I have a dream

An amazing thing has happened, Obama got elected, though I think everyone knows that.
The comparison has been made, and will probably be made again, but after listening to Obamas acceptance speech I listened to the historic I have a dream speech. It's amazing to listen to one after another, and gave me great hope for our neighbors to the south. Way to go, I hope you keep showing the world you're growing up. It won't be easy, and I think PZ Myers was correct in his post today. It's still a time of optimism and I am happy I was alive to see it.
Cheers,
Noophy.

The Other

I am tired of people being turned into the "other".
It's something politicians do often, because you have to turn the other side into the enemy. Religions also seem to be very good at it.
Categorizing whole peoples is never very helpful, and history has shown us what happens when it's taken to an extreme. I put up these two propaganda posters to demonstrate what it can look like, they are offensive and almost seem cartoonish. When it's done today it is often much more subtle and insidious.
A good example would be Elizabeth Doles run for senate in the U.S. and how she characterized her opponent as an atheist.
I do think ideas can have a bad influence on a culture or a people as a whole, but to turn around and say these people are inherently bad is what I have a problem with.
Being aware that turning people into the other is used as a weapon against us all is the first step in being able to resist it. Links to examples of this would be very welcome.
Cheers,
Noophy