US elections, role models, and bridging the cultural gap?
Is it true that any ethnic minority candidate who wishes to run for the US House of Representatives, the Senate, or the White House would, to some extent, be expected to act as a role model for his own group, and to act as a bridge between his own group and the mainstream, political, White majority?
Is this one of the unwritten rules of US elections and is it true that ethnic minority candidates are usually elected on the assumption they would satisfy such a criteria?
darrin b2012-08-03T04:42:41Z
Favorite Answer
No, it's not expected of that person, but the burden is on his/her shoulders, nevertheless.
It is true that yes many people expect these things of an ethnic minority candidate. Only because the people see it as someone who might break the stereotype of that minority group and therefore break the boundaries set by these stereotypes. For example, when Barack Obama became President, many people (black or not) felt that now we finally live in a time where you can really accomplish anything you want in life regardless of your race. Many people of minority groups or even lower social classes were inspired by his story and success. It motivated many students especially that were previously put down by all the oppression they felt because of their ethnicity to believe that with hard work and determination, anything is possible. Another example could be Florida Senator Marco Rubio. He even expressed this idea in his acceptance speech. He expressed how he is just a Cuban-American boy that fought hard to get where he is and how he will represent the Hispanic community. People of his same ethnicity feel that they can now use Marco Rubio's name when a stereotype about Hispanics arises. Some Hispanics feel as though he can show the White majority that Hispanics can also be proper, intelligent, and successful. As for whether it is an unwritten rule or not, no. As a whole, you cannot not say the entire US expects this because it is only an opinion. An ethnic minority candidate simply provokes these ideas into people.
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