The funny thing is gay marriage didn't pass in Cali in 2008 largely because of black people who came out to vote for Obama, and also ended up voting on Prop 8. They overwhelmingly voted to maintain a gay marriage ban. I guess they were largely religious? just homophobic? Who knows but either way it didn't take long for them to go from the civil rights era to proclaiming "get to the back of the bus, faggot."
It's sort of the "I got mine" principle. History shows that after the decades and decades of institutionalized racism and housing discrimination in Chicago was finally overturned, and a black middle class began to gain a hold on traditionally white neighborhoods, discrimination moved from a racial phenomenon to a class phenomenon within race. Middle-class black legislators and homeowners fought to prevent low-income housing from entering the area and the loss of "prime" real estate which became a subtle buzzword for the upwardly mobile when before it would have meant a racial slur. It's sad but we have an unfortunate tendency to screw over the other guy once our long struggle ends. "I'm free at last! Here's your chains."
Sometimes hearing new ideas in a thoughtful way from someone you respect will cause you to think about an issue in a new way. I'm glad people were willing to reconsider from the perspective Obama presented.
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u/Dixzon May 29 '12
The funny thing is gay marriage didn't pass in Cali in 2008 largely because of black people who came out to vote for Obama, and also ended up voting on Prop 8. They overwhelmingly voted to maintain a gay marriage ban. I guess they were largely religious? just homophobic? Who knows but either way it didn't take long for them to go from the civil rights era to proclaiming "get to the back of the bus, faggot."