It is insulting to many black people, to call Obama black. He is not, he's half white. It is great that he was nominated for president, but I believe that a black male would still not stand a chance, even with liberals. Obama is black enough that liberals can alleviate some white guilt and feel good about themselves.

To equate the "struggles" a bi-racial male to that faced by full blooded black makes, belittles and undermines the issues facing black culture. He would not be the first black president if elected, that glass ceiling is still waiting to be shattered.

You talk about him as I talk about my dachshunds, "he's black and only CKC she's wild boar with sable pattern carrying cream and chocolate and recognized by the AKC, but I can't decide whether to spay or not because she's so tiny but a beautiful specimen".

Laugh.

I get your point, but do you really think the vast majority of Americans perceive Obama as "bi-racial?" I think they do see him as "black." Moreover, he has chosen to identify with the African-American community in many ways (through Michelle and her family, church, Chicago community, etc.) so most voters and the media view him as a black nominee regardless of his racial/ethnic mix.

By your definition, Halle Berry wasn''t the first African-American woman to win an Oscar, either?

What if Obama had two full-blooded black parents of African or Caribbean ethnicity? Would he then be a black person, or only if he was a of US (slave) ancestry? Or would he then be black but not "African-American?" I'm wondering what the definition of "black" truly is.

Ironically, in Kenya, he would be considered, culturally, an "African (Kenyan) with a white mother" and not even bi-racial since ethnicity is patrilineal.

Lastly, why is it an "insult" to call Obama black?. It may not be 100% accurate, but, why is it an insult per se? Because, in your view, he hasn't earned the title (since he hasn't faced the struggles of black males), yet he is being given the recognition and achievement of a "First"?

Just curious.

I see your point and agree to a point, however, my point is Obama had "access" to the white world that many black males do not get, either by choice or by circumstance. Obama's fully caucasian mother and the departure of his black father, was a passport to opportunity. If a fully white male spends his entire life working for the betterment of the black community, he does so as a white male, and it is a fact, regardless of what he thinks. Obama can identify himself as black, and indeed to the uninformed gaze, he may appear black, but he has an "escape hatch" from his blackness not available to many. As for Kenya, every country has it's own racial legacy and normatives.

You are correct, it is not insulting to be black, hopefully in today's day anyway. Bi-racial people today almost have more mass appeal than full blooded persons of any race. That appeal is that they can somewhat or completely relate to the situation of both groups. I just feel it is not an insult for Obama's white identity and his mother to be acknowledged. Ultimately decisions about people should not be me made based on things they have no control over: race, gender, and I believe orientation.

Again, I do understand your point. Obama has had very different experiences and opportunities relative to black males in America. One reason, as you pointed out, is the exposure and opportunities through his mother. Another, less discussed, is his exposure through his international family and living experiences: Indonesian step-dad, life in multi-cultural Hawaii, and Kenyan family. He has a wider world, not weighed down by racial baggage and the obstacles of being black in America (in my view).

I agree totally that Obama's white heritage should be acknowledged. I think at a personal level, he identifies as black because America tends to categorize everybody in boxes with little opportunity for variation. He has acknowledged his white mother and grandparents, but not as strongly as I would have liked--and only more recently. Sharing his white family and even his multi-cultural sister (white/Indonesian/married to a Chinese), could have helped him relate far more with white Americans, Asians and those with mixed heritage.

I enjoy discussions on this topic, by the way. Like Obama, I have a white American mother and African father. Unlike Obama, I have dual citizenship, lived overseas as much as in the US, and was raised by my two parents. I identify as black because of my color and father's patrilineal culture, but I don't identify as African-American. And I don't profess to have the same experiences or perspectives of people of color raised exclusively in the US. I never know what to write on those census forms...

Regards.

ChristineATL:

I agree totally that Obama's white heritage should be acknowledged. I think at a personal level, he identifies as black because America tends to categorize everybody in boxes with little opportunity for variation. He has acknowledged his white mother and grandparents, but not as strongly as I would have liked--and only more recently. Sharing his white family and even his multi-cultural sister (white/Indonesian/married to a Chinese), could have helped him relate far more with white Americans, Asians and those with mixed heritage.

It's true- by this point in American history, do any of us know what "race" we are? Some of us have paler or darker skin than others...but that's a continuum so it doesn't quite fit so neatly in those boxes. I would say being "black" or "white" in United States today is more about culture than anything else. People would find me ridiculous for identifying as anything other than "white" but I have native american ancestors, mediterranean ancestors, dark skin...but we've all got to fit in some nice category, right?