Racism is still running hot through the American landscape and it's hard to believe that in this age of almost unlimited access to information and technology that there can be this sort of explicit racism. I had recently watched an HBO special by Alexandra Pelosi - daughter of Nancy Pelosi - called Right America where she interviewed republicans, mostly from southern states during the campaigning period of the election. These "rednecks" (and most referred to themselves as this) had no problem announcing on national TV that they would not accept a black President and some even went as far as dropping the "N" word in an obviously derogatory manner. These are reall the citizens of what is still one of the superpowers of the developed world? I am not an American, as a matter of fact I've been trying to get into the US for graduate school and it's not an easy task, yet they allow these ignorants as a part of their country - really? I was even more surprised but was wrought with laughter at numerous people comparing Obama's "hold" over America's youth as similar to that of Hitler's command over the youth of Germany in the 1930s. I even went as far as yelling at the TV - how is that different from the Republican National Convention of any of the McCain campaigns where the entire crowd is yelling "USA" or "Nobama"? We've all seen the clips of the campaign of the "one crazy lady" who called Obama an Arab - is this seriously the land of the free? Is this really the country which "prides" itself on equality? There were even further amusing references to Obama being the anti-christ because he was "different" but charismatic and as such, the Bible warns them of this coming danger. One of my favourite political comedians is Bill Maher and on his first show of the new season on Friday he reiterated the Attorney General's sentiment that Americans like to think of their country as an ethnic melting pot yet are cowards when it comes to issues of race being openly discussed. It's a very delicate subject in America and they do seem to shy away from it as reality, beliving that it is some myth. It's undeniable that it is still rampant in America and for that matter the global community.

Even voting for Obama was racists in some sense. While I fully supported him, I'd like to think I did it for the right reasons - his policies and politics. I think I am safe in saying a significant number of the black community voted for him simply because he was black - that in itself is arguably a kind of racisms against McCain, and yes there can be racism against whites. I even talked to a few Obama supporters and asked them why they support him - they simply just don't know other than he's sounds better than Mccain and he's black so they want to be a part of a historic event. Why not vote for him because his stance on issues are similar to yours and not simply because "it would be cool to be a part of history". Social issues in general have a very small voice in America because of everyone's need to be politically correct and because they are uncomfrotable with these issues. It's a bit sad that in the 21st century we are still fighting a fight that has been around for over a millenia.

Mr. Kaufman that blog in my opinion was a farce. I believe those entries were purely sarcastic. NOTHING has changed since Obama has been elected. Racism if anything is MORE rampant! At least it is alive here in St. Louis.

I have been told by so many people that racism toward Blacks couldn't have impacted voting because Obama won.

I was familar with the moral credentials stuff, but I never made the connection between it and such views until reading this.

People said that race wasn't a factor because he won not only because of well, stupidity, but also because, perhaps, they were more free to say that racism is not an issue. Obama has won so now they have moral credentials to say racism is not a factor.

I'm curious about the phenomenon that seems to be co-existing with the illusion of greater race equality: that any criticism of the president must be driven by conscious or sub-conscious racism, and that white people must necessarily be racist in some measure more so than other races. I am not aware of any evidence that unequivocally leads to these conclusions.

Dr. Kaufman, after reading your article, you convinced me that racism in America still exists, but you failed to mention any solution(s) to the problem. Allow me to give a general solution to the issue, and I will wait for your response.

Fundamentally, I believe the whole issue of race relates directly to education. When WC posted a comment about the "rednecks" in our country who have racist tendencies, I believe that those tendencies would be decreased, if not eliminated, by a deeper understanding of black people and culture. Considering that most of these towns are populated by a majority of white people, the people are not exposed to black people directly, so they must make conclusions based on what their parents tell them about black people and what they see on television.

Since their parents grew up in the same environment, they probably do not think positively about black people, and taking into account the music videos some black artists produce that exploit women, promote the use of drugs and the use of the "N" word, television is not an accurate representation of how the majority of black people think and act. Consequently, I feel one of many necessary steps to resolving this issue is educating the "rednecks" by implementing black history in their school curriculum and exposing them to successful black individuals by having them speak at their schools.

I understand this suggestion will not eliminate racism, but it will be another step in the right direction. This is a complex issue that has confronted humanity throughout history. Who am I to think I can solve it by writing a few paragraphs?