Ethnic Policy

[Bernardo]

President - elect Obama owes a great deal to the policy of the media that casts ethnic minority actors in leading roles. Example Morgan Freeman as President in the recent asteroid impact movie (Sudden Impact?) when the US saved the world (again). Discuss.

[MB]

But, of course, this can also work against them and this was the greatest fear with Obama as it was Hillary Clinton. Not just people who are racist, but who dislike positive discrimination.



I voted against the 'women first' selection policy when it came up in the Labour party in the mid nineties. Instead, I asked them to provide what women needed in order to achieve those goals themselves: help with childcare, rethinking the timing of hours spent debating etc..



However, I can't think of a single thing wrong in this case - because the only cause for concern should have been whether he was a genuine candidate, not just capable of doing the job but of being highly efficient and an exemplary politician and capable leader. I have no doubt that he would have fallen at the first hurdle if this hadn't been the case.



I think the US have had quite enough of someone less than capable being at the helm.



However, although I think it is understandable that people are rejoicing about the race issue - I don't think it is helpful from here on in for people to focus on it.

[Wicked Lady]

name='Bernardo']President - elect Obama owes a great deal to the policy of the media that casts ethnic minority actors in leading roles. Example Morgan Freeman as President in the recent asteroid impact movie (Sudden Impact?) when the US saved the world (again). Discuss.

I think there's certainly a case to be made for the idea that cinema may have softened up some of the rigid values held by some of the more conservative Americans regarding having a president of colour.



But it could also be argued that cinema raises the expectation of the American public towards their president regardless of race.



I have a couple of American friends who have both said they would like a president like Martin Sheen, Harrison Ford or Morgan Freeman because they are men who are portrayed as having decency, dignity and integrity, something they both felt was lacking in a number of previous incumbants.

[penfold]

name='Bernardo']President - elect Obama owes a great deal to the policy of the media that casts ethnic minority actors in leading roles. Example Morgan Freeman as President in the recent asteroid impact movie (Sudden Impact?) when the US saved the world (again). Discuss.

How interesting. The Asteroid impact film where Morgan Freeman plays the President (Deep Impact) is the one where the asteroid hits and all on the Eastern Seaboard die, bar a few lucky evacuees.

The Asteroid impact film where the US (well, Bruce Willis) saves the world again is one where the President is a WASP as usual. (Armageddon).

Is it just possible that Obama won because he had the best campaign, was the best orator, and like Martin Luther King, preached unity and not discord?? I don't think he owes a great deal to Morgan Freeman (For example)....but I suppose that may - subconsciously, perhaps - have made some neo-bigots think a while, and stop ruling it out.

[Freddy]

Interestingly Juan Williams a black broadcaster who worked for both Fox and PBS was on the Daily Politics. He said that Obama's victory gives hope to his children and every other black child that you too can achieve, can become President. You just don't have to be a rapper or a basketball player, that often in the entertainment industry the tv image of blacks is of 'hyper violent, hyper sexual' . Now the image will be of Obama's children playing in the White House garden.





Regards



FReddy

[Chevyman]

name='Bernardo']President - elect Obama owes a great deal to the policy of the media that casts ethnic minority actors in leading roles. Example Morgan Freeman as President in the recent asteroid impact movie (Sudden Impact?) when the US saved the world (again). Discuss.

One flaw is that Obama is not black

[Bernardo]

name='Bernardo']President - elect Obama owes a great deal to the policy of the media that casts ethnic minority actors in leading roles. Example Morgan Freeman as President in the recent asteroid impact movie (Sudden Impact?) when the US saved the world (again). Discuss.

Sorry I mentioned Morgan Freeman now.

Point is Obama won 48% to 52% which suggests that the electoral college wins were tight. USA has a racist element which has been softened up by the media portraying non white people in responsible roles over the years years. Once the role was 'senior' yet minor in the number of lines like the chief of detectives (black) ordering Starsky and Hutch (white) who had the starring roles. Over the years, with constant use of the 'Statutory black' ,horrible phrase as it is, gradually non white actors came to the fore and a population began to accept as normal what was impossible in the 1960's in the South.

So what I am proposing, remembering this is a movie forum, that part at least of that 4% came from voters conditioned to accept seeing non white people in very senior posts by watching TV and movies thus demonstrating how very powerful a manipulation of the media is. This time for good so such acts are to be approved of.

[homeguard]

name='Bernardo']Sorry I mentioned Morgan Freeman now.

Point is Obama won 48% to 52% which suggests that the electoral college wins were tight. USA has a racist element which has been softened up by the media portraying non white people in responsible roles over the years years. Once the role was 'senior' yet minor in the number of lines like the chief of detectives (black) ordering Starsky and Hutch (white) who had the starring roles. Over the years, with constant use of the 'Statutory black' ,horrible phrase as it is, gradually non white actors came to the fore and a population began to accept as normal what was impossible in the 1960's in the South.

So what I am proposing, remembering this is a movie forum, that part at least of that 4% came from voters conditioned to accept seeing non white people in very senior posts by watching TV and movies thus demonstrating how very powerful a manipulation of the media is. This time for good so such acts are to be approved of.

I think you're right. But there has also been a rise of a strong and influential black middle-class in America since the 60s, something which we haven't had time to develop here yet. An American friend of ours saw it as a consequence of the Bill Cosby show! On our side of the water it seems apparent that advertisers have to acknowledge race by including a percentage of black or Chinese in their productions. Fair enough, except when politicians get involved. The classic, still derided by the troops that were there that day, was one of Blair's show-boating visits to Iraq. No black guys available for the photo op, so they woke up two Fijian lads who had just gone to bed after a night guard so they could pop them in the ranks behind the great leader. Over to you Steve.



Regards,

HG

[penfold]

That must have been about the year that an advert for Ford,(IIRC) featuring a large group of their assembly-line workers, had a couple of Sikh workers airbrushed out....

[homeguard]

name='penfold']That must have been about the year that an advert for Ford,(IIRC) featuring a large group of their assembly-line workers, had a couple of Sikh workers airbrushed out....

Could have been, Penfold, I didn't know that. But then Ford have a history.....



Herr Hitler openly boasts of Mr. Ford's support and praises Mr. Ford as a great individualist and a great anti-Semite. A photograph of Mr. Ford hangs in Herr Hitler's quarters, which is the center of monarchist movement

6Jonathan Leonard, The Tragedy of Henry Ford, (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1932), p. 208. Also see U.S. State Department Decimal File, National Archives Microcopy M 336, Roll 80, Document 862.00S/6, "Money sources of Hitler," a report from the U.S. Embassy in Berlin.



Regards,

HG