What are you? Is your answer simple or difficult?
I am White. I am Black. I am Italian.
If you have a simple answer, life is simpler. Not to say better, but when people ask or look, and they always do, you can be placed in a category instantly. They will then treat you as they treat all people in that category.
What if that category does not exist for the person asking? What if you are something "new" to them?
They become paralyzed, unable to act or interact without utter confusion.
Make no mistake. They are selling confusion. And, hoping for paralysis
I come from two "round headed" peoples. Irish/Korean. So, my overall appearance is not "flagged" immediately. I am identified early as white, but there’s a nagging in the back of people’s minds. They see my face, my cheekbones, my eyes. Their early identification is called into question.
They become guarded, less amiable, as their minds grind and whir away trying to figure out "what" I am. Whenever I "smell something burning" I make the necessary segue into my lineage, so that they can be comfortable, safe. Sometimes they make the move and ask; I answer, and this makes them feel better. But, in this there is a root.
Fear of the unknown.
People are frightened of things that confuse them. It will paralyze them. They must fit you into a category.
John Kerry took a beating for "for it..before against it". Why?
Because it made no clear statement about who he was. People then became confused as to what he was. The confusion caused a reaction. This is a problem for people who are easily swayed, or dumbasses. But, there are a lot of people who are subject to this kind of meme.
Obama.
What is the goal of the right wing? To confuse people who can be confused. To sow doubt about what he is.
They make up new words. Halfrican (new words are confusing and scary)
They say:
"Is he black, or black enough."
"He should just say he’s white."
"He’s not black, and not on your side."
"He is black and not on your side."
"He’s a different kind of black."
"He’s more white than black."
Etc...
Confusion is their goal, not answers. Confused people will vote for what they know versus something that they don’t. This is exactly what republicans want.
Obama wrote a book defining what he was. If you’re someone who confuses others with your ethnicity you can see the genius of it. The questions would come, this was inevitable. He answered them all, and early. What a move.
They don’t want to define race, they want confusion and fear and paralysis. They don’t want answers they only want to pose more questions.
The questions will stop argument about policy, because until he is defined people won’t act or support him.
This is how they are going to attack Barack. This is how they are attacking him right now.
They want to make him a Racial "flip-flop". Don’t let it happen.