VOTERS BEWARE!

It is evident, from the recent political campaign, that racism and prejudice remain at the core of American society. At a recent Republican rally, held in Clearwater, FL, Gov. Palin criticized the media for unjustly portraying her as an unqualified, Vice-Presidential candidate. During her address, Palin supporters yelled obscenities at the camera crew-with one supporter shouting to an African-American sound man, "Sit down, boy." At another McCain-Palin rally, members of the crowd yelled, "Kill him, kill Obama" following Sarah Palin's rant concerning the nature of Sen. Obama's relationship with radical Bill Ayers. It is clear (at least to me) that the objective of the republican party is to incite the two main issues that lay at the heart of American society- race and prejudice.

In a recent class discussion, following a story told to us by Professor Smith, we were asked the question, "What does it mean to sound white?" I was blown away when the majority of the class acted clueless in response to her question. The silence suggested that there is no stereotype attached to speech and the way we speak. In the summer of 2001, I was employed as a customer service representative for American Express. During my training, I was instructed to listen for idiomatic dialects and word patterns as indicators of the potential race and social status of incoming callers; a tool that I believe many people use in their daily lives. Proper speech and enunciation are characteristics of "whiteness". While slang and broken language are characteristics attributed to minorities-a fact that we must all face.

Although the United States has made great strides in race relations, it would be presumptuous of us to assume that this country is not driven by racism and prejudice. With our nation in a state of emergency and economic crisis, our choice for President should be based entirely on the merits of each candidate and the solutions that are offered to redeem us from the debauchery of the current administration; not the inflammatory words of racism and hate that incite the prejudice in all of us. This country is in need of a President that leads by example and has the best interest and welfare of every citizen at heart. I propose that when you cast your vote for President, you look beyond the racist fabric of our nation and vote for the future success of America, and not the prejudicial stereotypes associated with our shameful past.