White for White, Black for Black

When talking politics with a few people in the last week I have mentioned this map and the simple fact that for quite a few voters in Appalachian counties, the color of one’s skin is the determining factor for one’s vote. To put it bluntly, the map shows that many Americans are still racist.

However, the counterargument that I have been trying to fend off is that this is not in fact proof that Americans in the strip of Appalachian states are racist at all. If I take the liberty to call them racists, then I should call blacks that voted for Barack Obama, racists as well. In other words, people are telling me that whites voting for the white candidate are no different than blacks voting for the black candidate.

While I realize racism is not exclusive to whites in the backcountry of West Virginia and Kentucky, but can also be found in black communities in the South, I strongly disagree with the argument that blacks voting black are no different than whites voting white.

Although I could provide more reasons as to why I believe this, I keep coming back to this explanation.

I believe the black community is voting for a candidate and the white community—within the area shown in purple on the aforementioned map—is voting against a candidate. Do you catch my drift? A portion of the black vote is fueled by a sense of accomplishment and pride when they get to vote for the black candidate. The equivalent is a portion of the white vote being fueled by fear and superiority that continues to try to suppress non-whites to a position of inferiority. While in a way we all vote against something, voting against the color of someone else’s skin cannot be a legitimate reason.