“Barack Obama is a racist.”

Yeah, I know. I laughed, too.

Believe it or not, some political pundits are getting desperate these days, swinging with their eyes closed in a fight they can’t win against Barack Obama.

A storm of backlash formed when the senator described his grandmother as a “typical white person.” People shouted “racism.” I understand some may take what Obama said as prejudiced, but it’s definitely not racist. Believe me, you’ll know racism when you hear it.

Still, where does prejudice end and observation begin?

I’m no advocate of stereotyping, but I also consider myself a realist. Truth is truth. Aren’t there typical white people who feel intimidated by black people? Aren’t there typical black people who think they can intimidate white people?

Yes, it’s a vicious cycle and there are sociological reasons for both attitudes that I won’t get into right now, but to suggest that these types of mentalities are non-existent is humorous. It contradicts the notion that we, as Americans, are as truly sincere with our beliefs and opinions as we so confidently claim to be.

To describe someone as “typical” doesn’t necessarily mean his or her entire race has the same characteristics as he or she does. However, the word “typical” can be attributed to what information people have acquired from one another through generations of experience.

These things can be positive or negative.

For instance, if Obama had described his grandmother as the typical white person who has never been in prison and has a college education, I wonder if white Americans would come to the rescue of their black sisters and brothers then, since that statement would imply that leading a positive and productive lifestyle is something only whites do.

To break the ice, I’ll go ahead and admit that I’ve encountered a lot of typical black people and a lot of typical white people in my lifetime. In both positive and negative ways.

No big deal.

The senator’s remarks weren’t racist. In no way did his comments promote the idea of black superiority. If that were the basis of his campaign, he would have run out of gas a long time ago. The main problem is that people have lost their sense of definition. We must re-establish the differences between actual racism and mere prejudice, neither of which I believe were present in his words.

When a person is denied a right because of his or her ethnicity, that is racism. Racism is what prevents one from progressing and achieving in society.

It is illogical for racism to work from the bottom up because it is a characteristic of a majority ruling over a minority to maintain its own superiority. Obama does not support any recognizable institutions in place to ensure the inferiority of white Americans. There are none.

Still, prejudiced ideas are what lead to racism. People’s intolerance is what leads them to act out in opposition to the well-being of others.

This is how Adolf Hitler harnessed the power of racism. Up until the civil rights movement, America possessed the same unrelenting power over minorities.

So, in light of those horrific examples, let’s mature and get real. For those who were supposedly “offended” by what Obama said: Do you genuinely feel oppressed? Or do you simply feel a necessity to feel offended?