Barack Obama's racial identity and the social construction of race

SOCIOLOGY

Racism

What is Obama's race?

Barrack Obama's biography and upbringing are spiced up by interaction with different races as perceived by the modern world. He was born of a white mother from Hawaii in American and a black African father from Kenya. Moreover, Obama was raised, for a better period of his young life, in Jakarta, Indonesia together with his stepsisters. Therefore, to answer the question of Obama's race is a daunting task. He is neither fully white nor fully black due to the parental racial difference. Obama himself, in his book "Dreams from my father" strengthens this aspect of his life. He says that he was segregated by both the white fellow students and the black ones as well while at high school.

Romans view of the Gaus

The Gaus are described by various ancient Roman authors has having two faces. In the one hand, they are described as indecisive and aggressive in battles, on the other, they are viewed as having been clean and neat. However, one thing stands out; the Roman elites that lived at that time viewed the Gaus as an inferior race, since they succumbed to their ideals and accepted their rule. The superiority complex that was exhibited in these early times by the Roman Empire was further integrated by the Europeans in their quest to colonize the world. Moreover, Darwin's theories that categorized different peoples as being inferior intellectually also played a crucial role in propelling racism to higher heights.

Seven people in a room

Racism, as described in the passages above is more complicated than just a matter of skin color. There a number of individuals who strongly believe that they are better or superior to other people. Yet another group is of the school of thought that racism is closely related to social characteristics of a certain people. Further still, there are those who hold that racism is driven by a necessity of a certain "superior" group wanting to maintain the status quo; believing it is the right thing to do. They may harbor motives to eliminate those groups they perceive inferior or undeserving. It is therefore, as earlier described, to have a universal perspective of racism. What may be regarded as racism, say in Europe, may not be racist in Africa.

However, the effects of this monster, racism has hit humanity where it hurts most, their dignity. It has fuelled hate among the souls of certain people, to the extent of purposely determining to eliminate another group of people due to issues that in most cases are beyond their control or making. This is preposterous and leaves a sour taste to the mouth. However, an observation of the various attempts made by scholars reveals that racism as some aspects that are common in all racist orientations. These aspects are the ideal held by a group of people suggesting that they are superior to another group of people. These people may feel interactions with the inferior grouping may dilute their purity.

After this critical analysis of the nature of racism, it becomes rather easy and complicated to answer the question on the seven people in a room. It will be easy to answer this question if we link the skin color, and hold on to a racist sentiment that blacks are from Africa and whites from Europe. In this case, the room will have one black and one white people. However, if we are to take into account all the various factors that influence racism, then it becomes imperative to ask some hard questions before attempting to answer the question. For example, from what country or region are the seven individuals? What are their individual perceptions on the other people in the room? For example, a black man who migrated to France centuries ago, and fought in their wars, adopted their culture, look at a fellow black man from Africa in a different manner. In this case, who is discriminating the other? This makes the answer to the question elusive. Moreover, racism has never based its ideals on natural-sound principles, but rather on issues such as habits, customs and so on. It has never based its reason on biology either. This aspect of racism, interestingly, proves that racism is actually a dogmatic issue based on perceptions and ideologies, and that explains why it keeps changing in nature. It may appear as though racism may be a well-organized ploy by some powerful individuals, who conspire to retain power by creating a false sense of hate among members of a society, and derive undue advantages for themselves.