2008 Election and Political Drama: U.S. Sees Increase in Racial Tensions

We are on the eve of a monumental, historic event: the nation's first African American is on the presidential ballot. Is this causing an upswing of racial tensions in our country? There is an increase in e-mails of a racial nature circulating on the World Wide Web. I see racial tensions increasing as Americans voice there opinions at home, on the street and in the workplace. The upcoming presidential election will, I feel, be a very intense time; people from both sides of the fence will gather at homes, bars, and other public places to watch who will become the next president of the United States. We will be glued to our televisions like never before.

Will we be a nation that stands together and show the world we have graduated in the last 400 years? Or will racial divisions increase bringing about a level of prejudice we have not seen in years. I have heard of emails being sent out about Presidential candidate Obama accusing him of being everything from the anti-Christ to Saddam Hussein's brother. Will the election night bring about riots or fights in the bars due to opinions and comments from either side being tossed around like frisbee's? I hope we can weather the storm without doing irreparable damage to ourselves and our nation.

This viewpoint may be a little extreme for some, but racial tensions and riots have erupted from much less. I have witnessed numerous workplace debates concerning the candidates, and heard voices raised and tempers flare. Even though politics have no business in the workplace, unless you work in a political venue, conversations are being had, and political views debated. Co-workers who are friends and race is not an issue, is now becoming an issue. And friendships are becoming strained. Race is still an underlying matter, and is coming to the top like simmering like a hot bowl of soup ready to boil over at any moment.

Has law enforcement discuss the possible outcome and unforeseeable problems and situations that may occur? Paranoia it may seem to some but it best to err on the side of precaution, you may think I have little faith in the people of our great country but some hidden scars and old wounds are starting to fester, and we have only begun to scratch at the surface of a sore that we thought had long ago healed.