It was a warm and fuzzy feeling to feel the nation's smug satisfaction in having nominated the first African-American Presidential candidate this summer. We were good folks after all, and it looked like maybe we were ready for a real change--until he started beating the sox off the white candidate in the polls following the financial crisis last week.
The financial crisis unleashed an even uglier crisis as crowds showing up at McCain's rallies calling Obama every evil name they could think of: "terrorist", "Arab" (I still don't understand what's demeaning about that) among others, and forcing McCain to defend his opponent's Americanism, honor, and patriotism at the very time he seeks an advantage through encouraging political mistrust of his opponent.
In other words, it was clear there are limits to what many Americans are willing to keep quiet about. The racism and bigotry hasn't disappeared at all. It has merely been held quiet for the sake of political correctness while all seemed under control. Now that Obama appears to be a breath away from actually being the next President, those voices have surfaced in all their ignorance and secret bigotry.
It will be interesting to see how the campaigns handle this newly-vocal, hard-to-believe element among the electorate. Racism has always gone into hiding when threatened to be exposed for the evil it is. That's why klansmen wore sheets. And it's why Hillary supporters, upset when Obama defeated her for the nomination, complained they'd vote for McCain before they'd vote for Obama. But people thought that was just sour grapes their candidate got beat. Maybe those who said it tried to see it that way as well. After all, none could admit they're just not ready to elect an African-American as President. But many would be more honest to admit it.
For all our "progress" in race relations, for all our surface cooperation with politically correct utterances, when things aren't going the way the white majority of this country thinks is to its liking, out come the slurs, the threats, the names and the racism in all it ugliness. So I wonder how far we've really come after all. If things reverse politically and McCain pulls back ahead before the elections, we may never know. After all, everyone wants to feel they are not prejudiced. But I suspect Obama--the uncannily effective organizer, speaker, fundraiser and campaigner who seems certain to win by the electoral numbers no matter what McCain does, He may even have to win by a Supreme Court decision in his favor. For I suspect there are more bigots among us who will claim they support Obama but will vote for McCain in the privacy of the voting booth than anyone imagines. I suspect Obama may win with a substantial electoral vote victory but a very lopsided popular vote minority.
So I wonder if political correctness is really better than unfettered truth, even if it hurts or offends. Maybe it would be better for ignorant bigots to be voicing their ridiculous slurs all along and be shouted down by more rational voices than to put a lid on their views till they won't be contained any longer. I've long believed people have to internalize their values for themselves; they can be encouraged by others but not forced. The proponents of political correctness have gotten legislatures to legally ban prejudice and bigotry in all its public forms, but I fear all they have done is just force it into the secrecy of the heart.
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