--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing is that it's always a constant…" description: "\"The thing is that it's always a constant reminder of how violent this country has been, always has been, you know. I'm still frustrated with these conv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61d/paul-beatty-6684_barack_the-thing-is-that-it-s-always-a-constant_2233528.jpg" --- # The thing is that it's always a constant reminder of how… ![“The thing is that it's always a constant reminder of how violent this country has been, always has been, you know. I'm still frustrated with these conversations: [Barack] Obama is black so that means this, that things are better, or it means that you voted for him because he's black.” quote by Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61d/paul-beatty-6684_barack_the-thing-is-that-it-s-always-a-constant_2233528.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61d/paul-beatty-6684_barack_the-thing-is-that-it-s-always-a-constant_2233528.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61d/paul-beatty-6684_barack_the-thing-is-that-it-s-always-a-constant_2233528.jpg) > “The thing is that it's always a constant reminder of how violent this country has been, always has been, you know. I'm still frustrated with these conversations: \[Barack\] Obama is black so that means this, that things are better, or it means that you voted for him because he's black.” [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how racial identity is often used as a simplistic shortcut to judge political or social issues, ignoring deeper complexities. **In simple terms:** People reduce complex issues to race. Key Takeaway Challenge simplistic narratives about race. Themes race politics identity media history Mood frustrated critical thoughtful Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - Political debates - media analysis - educational curricula - community dialogues - policy discussions Key Concepts Systemic violence racial bias public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How does simplifying race affect understanding? - What are better ways to discuss systemic violence? A Different Perspective Racial reductionism can overlook individual agency and nuanced contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Frustrated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustrated/) [Violent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violent/) ## Related quotes > [I always said I'm not disappointed with Obama because I voted for him because he was black, and as long as he kept being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilmore/i-always-said-i-m-not-disappointed-with-obama-because-i-voted-for-him/) [Larry Wilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilmore/) > [I voted for the black guy, and what we got was the white guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/i-voted-for-the-black-guy-and-what-we-got-was-the-white-guy/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [I talk about folding it in often with Althea, my girlfriend. She's getting her doctoral degree at Berkeley and she talks about how even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/i-talk-about-folding-it-in-often-with-althea-my-girlfriend-she-s/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [I think that seeing as much support as somebody like Obama as a black candidate running for president in a country that historically has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-draiman/i-think-that-seeing-as-much-support-as-somebody-like-obama-as-a-black/) [David Draiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-draiman/) > [What people forget is that the most radical thing about Obama is that he was the first black man in history to imagine that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/what-people-forget-is-that-the-most-radical-thing-about-obama-is-that/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [People are having to come to terms with the question: how important is it, really, that Obama is black? Yes, skin colour is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-lester/people-are-having-to-come-to-terms-with-the-question-how-important-is/) [Adrian Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-lester/) > [Really, an historic night last night. You may have heard, Barack Obama will be the first black president of the United States of America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/really-an-historic-night-last-night-you-may-have-heard-barack-obama/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [ I wonder who really is the change candidate? It can't be both of them \[Hillary Clinton & Barak Obama\]. What would be a black… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-wonder-who-really-is-the-change-candidate-it-can-t-be-both-of-them/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [This Thursday, Barack Obama is gonna give his acceptance speech, and reportedly it's going to include performances by Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen. Yeah.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/this-thursday-barack-obama-is-gonna-give-his-acceptance-speech-and/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [ I forgot he \[Barack Obama\] was black tonight for an hour. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/i-forgot-he-barack-obama-was-black-tonight-for-an-hour/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [“Obama was born into a country where laws barring his very conception—let alone his ascendancy to the presidency—had long stood in force. A black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/obama-was-born-into-a-country-where-laws-barring-his-very-conception/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [I think that America certainly has racism, I think that any industrialized country does. But when you see how many million fans Barack Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-america-certainly-has-racism-i-think-that-any/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [My kids did not know that Obama was the first black president. I felt like I needed to tell them because I felt like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/my-kids-did-not-know-that-obama-was-the-first-black-president-i-felt/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [“You who came of age in the past decade have had eight years of a Black U.S. president, and that gloss looked good, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohja-kahf/you-who-came-of-age-in-the-past-decade-have-had-eight-years-of-a/) [Mohja Kahf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohja-kahf/) > [ I didn't elect \[Barack\] Obama because he's a black; I voted for Obama because he was the right person at the time. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-glover/i-didn-t-elect-barack-obama-because-he-s-a-black-i-voted-for-obama/) [Danny Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-glover/) ## More by Paul Beatty > [There are things I don't like, like sitting at the head of the class. It makes me uncomfortable. I'll do it in a seminar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/there-are-things-i-don-t-like-like-sitting-at-the-head-of-the-class/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [In The Sellout I tried to capture how we can talk and see race, how we see urbanity, and how we see our history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/in-the-sellout-i-tried-to-capture-how-we-can-talk-and-see-race-how-we/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [In White Boy Shuffle, I combined my seventh-grade teacher, Mr. Takemoto, who really saved me - I don't think I've ever told anyone this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/in-white-boy-shuffle-i-combined-my-seventh-grade-teacher-mr-takemoto/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [I co-taught a seminar called Small Group Processes with my professor. I learned so much from it, so much about myself, about groups, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/i-co-taught-a-seminar-called-small-group-processes-with-my-professor/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [ I'll say this, and it'll sound like bullshit, but it's not: I don't really pay attention to this stuff \[Man Booker Prize\] very much.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/i-ll-say-this-and-it-ll-sound-like-bullshit-but-it-s-not-i-don-t/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [“Hereos. Idols. They're never who you think they are. Shorter. Nastier. Smellier. And when you finally meet them, there's something that makes you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/hereos-idols-they-re-never-who-you-think-they-are-shorter-nastier/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [There are many similarities between Germans and blacks. The nouns themselves are loaded with so much historical baggage it's impossible for anyone to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/there-are-many-similarities-between-germans-and-blacks-the-nouns/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [Like when you have the right title for something you're writing and you get lost - you can always go back to the title…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/like-when-you-have-the-right-title-for-something-you-re-writing-and/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [I had a student once come up to me and we were talking about this incident, and, of course, I never had the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/i-had-a-student-once-come-up-to-me-and-we-were-talking-about-this/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [ There are always so many things happening \[to us\] at one time. We read Isherwood's A Single Man in class, and we had to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/there-are-always-so-many-things-happening-to-us-at-one-time-we-read/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [I forget how beautiful and calm California is. It's not so much about the place, but also the age that I came to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/i-forget-how-beautiful-and-calm-california-is-it-s-not-so-much-about/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [“My litmus test of compatibility is 'Tom Cruise.' I hate people who hate Tom Cruise, cultural automatons who at the mention of his name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/my-litmus-test-of-compatibility-is-tom-cruise-i-hate-people-who-hate/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [“Sometimes it's the nihilism that makes life worth living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/sometimes-it-s-the-nihilism-that-makes-life-worth-living/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [I think there's nothing new going on. Except that, you're even more public than you've ever been.There's some good and some bad to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/i-think-there-s-nothing-new-going-on-except-that-you-re-even-more/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [“Would he read the paper and see that the Union he saved was now a dysfunctional plutocracy,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/would-he-read-the-paper-and-see-that-the-union-he-saved-was-now-a/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) [Explore all 98 Paul Beatty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) ## More Barack quotes > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like - the anti-war government nig... America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [We're in more wars today under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton than under George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan. Yet they tell you that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-re-in-more-wars-today-under-barack-obama-and-hillary-clinton-than/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I can tell you who's planning terroris attacks. The leaders of ISIL. And I can tell you where they're at. They're in Raqqa, Syria.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-can-tell-you-who-s-planning-terroris-attacks-the-leaders-of-isil/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [ The president \[Barack Obama\] asked for a commitment of, I think, 100,000 jobs for veterans and military spouses over the next couple of years.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/the-president-barack-obama-asked-for-a-commitment-of-i-think-100-000/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [The big story today, Barack Obama was accused of insulting Sarah Palin when he criticized Republican policies by saying, you can put lipstick on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-big-story-today-barack-obama-was-accused-of-insulting-sarah-palin/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [ I think the president's \[Barack Obama\] position has been very clear on Syria. He wants more aggressive, he's put the Special Ops on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/i-think-the-president-s-barack-obama-position-has-been-very-clear-on/) [Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/) > [ It cannot be an American fight. And I think what the president \[Barack Obama\] has consistently said - which I agree with - is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-cannot-be-an-american-fight-and-i-think-what-the-president-barack/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [It doesn't matter to me where Barack Obama goes. If he wants to go to Hawaii because it's his home state, fine! Hunky-dory. Plastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-where-barack-obama-goes-if-he-wants-to-go-to/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [ It wasn't \[Barack\] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the-feeling-on-the-ground-it-was/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [I don't think that we really know a whole lot about Barack Obama at all that you would really call distinctive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/i-don-t-think-that-we-really-know-a-whole-lot-about-barack-obama-at/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [Just like Barack Obama, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and now I am a reluctant groom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/just-like-barack-obama-my-views-on-gay-marriage-have-evolved-and-now/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I think President Barack Obama has been an extraordinarily successful president, and that this period will record that with a bunch of exclamation points.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/i-think-president-barack-obama-has-been-an-extraordinarily-successful/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/) Michael Atherton > [In public, Barack Obama's giving the simple version of his beliefs for the mass public. In private, he can discuss it at a really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-chait/in-public-barack-obama-s-giving-the-simple-version-of-his-beliefs-for/) [Jonathan Chait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-chait/) Browse all 1,672 Barack quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The thing is that it's always a constant reminder of how violent this country has been, always has been, you know. 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