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I am unsure if an Obama victory would bridge interracial distrust. Many people would say that their feelings about other races would be increased if Obama takes office. People are comfortable with other people like them because they feel secure and don't have to fear judgement on their appearance. Due to this feeling of security, I fear their will always be racial distrust because some people don't want change. It makes me sad to say this, but its very true. I believe an Obama victory will, however, make progress to this issue.

I think it all depends on whether Obama turns out to be a good president or not (because I'm pretty sure he's going to win anyways). If Obama is a good president and does a lot for blacks as well as whites as wells as Mexicans, Asians, etc., then I think inter-racial trust in America will increase. People might realize that a black person is just as capable of running our country as the 43 white men that ran it before him. However, if Obama turns out to be as disliked as George Bush is now, or even close to that, I think inter-racial trust will either stay the same or get worse. We need Obama to be a good black president to prove to America that there is no reason to not trust african americans, and that just because his skin is dark doesn't mean he is any less capable. It will be interesting to see what happens!

I believe that an Obama victory will not change people's state of mind. People are who they are and won't change overnight. However, i trully believe that if

Obama proves them wrong, if he does an excellent job, people's set of mind might be able to change. They might adapt to changes and realize that if they put their fears aside, their apprehension aside and break down the wall and the stereotypes , they might be able to see the true value of an individual who's willing to help their country out. oBAMA Might be able to help in overcoming inter racial distrust just because if he wins, it would be a huge step ahead already. But if it turns out that Obama doesn't stick to what he has promised , those who voted for him might turn on the other side. It's human's nature to adapt to changes but its also true that humans are afraid of changes, of the unknown. Let things be and go with the flow and let's hope for a better future where everyone will work together as one.

As history shows us, the Unites States has suffered a great deal of racism that has griped our nation for many years. If Obama was to become the next President of the United States, I do believe that he will contribute to closing the gap between inter- racial distrust. Although I believe he is capable of accomplishing this important task, the task can not be done alone. With Obama’s inspirational speeches, he might be able to catapult this issue and start a chain reaction throughout the nation. Leaders of the United States senate must buy into Obama’s calls for unity and change in order for any real progress to be made. Selfishness and arrogance must be routed out and unity and faith in one another must take hold for progress to commence and firmly take hold in the minds of Americans. Only time will tell if Obama will hold true to his promise if he does indeed become the next President of the Unites States.

There will always be issues with race because I find it impossible for some people to see that there is really no difference in people except for the shade of people's skin. If Obama became the next President I believe we could see a slight difference in inter-racial relationships. If he does perform well in office and acts an an effective leader, some people might be able to overcome the aspect of race and see that race is not a factor in people besides determining what one looks like. If he turns out to be a good representative of our country, he will just be a man that is leading the United States, not a black man in the Oval Office. If people of different races see a black man in office they might accept seeing diversity all around them and might learn to see it as a normal part of life and not as different colors. Perhaps Obama's change is what America needs to overcome the issue of inter-racial relationships.

I have mixed feelings. Obama is an intelligent and powerful man but changing the way people think is a task that history has told us is pretty much impossible. Without a dought in my mind I believe that he would make huge strides to improving interracial relationships in the United States. But I don’t think Obama can change the mind of a nation. There are too many people who fear change and won’t adopt his attempts to bridge the gap. If Obama does indeed become the next president of the United States hopefully he will be able to teach the nation that we should trust a man by the content of his heart, and not distrust him because of the color of his skin. He would need to lead by example and convince other high ranked officials to buy into his attempts. If he can keep his promises and deliver what he says he will do to increase interracial trust he will do just fine and I truly believe he has was it takes to make a difference.

The fact that Obama is the Democratic nomination shows that America is progressing with inter-racial distrust. And if he is victorious in the election even more progress can be made. In order to overcome inter-racial distrust everyone needs to abandon the visual site of color and embrace change. Americans are fickle by nature and in order for Obama to persevere he needs to be more than just the President of the United States. Everything he does from his personal life to his political life must be accomplished without censor. If Obama can prove to Americans that he is fit for the position and that he is here for everyone not just the African American community then many may change their opinions on inter-racial distrust.

I think that an Obama victory would have some impact on the distrust issue but it still needs to be figured out by the people themselves. Ya, having a black president will help but its still up to people to figure it out for them selves. Though having Obama in office might change some peoples view on Africa Americans, but its still going to take some time before we ever really have true interracial trust between groups of people in general. Its not just between black and white, though that is the main one we see and hear about. But having Obama as president probably help to make a step forward in the right direction.

Assuming Barack Obama secures the office of the Presidency, it would be safe to say his victory would have an effect on inter-racial distrust. The mere fact that he is the first African American to be nominated by a major political party shows somewhat of an indifference towards skin color and inter-racial distrust in this election. That being said, I believe the exit polls in November will truly determine his effect on inter-racial distrust. If Obama obtains the majority vote in areas where racial diversity is high, then one could contend inter-racial distrust has been lessened to an extent; namely, voters of different races could find a facet in Obama's personality that unifies them, thereby weakening distrust.

I personally think that an Obama win will have a slight effect on inter-racial distrust in America. Some people might change their opinions on African Americans, and accept Obama as president. However, there are so many people out there that still have their own political views on who should run our country. Even though he might be the best candidate, people will still end up voting based on inter-racial distrust. I think that some people will be unhappy if he wins. He is a very powerful man, but I don't think that he will be able to change people's opinions of African Americans. It is so sad that people are still judging others based on skin color, and it will be even worse if that's the case if Obama doesnt win.

I think that an Obama victory will do somewhat of an improvement towards inter-racial distrust. Of course it could also stir up more trouble in the inter-racial distrust as many do not like change. They are afraid of change, as studies have shown, people are more likely to group together with others that have the same beliefs. We as a group are afraid of change and the mysteries that it will bring. Hence people do all they can to not let it happen. But as Obama said in his speech, the United States of America will never be perfect, it is impossible to achieve perfection, but with every presidency, we are one step closer to perfection the nation.

I think that if Obama was in the whitehouse it would not have a positive effect on racial trust. It would serve as diversity in the least diverse areas causing even less sense of community.

Yes, slavery is a terrible mark in our history of oppression and the issues we have now are issues with Hispanics. The racial issue is more of an entitlement issue now and people not wanting to earn their own way. People will assign that to certain races, whether it’s Whites, Hispanics, blacks, etc. Whites have moved past racial issues in my opinion, but the flip side of that is there is so much controversy with the “Mexican-American,” “African-American kinds of titles.” Either you’re American or you’re not. As far as racism goes, people have now mostly come to believe that all people are equal. People may characterize certain people with certain issues, so there is discrimination on social issues, but not so much on the race. I think that with Obama becoming president there will be a lot of tension if he does become president. One of Barack’s spiritual advisors is very racist against whites and he believes whites are a threat against black America. If Obama were to become president there would be a definite reverse discrimination. The race card is played by Blacks, Hispanics, etc., but it’s not played by ‘Caucasian-Americans.’

I agree with Gregory. I think that IF obama wins there are going to be split between people and I think a lot of people will lose their trust in the government because a lot of people do not trust him. He "waffles" a lot and I think that is going to cause bit issues. So, IF he wins I think we will see a set back in racism.

Unfortunately, I don't think an Obama victory will have any effect on inter-racial distrust. People are the way the are because of experiences that have shaped them into being who they are. And it takes experiences to change a person from being that way. Perhaps an Obama victory will shed much light on inter-racial distrust but I don't have high hopes that it will work. We have a great country and it will be filled with many different people from many different backrounds especially in the future to come. Hopefully our next President will focus on these issues of mistrust.

I think if Obama were to take office that there would definately be some sort of change within America and possibly even around the world. There are so many countries that look up to the United States, and I think if we were to have a president that was more than just a "white" man, and more than just a "Christian," then a number of things could change, both good and bad. If Obama were to take office many people would feel betrayed and let down, but then many others would feel encouraged and proud. Our country is a free country, and we don't always demonstrate it the way it should be. If Obama became the president, I believe that the Americans would be forced to become more open-minded about race and religion.

I personally think that if Obama wins the white house, it won't have a positive effect on inter-racial distrust. People will have their believes regardless and having a black president will just cause a wider gap between races. People will start segregating with people who have similar believes as themselves. I believe that time is the only factor that can create an inter-racial trust bond.

I think an Obama victory will go both ways on the inter-racial distrust issue. I feel that there are some people who distrust people of the opposite race and if one of these people is put in charge of our country, then they won't be happy. I also feel there are people who might have distrust on the inside but they don't show it. I think these people will outwardly begin to show their distrust if Obama is elected. I also think there are people on the opposite side of the spectrum. I feel there are people that trust others from another race and these people will be happy with Obama being elected and the trust between races will eventually grow. If Obama wins, some people will stay the same, some will be more openly accepting and some will keep the line up between races.

Many people don’t see the inequalities in race right in front of us. If we were all equal, no matter what our skin color was then we would all be treated the same way in every instance; but this isn’t true for all. As human, we all stereotype. We already form opinions about people the second we see them just on the way they look, even before they open their mouth. The problem with this is the power that certain stereotypes carry. For example: White Americans are stereotyped as being uptight and not being able to dance. These were the only negative stereotype that I could come up with for White Americans. On the flipside African Americans are stereotyped as being able to dance, but also lazy, gangbangers, bad parents, angry, mean etc.
So if both a White person and Black person were to be interviewed for a job, before either applicant had a chance to say anything, the interviewer is already forming opinions about both applicants. For the white applicant his dancing abilities and being uptight probably won’t play a huge role in getting the job or not. But for the Black applicant the interviewer is already stereotyping him as being lazy, possibly involved with gangs, mean, angry etc. This puts the Black applicant at a disadvantage. If you say that in an interview you start off at zero points and can either gain or lose points by what you say in the interview, then the Black applicant is already starting off with negative points because of the negative stereotypes that the Black applicant must work through first before even reaching zero. Is this fair?

If Obama is elected to the White House i believe it would have a negative effect on inter-racial distrust. There has always been inter-racial distrust in our country and with him being the only African American President it would only bring out more prejudice. Many people may then believe the only reason he was elected because of his color. With him elected we could see problems in communication or wall barriers between racial groups because of certain decisions he might, make or just because of who he is.

I really believe that if Obama was to be elected to the White House, there wouldn't be a major effect on the levels of inter-racial distrust in our nation. In the past few decades, racism has become more about simply not trusting people who look different from us. It's become a very personal thing. People don't want their neighbors and friends to call them "racist", but when a white person sees a black one walking down the street (or vice versa), automatic stereotypes and feelings of distrust most likely flood into their mind, from who knows where. Many people try to deny they feel this way, because it might not even be intentional, but it's almost like it's the way we're wired (evolutionary explanation). Even though Obama will be the first African American President we've had in this country, he's not the first African American leader we've had (both here and all over the world). I think that people will accept Obama for who he is if he is elected, but it won't really change those fears, questions and stereotypes that they feel when they see someone who looks different than them walking down the street.

I am almost certain that if Obama wins the presidency, there will definitely be an effect on inter-racial distrust. However, I don't know if that effect will be a negative or a positive one. I think a lot of it depends on how good of a president Obama is and if he is able to fulfill the desires of all types of people. I think if he make an obvious attempt to helping Whites, Asians, Hispanics, African Americans, and people of all cultures, I think it will encourage people to be more trusting of other races. However, I also think that him becoming president could worsen racial distrust in the sense that people are going to be more suspicious and wary because Obama is different than themselves. I think that some people have this fear that if someone is not like them or easy to identify with, than perhaps that person becomes a danger or a harm. I think we are mistrusting of people out of fear or just out of a hesitancy to accept change.

In one of the movies I have seen ( I think that it is Star Wars, but I am not sure), the world at that time (many centuries ahead of us) is unified and the world president is a black guy. At that time, having read about racism not only in America but also in the world, I suppose it is either sarcasm or the author has a really forwarded mind. However, this year, this election, 2008, that vision has a very big chance of becoming the truth. Obama may win the election and become the president of the United States. Moreover, this country is always believed to be the most powerful country in the world, so being the head of the most powerful country can technically make Obama become the most powerful man in this war.
Ok, if Obama is elected, will that change racial attitude? Personally, I think it does. Outside America, other countries will look at this country in an undoubtedly but unpredictably different of view. Foreign Affairs is also a great influence on politics and the change may result in possible national political changes.
Inside America, if Obama is elected, if he can handle the nation and make wise decisions, then yes, he will make a social, racial and historical difference. If he fails or if he may appear in some magazine as the worst president ever, then I think that will even enhance the interracial distrust.

Yes, I feel that an Obama victory would have an effect on interracial distrust. The president is meant to unite the entire nation. However, I think there is a distinct possibility that this unity will not occur with Obama. Many Americans refuse to believe that race is not a factor in regard to political decisions. Many feel a sense of distrust towards Obama simply because they do not know enough about him. This feeling of ignorance has brought about a distinct fear within Americans. I think Obama will be able to bridge the gap between races if he can dissolve the fear of the unknown from Americans and give them a reason to trust him with the security and well-being of this country.

With this being the first potential U.S. President to be black, race has clearly played a part in this election and i think that it will post election also. Like we have seen from those youtube videos in class there are some very racist people who are not voting for Obama just cause they are racist. So hopefully he is a good president and they realize that so maybe it can help inter racial distrust, but if he is not a good president i think that it has a chance of not getting better or even worse.

I think if Obama wins, he will definitely help bridge the gap between races and their inter-racial distrust. I believe he would be a role model for both the white and black, encouraging our social relations and trust to unit with one another. I feel as though Obama in office will, as Plato said, set the coordinates of citizenship for the next generation. If Obama is a wonderful president, I think positive things can come out of this, setting the image of trust among diverse races for future generations. However, I think that if we may not see the barrier between racial trust improve with the current generation, I believe we will see it within future generations.

Obama winning the elections doesn’t fully predict whether Obama will have any affect on interracial distrust. Although, the fact that Obama himself is diverse and not our traditional White American President, makes him have more in common with our community. By Obama winning the election, people are going to feel more connected. People of different races are going to feel like they now have a voice to speak for them. If Obama follows what he promises to change and do, there will be an effect on interracial distrust, but the issue will never be fully gone. As the quote from Allen states,” stories we feed our children affect them for life.” It all comes back to our roots and how we were taught by our parents, relatives, friends, etc. In the end, if Obama wins the election our nation will be in the process of making a difference in the interracial distrust.

Although it would have a positive effect on inter-racial distrust, but some areas would not be effected due to their high intolerance to people of other races. The areas that are heavily mixed and are willing to listen to change would have strong positive turning. The areas that are between the two, not heavily mix, but also not intolerant, would have a positive turn, but not as strong as what would happen in places such as California. Although there is also room for concern that if he were to be elected it would not be tolerated at all and that there would be a back last causing even further distrust, but I am going to focus on the positive effects.
His victory would show that people of all races could come together to support one candidate, this would only be the immediate, shortly afterwards people would start to realize that they can get along with and trust people no matter what color their skin. After several long years and several hard fought battles the possibility for people of all races to coexist without the current overt tension that is currently seen regularly throughout America.

IWell lets say if Obama was to win, it would be a step into starting to change people perception of race but it would depend on the outcome of his work as president that would deter what effect it would have in peoples trust for other races. If during his four years in the white house he was to do according to people a good job, because even if did an excellent job at it he would be justly credited for it just because racial distrust and people in America dont really seem to like to admit their wrong or that they did is a mistake (war n Irak, electing president Bush, Vietnam) it would set their minds to be a little more open but if he was to do a bad job it would just validate people thoughts and ideas of having racial distrust. But I believe that to make a significant differeence in peoples mind set he would need more that just four years in the white house, he would need a reelection. Because he already has the odds against him he has to prove himself, while trying to fix the country, and also work against the racial distrust that some people working for the government also have, so not only public validation but also internal from his work place, lets say congressman or certain senators.

I do believe there is a chance that an Obama victory could help lessen the interracial distrust but this will only be seen after the first couple years of his term. It strongly depends on how he does as the president. On the flip side, an Obama victory could also create more interracial distrust if he does not do well or has low popularity. Either way I believe that he has opened the door it's just up to the rest of the American population to go through it together.

I think that a Barack Obama victory would be a big factor against racial distrust. Given the fact that there will still be some Americans who do not want to see a minority leading our country, there will be some mind sets that have changed. A lingering perspective that seems to be coming from anti- Obama people is that our country will come to an end if we have a minority as president. My opinion is that if Obama does (and he will) a great job during his presidency, then that will show more people that other races can be trusted and depended on. However, it cannot be ignored that it could go the completely opposite way and increase racial distrust, but i think that's unlikely.

Obama isn't bridging gaps as much as he is creating them. He sets himself apart from everything moral. He hates on those who are devoted and religious. obama himself believes that racism is a problem passed from successive generations, yet at the same time accuses states, other candidates, and groups of people of being racists. The biggest reason why Obama cannot be our president is the fact that he keeps contradicting himself. If he sways on his positions on trade and guns, how can we trust him in the white house. He's deceiving us to get his foot in the door, but it WILL be our demise. Dont fall for it America.

I think that an Obama victory will affect peoples view on inter-racial distrust. Now whether it affects it in a negative or positive way i think depends on the peoples willingness to open their minds to change and that in turn depends on how Obama presents himself in his presidency. If he performs well and keeps to promises made, then it is very possible to change some minds in a positive direction on just that "change", but on the other hand their will always be people who are who they are and will stick to their story. I think its the fear of change that some people cant open their arms to. But its that fear that has been a survival method engraved in our brains for centuries, but one must realize that just as we adapt to the times during our ancestors we must again adapt to the times of today and that "engraving" is no longer justification. change is among us in ever facet and inter-racial trust is simply necessary for survival not the other way around. Obama is a start to a change that will move things in a better direction, but all things take time and this one still has a way to go.

Even if Obama won the presidency this year, the issue of inter-racial distrust wouldn't be completely resolved. Sure, he would have attracted many "white" voters throughout his campaign, but that doesn't mean there wouldn't be others who voted for McCain that remained suspicious. If indeed he did a great job throughout his presidency, it would definietly be a step in the right direction towards bridging this gap of interracial distrust. More importantly, I think he could be evidence that an African-American could lead our country, and hopefully lead it well for that matter. This evidence wouldn't be immediately seen in absolving interracial distrust though, because it would still take a generation or two to soak into society. Those young voters (predominantly supporting Obama) would certainly pass on their "trust" of Obama and African-Americans in general to their children which would lead to a much more accepting society towards race once those children grew up.
However, my thoughts have specifically been focused on the interracial distrust between whites and blacks. After reading and looking at the evidence, there may be a growing and emerging problem of interracial distrust amongst minorities. The black-hispanic distrust is severly documented in several articles by the LA Times and California and specifically LA is a battleground for this emerging conflict. In conclusion while I believe Obama would certainly help improve the interracial distrust between whites and blacks, I am still extremely skeptical that he could do much to the festering conflict between blacks and Hispanics.

I believe an Obama victory would be a huge step in the right direction for bridging the gaps in racial distrust. An even bigger step would be an effective presidency. If Obama can prove that a black man can, in fact run this country well, how huge would that be for bridging the gaps in inter-racial didtrust? In my opinion it would be monumental.

Many people tend to be close-minded when it comes to topics such as this because they do not want to hear an opinion that may sound more logical than their own opinion. For those who are not stubborn and choose to look at the situatuion at hand with an open mind, I do believe that Obama will have a positive influence on the inter-racial distrust issue. How much of an effect he will have on the problem will depend upon how well he does with his presidency.

I think that if Obama won the presidential election it would only help bridge the gaps in racial distrust. I know that some people will have a hard time trusting him as a leader, but there will be many more that do. I feel that the older generations might not change there minds about race, but the younger generations will definitely start to bridge the gap. If he shows competence as a leader it will help more people trust in him and maybe help them trust races other than their own as well. If Obama is elected I believe the gap in inter-racial distrust will narrow.

I think that an Obama victory would have an impact on interracial distrust, however, only to an extent. Peope aren't going to change their minds overnight. Especially if their beliefs are deeply rooted. But I think that it will pave the way for future generations. At the same time, Obama will have to prove that he's the correctly chosen candidate. He's going to have to be a real leader and demonstrate that different groups, such as blacks and whites, can come together. In the end though, it comes down to the people to decide for themselves what's right and to make a change.

Obama's ascendancy into the office of president would be an important symbol in the fight to close the race gap, yet it would still be mostly just that: a symbol. Inter-racial trust is a slow-growing entity and even if Obama implemented social policies that aimed at promoting it, it wouldn't change at the high rate that the Obama campaign and we would hope. Yet even still, the pure fact that a black man would occupy what is perhaps the most powerful position in the world could sow seeds of long-term change. The dissemination of his face across the media streams of the world would psychologically affect the children of today and the near future by making the idea of blackness normal. Obama's mere presence could help chip away at future Americans' implicit biases against different races. Thus inter-racial trust could very well spring from Obama's campaign, though it would be caused by the very subtle means of media exposure. Most importantly the images of an African-American in office would work to make race less stigmatizing and more unremarkable (A very good thing) amongst the younger peoples of the world.

From all the research that iv'e done i dont thinkn that an obama victory wold help the inter racial distrust. If any thing i think it would make it worse because It would only anger the angry Whites even more. As bad as it sounds, there are people out there who are angered by the idea of having a black president, and in a sense i think that a group of these haters will come together and possibly reverse all of the progress we have achieved on racism these last hundred years.

I believe that an Obama victory would help with interracial trust, however, it will not be the instant fix. Although we are not completely a post racial society, this would just be one more step towards a future where the racial boundaries would begin to blend. Many progressive, "forward", thinkers are waiting for just this; an African-American in a position that has historically belonged to white males. A positive African-America image in the media would help the more racially influenced America to trust other races. It is unfortunate that even in today's society that race is such a big deal, but in order for the United States to move forward as one, we must work together as one and trust each other. Our daily interactions with people of different races will effect the way our children will perceive these interactions, and will then effect the way they interact.

i think if obama wins it will create a change. he will be the first colored person to be president. if you cant say that is an a move to end interracial distrust then i dont know what is. it wont end interracial distrust but it is a giant step into gaining the stop if interracail distrust. if obama wins this will be a new begining in american racial history. but with it comes lot of danger for himself

In my opinion, if Obama wins this election it will definetly have an effect on interracial distrust, for better and worse. It all depends on how successful he is in running this country. A successful presidency will weaken interracial distrust, but any little mistake will easily be pinpointed at an entire race.

Can anybody please tell me why is it that the absolute yardsticks for all of humanity must only come from white folks?

It took me some years to understand when my Dad use to say, "If you are no maker of the rules, you are not player of the game". 46 U.S. Congressional Persons have either been investigated or are now under investigation for malfeasance and corruption; only 3 of those individuals are people of color.

A 100% idiot was elected twice for President of these United States. This idiot has sucked over 1 trillion dollars out of the U.S. GNP... of which 500 billion of it is financed by China; the other 500 billion going to the Middle East Oil Cartel... we are in two wars that is sucking 12 billion dollars a month out of our GNP... the stock market has plunged into an abyss losing 1.2 trillion dollars in personal wealth and retirement equity... No child left behind has been leaving behind 35% of all public school students between the ages of 6-18 years (who either don't graduate or flunck out)... the middle class has lost over 4 milllion highwage manufacturing jobs over the last 7.8 years and wages have remained stagnant... 46 million Americans are without healthcare... and the largest investment in your life; your home is now worth on average 26% less than it did just 14 months ago.

We white males have caused more mayhem, death and distruction than any other race on the face of this earth and as a result of our intoxication from self induced arrogance, we continue to show utter contempt for those of a different color who obviously possess more intellectual prowess than we and against all opposition are able to rise above it all and meet the challenge. And the only thing we got going for us? We are the makers of the rules, thereby ensuring no one else will ever be able to effectively play the game, usless we say so... that is RACISM in its purest form... Thank you