Obama In The Flesh

If you haven't lived or spent time in a southern town here is a really good anecdotal piece to give you a feel for a typical slice of the experience.

Note that Obama chose to go to a mostly white frequented diner, when a mostly black frequented diner was nearby. Note also that a woman named Fanning got most of the print in the story, though others were more moderate or even supportive, as in "at least he's not a war monger".

This is a small southern town. I lived and worked in the big city of Atlanta during the 60's when racial tensions were at their peak. Atlanta was blessed with a smart and decent mayor, a white man named Ivan Allen, Jr. who worked with the black leadership to avoid what happened in Birmingham.

The business I was in had five locations in small towns in Georgia which I visited frequently. The societies and cultures in those towns were much like those described in the article here, except in the '60's a black man would only go into an all white diner if he were trying to integrate it. And his reception would have made Fanning seem like an angel of tolerance.

So, we've gained some in tolerance and decent behavior, but voting behavior is still pretty much the same in the small southern towns. Note the pastor's preference for McCain, based on Iraq progress. That might be genuine, but often it's a transparent cover for prejudice.

Ya gotta love Obama for going into that diner. No telling if that might have influenced some folks to vote for him, just because he's a flesh and blood nice guy, not an abstract idea of a black man.

As Woody Allen once said, ninety percent of life is showing up.

Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeper