The Politics of Gender and Race

This year, the primaries and impending election have brought about questions of progress as a nation. On one hand, many would like to say that we have greatly progressed, as this is the first time in our country's history that we have a good chance of ending up with either a woman or an African American man as president. Not too long ago, that would have been unheard of. for that reason, the nation is admiring itself, pleased with the opportunity it is giving to minorities. Change is coming, and we'd like to think that the change is welcomed.

When closely examined, though, we find that we're not as far removed from the past as we'd like to believe. Neither Hilary Clinton nor Barack Obama is running on political merit alone. Policies and strategies are discussed, but so is race and gender. Instead of people commenting on how lucky we are as a nation that things are finally changing, the nation is holding its breath, closing its eyes, and attempting to figure out if we'd be better off with a white woman or an African American man.

I question the true changes this country has made. If we are still in a position where this question is being asked right along with the candidates' policies, how far have we really progressed? As long as race and gender are an issue in this country, we will continue to be divided.

Recently, John McCain gave a speech commemorating the assassination of Marin Luther King, Jr., arguably the greatest civil rights leader this nation has ever seen. While giving that speech, McCain offered his apologies for voting against a federal holiday for King. I was left to wonder, would McCain, a white man, have been so quick to apologize had he not been running against a black man? Did he really feel that he was wrong, or was he playing into the racial politics as well?

While this country dances into a new era, an era where racial and gender equality will surely be achieved, issues and prejudices are both forced into light and swept under the rug. Hilary Clinton possibly committed political suicide, along with her husband, by alienating many African Americans on the campaign trail. She said something that she had a difficult time explaining away. She claimed that Martin Luther King, Jr. would have never been as successful without Lyndon Johnson.

In a different election, that may have been passed over as a political faux pas that could be rectified with some good campaigning. This is a different time, though. Would Clinton had made those remarks, and would she have suffered so much from them, if a black man was not in the race?

Would Clinton's statement on the Ellen Degeneres Show to the effect of she was used to boys telling her to quit, and she's never listened to it, brought about such astounding applause if gender wasn't an issue?

Would people imply that Barack Obama would put spinners on Air Force One if we had truly progressed as a nation? No, of course not, but I heard those words come out of someone's mouth.

Hilary Clinton's menstrual cycle and her ability to control her emotions while experiencing PMS would not be brought up if gender was irrelevant, yet I have heard that topic broached many times.

We are priding ourselves for progress that we have yet to make. This is supposed to be the land of opportunity. That means opportunity for every citizen, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. However, we gloss over that as a nation. As long as we are making progress, we believe, things will work themselves out.

Thank goodness that Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Susan B. Anthony did not wait for things to work themselves out.

We are blessed as a nation that Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks did not wait for things to work themselves out.

We are also collectively lucky, as a nation that Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton did not wait for things to work themselves out. If they had, we would not have these issues before us today. We would continue to push them under the rug instead of confronting them head on and dealing with personal biases and prejudices that live deep within the souls of many.

Real change does not occur in an easy fashion. Years will pass by, but change does not come naturally. Change occurs when a person or people decide to go against the tide of conformity and rise up above the status quo. People then have the choice to go along with the change or be left behind in a desolate place, alone. If the change was easy, it was most likely not worthwhile.

Obama and Clinton are forcing us to open up to the possibility that this country will not be the same years from now. Racial and gender equality will occur. No, it will not occur with their candidacies. It will simply get better. It will take many more candidates for people to truly understand that we are, as a nation, in this together. Separating by race and gender is causing a failure and breakdown as a nation. It is time for us to truly finish what King, Parks, Stanton, and Anthony started.