. Why wouldn't folks just lie about WHY they would or wouldn't vote for someone? You know, like, "I won't vote for Obama because he's just another dopeless hope fiend," or "I'm voting for Clinton because all the boys are always picking on her."
1. People may lie to pollsters because they are not alone when they are responding to the polls and do not want their children to hear their attitudes about people of color or women.
2. People are very ashamed of their racism and sexism and often try to hide it from themselves as much as anybody else. They do not want to admit even in private that they are racist or sexist.
Yes, I realize that. But why lie about WHICH candidate you're supporting? You can say you're voting for Clinton because you like her policy du jour or her feistiness, even if you really mean you're only voting for her because the other candidate's black. Or you can say you're supporting Obama because you feel he's more capable to lead the country, even if the real reason is that you'd never vote for a woman.
How is this different from a Black man telling that he is voting for Obama because he would make history as the first black president? or Jesse Jackson Jr. trying to convince balck superdelegates that they should support Obama so they are not seen to be in the way of the first black president?
As niether black nor white, the reponse from the white man and these other comments I just illustrated sounds awfully similar. Except perhaps the 40-year old racism history prior to civil rights. The question is how many more years can we wait before we do not call out racist comments made by blacks??
Perhaps after an Obama presidency - which should end all excuses and whining for not being able to make it in America. You don't hear Hispanics whine, not even the poor, illegal immigrant who is working here against tremendous odds, who has been discriminated against in Mexico and other countries and here. They are working very hard so their children can escape their fate and they don't need 40 years or a president!!!
Nofuzzydreams:
Black people have been voting for white presidents ever since they got the right to vote. I think it is understandable that they would feel a sense of pride in voting for a black candidate. If your point is that a white person is voting for another white person your point is well taken. I have never had a black person say that they would not vote for a white candidate because of race. If that were the case, Blacks should have been sitting out all the elections. Had they done that, Bill Clinton would never have been elected president. May be Hillary would have risen on her own impressive merit to run for president, but she would not have enjoyed the same national recognition of being a first lady who gained so much experience as a wife of a governor and a president. By the way you do need a refresher course in American history. Racism against Blacks goes back to the founding of the nation. It is has been going on for over four centuries. Your assertion that is "40-year racism history prior to civil rights" just reveals your ignorance.
1. There is a big difference between the two comments, the difference is history and context, two things you clearly know nothing about.
2. "poor, illegal immigrants" can't "whine" because they live in constant fear of being deported. This is why they are so ruthlessly exploited; they cannot complain because the repercussions are so severe, not because they don't have legitimate complaints.
3. You have no knowledge of the long history of Latino, especially Chicano activism. If you did, you would know that Latinos have courageously spoken out about racism for quite some time.
READ A HISTORY BOOK!! READ ANY BOOK! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!!!
I wonder how many more thousands of times you guys will play the race card. It makes perfect sense, though, given that Obama's policy statements are hopelessly naive. I especially like it when you accuse the Clintons of being racist, without evidence. You must have learned it from your candidate, given that he has implied that nonstop. To believe it, after all the Clintons have done on behalf of minorities, you have to be too ignorant for words.
But it must be nice to just make things up as you go, without regard to the real world. I'm jealous. I wish that deep voice, sing song delivery, and shallow rhetoric did the same for me. And can you teach me to be convinced in three minutes by the media's childish insults? What's your secret? I'm so tired of honest debate and adult conversation.
Nobody needs to play the race card when somebody straight up says: I won't vote for the black guy. It's just racism, no card tricks. Racism, plain and simple. You're the fool who can't figure it out.
Willbfair you sound like a very cynical and bitter person, like most of Clinton's supporters. Obama,has not had HOPE boiled out of him yet, that's one of the reason's we like him. As for racism, not one is accusing Clintons of racism....I don't believe they're racists, but I do believe they are opportunitists who use the race card and therein lies the difference.
'Yes, we know, hope is not a strategy. But it can get people working together to find one'
'Obama presents a view of governing that is inclusive and relies on Americans to work with their government to solve soberting problems at home and abroad. By contrast Clinton promotes a self-centered governing style that drives home what she would do as president. She asks little of Americans and discourages opposing views.'
Want to know why Clinton voters have a hard time with Obama?
We don't trust him.
What's he done anyway?
He is an excellent orator but I have nagging doubts about him.
If you asked me to choose between one black candidate him and someone else who was black say Jesse Jackson...I would vote for Jackson rather than Obama.
Jackson I trust.
Obama I don't.
Now if he gets elected and actually DOES SOMETHING than I will probably mellow.
But I don't like it when my newly elected first term congressman who just happens to be a carpetbagger and who VOTED FOR GEORGE W BUSH came out for him.
I don't like that not one little bit!
"Want to know why Clinton voters have a hard time with Obama?
We don't trust him.
What's he done anyway?"
Want to know why you sound so stupid right now?
Because you take time out to go on websites asking what Obama has done instead of simply GOING TO OBAMA'S WEBSITE and finding out for yourself. If I had as little integrity as you I would simply remain quiet. Check his website and think before you post in the future. He has legislative accomplishments (Lugar-Obama bill comes to mind...there's more...). Stop being lazy.
P.S. If you're speaking on behalf of Clinton supporters then I have a question for you: why should we trust the judgment of people who are unwilling to educate themselves with regards to their opponents? Isn't that mentality a prominent reason why we're having so much trouble in the Middle East?
I guess I will have to ask again. What, precisely did the Clintons do for "minorities"? What, again, precisely? Clintonites keep making this empty claim, not one of you seems to be able to back it up with a fact or two. Anyone?
Even though I'm not supporting the Clintons I will answer this one since I happened to read your post, Nommo (I try to be fair when the opportunity arises). As president, Bill Clinton appointed more minorities to prominent government positions than any other president before him. Clinton was responsible for many "first x minority in x position" during his presidency. Rather than give you a complete rundown, I suggest looking at Wikipedia or something if you're interested. (Of course, things like the implementation of welfare reform, etc. certainly can be seen as not helpful to minority communities). Funny thing is, President Bush one upped him in this respect by appointing minorities (Powell, Rice, etc.) to even HIGHER positions. Anyway, I hope that this post cleared up any confusion about the Clintons.
Bill did do a lot for minorities in this country, and there's a reason why a lot of the African-American establishment were, and in many cases remain, strong supporters of Hillary's campaign. Read up on the South Carolina primaries to see how much work Obama had to do to win over the African-American grassroots there: don't think that just because someone has dark skin that they'll automatically get the "black vote."
Yeah, I've been asking, too. They throw this out there all of the time and no one ever bothers to give up any of the details. Just because the Clintons and their supporters say it doesn't make it so.
Good question. I have seen it posed often, but have never seen it answered. I've tried to answer it myself, but come up blank, except for a few self-serving "friendships" with people like Vernon Jordan.
Correction.
The correct spelling is Mr Koo, instead of Mr Goo
Mr Goo.
Welcome to America, racism is alive and well in america. I live in the south, moved away for forty years. I moved back to the south six years ago. I see little difference from forty years ago.
Wow, this evokes "almost "memories. But when you try to reach back too far into the past you are never sure what is a memory and what is something added along the way. Both of my parents served in the military in the Second World War. When they were able to buy a tiny "Cape Cod" in Levittown in late 1947 I am sure it meant the world to them. Later they moved to a newer Levitown house, I think in the same Westbury area the author talks about. I came along in 1948 and my brother a year later. It is sad to think that Levittown excluded blacks, yet in other ways it was perfect for young families who had little money yet wanted a better life for their children, which they got. Although they were not affluent both of my parents were open to other races and supported the Civil Rights movement. I remember hearing that my dad despised the segregation he witnessed on an army/airforce base in Virginia during the war, and was anxious to be shipped overseas to get the heck out of their. So the man the author writes about is certainly a throwback.
And I myself have fond memories of Levittown in the 1980s, and as I wrote, I also had few (but not zero) encounters with racism, at least not the overt kind. But as I also point out, the racism of places like Levittown wasn't always personal, it was often structural, like the fact that our school system's boundaries was drawn in such a way to exclude the 'bad' part of town.
Wow, sounds like you called Bill Clinton. It adds up -- the age, "wouldn't vote for the black man" and worked with hundreds of black people.
Yeah, keep the faith. Stand up, take the heat. It is our America, it is our time. As Obama wisely told us, We should not just belive in him but in our own abilities to change this country. It is our turn. Let's celebrate our country, our diversity and our faith in this movement. It is our turn to help perfect this Union. I love you guys, keep slogging. Do not despair when the tired-old distortionists work to polarize us. We have a leader in Obama who believes in us just as much as we believe in him. Stay the course. When you feel inundated and overwhelmed by thuggish detractors, stop for a moment and munch a cookie, sip some milk or a glass of water and brazenly get right back at it...it is our turn, our time to perfect this Union, or at least move the ball forward...Get angry, but in the right way...direct your anger at perfecting this Union of Ours...
People don't see a need to do something they don't. Thank goodness for the media and young people. Little by little, they'll come to realize we're all in this together. I'm white and nobody has fucked me over worse than white people. Good article. Shows hope (if you look for it).
That's kind of like the argument I make to some conservatives I know. Liberals aren't screwing them over. Wealthy, Republican white men are.
Posted April 8, 2008 | 09:29 AM (EST)