How people see blacks (and Indians)

Another fine Nicholas Kristof column illuminates how far we still have to go. And how electing Obama would be a major step on the journey:

Rebranding the U.S. With ObamaThe other day I had a conversation with a Beijing friend and I mentioned that Barack Obama was leading in the presidential race:

She: Obama? But he’s the black man, isn’t he?

Me: Yes, exactly.

She: But surely a black man couldn’t become president of the United States?

Me: It looks as if he’ll be elected.

She: But president? That’s such an important job! In America, I thought blacks were janitors and laborers.

Me: No, blacks have all kinds of jobs.

She: What do white people think about that, about getting a black president? Are they upset? Are they angry?

Me: No, of course not! If Obama is elected, it’ll be because white people voted for him.

[Long pause.]

She: Really? Unbelievable! What an amazing country!

We’re beginning to get a sense of how Barack Obama’s political success could change global perceptions of the United States, redefining the American “brand” to be less about Guantánamo and more about equality. This change in perceptions would help rebuild American political capital in the way that the Marshall Plan did in the 1950s or that John Kennedy’s presidency did in the early 1960s.Comment:  As I argued in 40% of Whites Are Prejudiced, beliefs such as these Chinese woman's are incredible. We live in an age saturated with information, yet people still think minorities can't be president. They literally think blacks are janitors and crooks, Latinos are busboys and maids, and Indians are heathens and savages.

Variation on a theme

I can just imagine how the conversation would go if the subject were Indians rather than blacks:

Me: In America, we have Indian doctors, lawyers, scientists, and engineers. Even a senator and an astronaut.

She: Indians? You mean the red savages? [She puts two fingers behind her head to indicate feathers and a hand over her mouth to indicate whoo-whoo whooping.]

Me: Yes, exactly.

She: But surely an Indian couldn’t do any of these things?

Me: They're already doing them. One Indian was even vice president.

She: Vice president? That’s such an important job! In America, I thought Indians were drunks or lazy bums. I thought they were dead.

Me: No, Indians are alive and working in all kinds of jobs.

She: What do white people think about that, about Indians leaving their reservations and running for important offices? Are they upset? Are they angry?

Me: No, of course not! If Indians are elected, it’ll be because white people voted for them.

[Long pause.]

She: Really? Unbelievable! What an amazing country!

I'd say this is reason enough to vote for Obama. Namely, to send a message to "real Americans" and the rest of the world that times are changing. That we aren't just a white Christian nation that thinks we have a moral right to run the world. That we actually believe our own Declaration of Independence: that all people are created equal. (Well, all people except Jefferson's "merciless Indian savages," of course.)

Indians need the same kind of "rebranding" as blacks and America as a whole. That's why some of us fight so vigorously against racial stereotypes, mistakes, and slurs. Every example in the popular culture--sports mascots, TV shows, statues, magazine titles, parade floats, nude models, holidays, etc., etc.--reinforces the "primitive, savage Indian" brand. And every nonstereotypical example diminishes that brand.