CNN-Obama Black Enough
[WORDS]
♧ reference (to) : n. 언금, 참조
♧ stereotype : n. 틀에 박힌 생각/말/사람
♧ stroll : v. 어슬렁거리다, 돌아다니다
♧ Bill Schneider.
♧ Barack Obama
♧ stature : n. 키, 능력, 성장
♧ Jesse Jackson
♧ Al Sharpton
♧ notion : n. 관념, 개념, 생각
♧ have to do with : v. 관련이 있다
♧ let down : v. 실망하다, 실망시키다
♧ be sick of : ~에 질리다, 신물이 나다
♧ bring A up : 주제/말 따위를 먼저 꺼내다
♧ have A on : 약속/할 일 등이) 있다, 생각/물건 등을 갖고 있다
♧ dispose of : v. 처리하다, 결말을 짓다, 버리다
♧ sustain : v. 떠받치다, 계속 하다, 유지하다
♧ bizarre : a. 기상한, 기괴한, 이상한
♧ formative : a. 형성하는, formative years : 인격의 형성기
He is the only African-American candidate in the presidential race. And, for many African-Americans, that's still not enough.
"I want to apologize for being a little bit late, but you guys keep on asking whether I'm black enough."
An obvious reference to the stereotype that black people are often late.
"Uh-huh. That's right. So, I figured I would stroll in about 10 minutes after deadline."
He laughs, but it's been no joke defending his blackness to black people. CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider.
"Barack Obama is the first African-American political leader of national stature who does not come out of the civil rights movement. He's not Jesse Jackson. He's not Al Sharpton. He actually does appeal to a lot of white voters in a way that Jackson and Sharpton did not. And, a lot of people think he could be the first African-American elected. Does that mean he is not black enough? Well, some African-Americans are asking that question but in a way it's not fair. The question is is he with the African-American community on the issues that matter to them. That's the only test that really counts."
Obama has his own ideas.
"I think ... in part, we're still locked in this notion that, somehow, if you appeal to white folks, then there must be something wrong. And, we're still kind of working that through. And part of it has to do with fear, which is, you know what, we don't want to get too excited about the prospects here because we feel like we will be let down in the end. And I guess my attitude is, let's try. Let's see."
"Are you sick of answering that question?"
"No, no. I'm just - I'm not sick of it. I just - I think it's kind of silly. That's why I brought it up. I figured everybody here might have that on - apparently, it was raised yesterday, even with Senator Clinton. So, I figured I had better go ahead and dispose of that early."
"Are you black enough to sustain...?"
It sounds like a bizarre question for either candidate. But think of it this way, Senator Clinton is married to the man that some in the African-American community call the first black president. And for Obama, well, some blacks wonder if having a white mother and a father from Kenya and spending much of his formative years outside of the U.S. really qualifies him as traditionally African-American.
Don Lemon, CNN, Las Vegas.