Well, for all the black women out there, this whole thing is totally irrelevant because we get both. Yay!

Racism is almost never useful to it's victims. There's rarely an incentive for a minority group to cooperate in racism against their own group. Ken Blackwell, Amy Holmes and Ward Connerly are the ignoble exceptions.

Sexism, on the other hand, can be useful to it's victims. Acting dumb, boosting your cleavage and batting your eyes will get you more than playing Stepenfetchit ever will.

I'd say racism trumps sexism every day of the week.

I don't think one trumps the other. They are both bad things that oppress people. Evil is evil is evil.

Women is Arabic countries suffer greatly and no amount of cleavage boosting will change that. In fact, it might get you decapitated in the town square for batting your eyes. Not so useful.

Racism trumps sexism, sure. But whar Daria said is absolutely TRUE. Us women of color get both, from whites as well as our "brothers."

On the Obama speech note, the speech didn't do much for me. Although I agree with what the Rev. Jeremiah Wright said, Obama was expected to distance himself from Rev. Wright so whites won't be scared to vote for him.

Then he put out his grandmma's own racism into play, claiming that he can't denounce his grandma nor his preacher for feeling the way they do. I'm still trying to sort out how I feel about this, although the speech was partly knee-bending to White America, it doesn't do him any good by constantly "distancing" himself.

On the speech itself, IT IS NOT the BEST speech on racism to date, as his loving followers have said on democratic Underground, Daily Kos and other pro-Obama blogs. Tell that to Dr. MLK, Jr., Ms. Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Medger Evers, among countless other TRUE heroes of the civil rights movement. Obama never had to face angry dogs, had family killed & lynched, face firehoses, be arrested and sit in jail for weeks/months/years just for the color of their skin.

This is why I have a problem with him and his followers. He has not paid his dues to be revered this way.

yes, black women have both sexism and racism to deal with. but as khia123 pointed out, females like supahead, et al., can profit tremendously from their sex in a sexist atmosphere.

it is impossible for Obama to have paid any dues other than the ones this current climate provides–which is veils and veils of racism.

the people you cite (rosa parks, mlk, malcolm x) were not cotton-pickin' slaves getting whipped in the fields, raped in their master's bedrooms, starved, etc. …but, but, but they endured the awful inhumanity of their time.

what dues would you exact from Obama? a flogging? rape? being sprayed with a hose?

42% hadn't even heard about it? Wow I guess there is hope … for him I mean. The rest of us are screwed if 42% are too busy watching american idol to know what's going on in the election.

And why do people keep suggesting he threw his grandmother OR the reverend under the bus? I swear man people can't have it both ways. All the white pundits are saying he didnt apologize enough. Now some people are saying "he betrayed the reverend and his grandmother." I mean for cryin out loud, what would YOU have said if you were up there making that speech??

I'm surprised that 58% of people were actually aware of it. I was thinking 20ish.

Then he put out his grandmma’s own racism into play, claiming that he can’t denounce his grandma nor his preacher for feeling the way they do. I’m still trying to sort out how I feel about this
That personal touch was probably the best part of it. A lot of it seemed kinda… meh. I read the transcript. Didn't actually watch it so perhaps it was more touching than it is on paper. When I realized that his grandmother was still alive though, I thought it wasn't exactly the best choice.

Racism is almost never useful to it’s victims.
What? Just like women can play into stereotypes to achieve their goals, so can black people. New York (of I Love NY), Omarosa, probably half of mainstream hip hop "artists" today are using stereotypes of black folk to get ahead. Getting ahead for them means getting their money. If you're willing to chuck n jive in the right form, then yes, you can definitely get ahead.

You might find women who use their sexuality to sell cars, houses, etc. but you won't see it in the corporate world these days. The woman who gets sh*t done, scratches enough backs and brings in money is an asset. There's no amount of cleavage, eye batting or anything else that a professional woman can do that will top that of the secretaries and interns without the HR people taking note. Result: ruined career.

was almost ready to accept that argument, daria, except that you cite two women (both with large breasteses and unashamed to display them). i'm thinking both are using their sex to their advantage.

as for the hip-hop industry–well you know that's fraught with sexist and misogynist policies. li'l kim and missy elliot are arguably the two biggest female rap stars ever, and they were famous precisely because they did the unexpected. why are there only two to name?

sorry, but i could name a dozen white bands and solo artists, male and female, that are completely unremarkable in talent and totally remarkable in capital.

racism wins. yay! boo!