Racism is Alive and Well

I was premature when I pronounced racism dead on arrival after Tuesday’s election.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines racism as “Discrimination or prejudice based on race.” Wordnet 3.0 by Princeton University defines racism as “discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of another race.”

Leading up to the election, people warned us that there would be votes cast for McCain based solely on the fact that Obama is black, and that would be wrong, because it is racist to vote against someone solely based on the color of their skin.

We know that many votes were cast for Obama based solely on the fact that he is black. If it is racist to vote against someone based solely on the color of their skin, then it is racist to vote for someone using the same basis. It’s the basis, not the vote, that entails the racism.

I know this will anger many people. I know that lots of people, including some who are angered by this, will privately admit its truth. I guess I don’t mind being the one to say it.

Would Obama have won without the racist votes? We’ll probably never know.