Blakes7 Discussion

Cockroach Boy · Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 10:04 am Post subject: Non-White British PM?

Obama's victory in the US elections raises the question of whether the British public would ever vote in a Prime Minister who wasn't white.

Is it feasible? Are the British people too inhereently racist or would the pragmatism of voting for the best candidate irrespective of race, win through?

The other is option is there if you feel that - for example - a black Prime Minister would be accepted but not an Asian one or vice versa.
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Futsie · Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 10:20 am Post subject:

Hmm, that's an interesting question...!

I think there's degrees of "non-white" tho... if Obama had an African accent and clothes, would he have got as many votes...?

(I'm just saying that skin colour is often associated with cultural values... even tho I don't think it needs to be... but people can also be identified with a particular culture or background by how they dress, speak, etc)

Cockroach Boy · Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 10:46 am Post subject:

Futsie · Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:34 pm Post subject:

When people talk about Obama's "blackness", are they talking about the particular tone of his skin, his genetic and racial origins, or his cultural and personal values and the way he talks, behaves etc?

I suspect that they're talking about a mixture of all those things, and different people give priority to one or other factor, but it all gets shoved together under the label "race" or "black" or "blackness" and turns into a confusing jumble!

And whichever of those things it is, they're not all that define him... What about his social class, educational background, intelligence, personality, upbringing....?

And politicians carefully choose how they present themselves because they know a lot of votes can be influenced that way... Even if he wanted to appear more "Kenyan" or something, would it have been a good marketing move...?

Anyway, I don't care about his level of "blackness"... it's his level of "humanity" that I'm worried about, but I'm thinking that's got to be at least higher than the guy he just replaced...

So could we have a non-white PM? Maybe, but just "how non-white" would they be? Let's say we had an Asian candidate... if he wore traditional Asian dress, and only spoke in Urdu, would he get as many white votes as if he wore a typical politician style suit and spoke very good English in a very proper BBC home counties accent?

And would that make him less "Asian"?

But then again... how the guy presents himself is partly about how he expresses his personal values, and affects which voters think he will look out for their interests...

Anyway, I circumvent all this madness by voting for the candidate that has the best beard...

grazialand · Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 1854 Location: U S A

I think it could be possible,do you have such candidate there?
And while Obama won,here in America are still many racist and prejudice people,

i found out while campaigning for Obama,
a lot of people when his name was mention would either slam the door at me ,or would hang up on me.and at times i was a little afraid for myself,
but that never stopped me..

I don't know how many people of color you have there,but color only didn't
decide the elections here,the people were so tired of the wrong policies and the bad governing of Bush 8 years,
i think that if the only factor had been his color ,Obama wouldn't have won.
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BLAKESCREWE · Joined: 16 May 2004 Posts: 21196 Location: 1977!

In Britain?? No chance at the mo, there`s hardly a black MP near the front benches, never mind as leader, Britain is institutionally racist and I can`t see it happening for at least 25 years but would love to be proved wrong!
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THE_LIBERATOR · Goatboy Joined: 16 May 2004 Posts: 9063

No, because like I said before we are not allowed an election.

Futsie · Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 7:39 pm Post subject:

Well, technically we do, but we only get a choice between politicians, all a bit right wing... I'm sure we could have a non-white PM, as long as he/she was a typical politician and a bit right wing...

Reminds me of that J.F.Batelier cartoon, where there's one of those seaside photo type things with holes for people to stick their heads through... except instead of a seaside scene, it's some kind of Ministry bench with smartly suited figures (but with holes for the faces)...

And the caption says "We'll change all the heads you want as long as you recognise the supremacy of the party"

grazialand · Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 1854 Location: U S A

Yes but you have the monarchy there also,is it who rules your country Her majesty the queen?
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Jenna2..

Success is liking yourself,liking what you do,
and liking how you do it..

Maya Angelou, poet...

THE_LIBERATOR · Goatboy Joined: 16 May 2004 Posts: 9063

Futsie · Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 9:40 pm Post subject:

Depends what you mean by an election... we get to go in a booth and push a button every few years... what do you mean...?

THE_LIBERATOR · Goatboy Joined: 16 May 2004 Posts: 9063

I mean our current Prime Minister was not democratically (or otherwise) elected. & There is no sign of a general election in the near future, despite obvious public opinion.

Futsie · Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 10:33 pm Post subject:

Well this is a representative democracy you know... Which seems to mean that the representatives mostly represent their own opinions and not the public's

THE_LIBERATOR · Goatboy Joined: 16 May 2004 Posts: 9063

Well now, representative democracy is just another way of saying you don't have a choice.

Cockroach Boy · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:10 am Post subject: