because he looks like a light skin black man

If you have to ask the question it suggests your society is going to focus on the black portion -- not the white portion.

Maybe because he simply doesn't look like all of the men who became US president, all of whom were white. He wouldn't be known as a white man because part of his charm is the fact that he's the first non-all-white person to have a serious chance of capturing the White House.

He's mixed, and usually mixed kids (atleast when I notice it) are generallyr eferred to as black or mixed but never white. I've been told (but this doesnt sound too believable) that one drop of black makes you black....maybe thats why. I called him mixed at first, but whenever I watched the news people (and not even black people) referred to him as black...it's just alot easier to say he's black I suppose (not to mention he calls himself that and seems to identify with it a bit more).

There are many whites here in America who would be unconfortable if Barak Obama be referred to as the "white man". Because truthfully, he does not resamble a caucacian man. His black side is far more striking than his caucasian side. In this country all children a biracial union(black and white) are always referred to as "black" or "African-american". And there's a fixed psychology behind that.

How about the mixed man? Is mixed not a race anymore? If not, what am I? XD

Your question itself admits Obama is "half white" thus at the most he can be referred to as coloured man. But does this matter in US democracy?

I go by what I refer to as the Klan test. if a person of mixed race is walking down the street, and runs into a mob of KKK members. If the KKK chases him, then he is "black" I'm not saying it is right, I'm just saying that it makes sense to me where to draw the line between black and white.

I'm so happy you asked this. I was wondering the same thing! Although he is dark skinned, he is half white, and was raised by a white family. I wish I had an answer for your question. I don't. I do wish society could come up with a polite way to identify someone of mixed race....not that it really matters to me, but it seems as a country we're always referring to race. Why does someone always have to be "this" or "that"?

http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/3873805

Well..this whole thing about "different races" is a crock of crap. We are all one race..we all come from the same source..I don't care who you are or what you believe..there is one source to life..religious/scientific..it matters not. So all this drama about different races is so much baloney/malarkey/balderdash. Obama is a human being..so is McCain..is is everyone of us. That's it. I don't see why we keep complicating things with all of this other stuff. Don't know who started it..but whoever it was certainly was ignorant about the beginning of life (human) here on earth. Just my opinion. I think it is just so much noise actually. :)

The odious “ONE DROP RULE”… Currently it is a popular opinion proliferated by a large number of certain minded people (mainly those of pure/identified as pure race: black and white) for their own feelings of comfort or benefit. This is of course not the ideology in other parts of the world and is really only a phenomenon in America. Historically these opinions were born out of economic reasons. The evil of slavery was originally an economic institution - the real root of most prejudice. If a white owner had a child with a black slave and the child was considered white, then that meant the child had no monetary value as human property - he would be "free" as other white man. However if that child were considered black, there would be no economic loss under the rules of slavery. Even better: if every child from every subsequent generation was counted as black, even if every subsequent ancestor was white and the child looked white… Get the picture? It’s about what most things are about: money. Today it is about racism, either subliminal or overt. Many people have said Obama is black, because Obama considers himself to be black. I personally have not heard him refer to himself as a black man, but whether he does or does not, it is a big politically correct FAIRYTALE that he has a choice to choose to openly consider himself anything other than “black” at this date in the American social psyche. People will say of course “it is his choice" - MYTH. Or the reason is because black people welcome mixed race children, whereas whites do not - sorry myth (Whether people accept us is an individual thing based on a myriad of things. I have had no overwhelming benefit or problem fitting in with any demographic - racial or otherwise - due to my non-homogenous blood. And the truth is I have not seen it in others in any overwhelming sense. Some people will accept a mixed race child and some will not, whether they are white or black and not necessarily due to the child’s culture or colour, but for many reasons. As a mixed race person with black blood who neither considers myself black, nor looks particularly black (but also does not look pure white), I can tell you categorically these things are not the whole truth or even mostly the truth. It is also another politically correct myth that presently whites are the ones who are the culprits in proliferating this opinion originally invented by white slave owners so long ago. My mere mention of this will no doubt attract countless angry remarks - even if not written here - of why I am “so, so wrong” and no doubt have "self loathing", or whatever the current catch phrase is used by this certain mentality of people, who would force any person containing even a small percentage of black blood to either self identify as completely black and denounce the rest of their heritage OR hid their black heritage... if it makes anyone feel better be my guest. The inconvenient truth is, I have experienced hostility from people simply by refusing to choose (not by choosing white, but by refusing to choose black either) and I know others also have - and the truth is hostility as to my choice has largely not come from the white population. Up until the day I stopped identifying myself as mixed race, I have been told vehemently and angrily that I was black. At this point in time it is a MYTH that it is his choice either way. If Barack Obama were to stress that he was neither white not black (forget choosing the socio-political suicide of saying he considers himself white!), there would be a massive uproar and he would not have anywhere near the amount of black supporters he has now. Even statements like these cause major resentment within the whit racist community, but more surprisingly in the ordinary black community (by ordinary I mean the average person who is not specifically racist) To speak about it and admit one has experienced it, is considered racist, hostile, misguided, wrong. Obama’s ONLY choice openly in America is black - that is the TRUTH wheather anyone else has the courage or wants to take the time to admitt it. Even if he were only 1/4, or 1/8 black, it would still be an issue of him downplaying if not denouncing the rest of his heritage. ONE DROP RULE IS SADLY ALIVE AND KICKING. IT IS RACIST & IT IS NOT ABOUT PERSONAL CHOICE. THERE IS NO PLACE FOR THIS IDEOLOGY IN A DIVERSE MODERN WORLD ANYMORE THAN THERE WAS A PLACE FOR SLAVERY.

Better question...What color will he paint the white house...What kind of decor will it get...Will the musack we listen to while being on hold waiting for him to answer the phone be any better than bush's collection? Inquring minds want to know..

I can answer that!! well i mean, me being half black and half white.. through my entire lifetime i have been referred to as black.. even though i am just as much white as i am black.. i am still referred to as black. statistics in my lifetime show that the majority of whites look at it as if you have any black in you than your black. i think its sad. not saying all are like this, just the majority

I just refer to him as Obama.

As has already been stated, it's the good ol' one drop rule. One drop of black blood, as many people will tell you, classifies you as black in many people's books. I'm mixed too - I don't refer to Barack as black, I refer to him as mixed (I have the same background...white mom, black dad).

Black is a dominant gene. His colour is not of any importance except to those people who wish to make a big deal of it.

Moot. On Jan. 20th, 2009, he will be referred to as Mr. President.

He should be known simply as the first bi-racial president. He is not white. He is not black. He is bi-racial. His white mother was impregnated by his black (and quite frankly, non-existent) father. His white mother gave birth to him and raised him. He is no more black than he is white. The first black president sounds good to many people, but it's simply not true. Barack Obama is the first bi-racial president, and nothing more. Just because he looks like a light skinned black man doesn't make him black. He could just as easily be described as a dark skinned white man, but you can't say that in the media.

Does society see him as a black or a white man? Do Americans recognize and accept him as black or white? If the question to that is "white" then he can be known as the white man but I think that both you and I know that is not the case

Does he look white to you?