Barack Obama's election as America's first black president has unleashed a wave of hate crimes across the nation, according to police and monitoring organisations. Far from heralding a new age of tolerance, Mr Obama's victory in the November 4 poll has highlighted the stubborn racism that lingers within some elements of American society as opponents pour their frustration into vandalism, harassment, threats and even physical attacks. Cross burnings, black figures hung from nooses, and schoolchildren chanting "Assassinate Obama" are just some of the incidents that have been documented by police from California to Maine.
Barack Obama's election as America's first black president has unleashed a wave of hate crimes across the nation, according to police and monitoring organisations.
Far from heralding a new age of tolerance, Mr Obama's victory in the November 4 poll has highlighted the stubborn racism that lingers within some elements of American society as opponents pour their frustration into vandalism, harassment, threats and even physical attacks.
Cross burnings, black figures hung from nooses, and schoolchildren chanting "Assassinate Obama" are just some of the incidents that have been documented by police from California to Maine.
Drew J Jones:
And it's not as though electing Obama has somehow magically cured us of racism. We're being given too much credit on that. Not to say it isn't a big deal. I think Americans deserve a rare pat on the head for it. But it just means the sane side can win when they show up. But you need only look at the numerous stories of people hanging Obama in effigy in small-town ("Real") Ohio, or the disgusting things shouted at the McCain-Palin rallies, or the however-many plots uncovered by the spooks -- and those are only the ones we know of -- to assassinate him to know that racism is still plenty real here, even if the majority can get beyond it in the voting booth.
