Before reading this chapter, I thought this debate was just a pointless semantic exercise that was not really worth addressing. Now that I have a bit more perspective, I can see that there is definitely more to it. The point of self-naming and racial identification is empowerment, and names have a historical link to oppression as well. I'm reminded of Roots...
For the most part, I think any questions about Barack's heritage are bullshit brought up to stir rancor or try attempt to satisfy the media's constant thirst for controversy. It seems to me that a news anchor who spends fifty percent of their time covering celebrities and the other half violent crimes is not likely to be talking about a person's African American heritage in order to explicate the intricacies of identity with the two identities implied.
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