The "You Lie" heard around the world.

I was raised in South Carolina, and I'm a supporter of the President. Race does not dominant everything Obama here, but it's definitely in the background. The culture of this state is unique; it's one that can only be understood by someone raised in the atmosphere. I'm sure the President doesn't think that Wilson was being racist. However, I would say the President has no frame of reference to draw the appropriate conclusion from Wilson's comment. From a cultural environmental standpoint, Wilson is the product of a tradition of bigotry in a State historically known for its inherent hatred of people based on their skin color.

As a young Black man growing up in SC, I was told by my parents to never stop in certain places, and if I needed help or got stranded in different locations, to stay in my car until an officer came to assist. My point is that today most people are not outright bigots because it's not the "proper thing", but if given a chance when no one is looking, they will jump at a chance to practice the art of bigotry passed down to them. Not since the beginning of the century has anything ever happened like this, not once. Even when Clinton was going through his sex scandal, or when Bush gave speeches after finding no WMD, did anyone call out in such an ignorant display of incivility?

To Wilson and many like him, it's easy to disrespect the President because before he sees the President of the US, he sees a Black Man that's not equal to him in intellect and status. It's easy to call someone a liar when you've been taught to degrade and trivialize their mere existence in your world. This "pseudo-dominance" is ramped throughout this State. Hopefully with the election of Sheheen or Rex, we can begin an in-depth discussion on race relations to change the attitudes of many in the state.

We get a Black President, and then we get the following firsts: Citizenship is questioned, First President to legitimately be labeled the "Anti-Christ", "First President, based on name only, to be labeled a Muslim Extremist, First to be Criticized for Taking his wife to dinner (Contrary to what is shown in the media, many of us, black men, take care of our family and are attentive to our spouse), and the First President to have to fight to keep companies from stereotypical commercializing his children. In every field of human endeavor, the rules are different, or changed, when it comes to Black folk. It is my hope the President Obama doesn't forget that and get to comfortable in the dogma of American politics.