Now what?
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Well, first blog back after the election. Having had time to let it sink in a little I still really don't know what an Obama victory means for America. It does seem the rest of the world is "proud" of us though. I guess we got that going for us. Maybe we can get the respect as a country that we deserve, no matter who leads.
The reality is, everything is still the same for now. Same financial crisis, same war, same country. The rhetoric will now end and maybe we will get a glimpse at what Obama's true policies are. A lot will become clear with his presidential appointments, which I understand are already in the process of being made.
All we hear in the media is how proud we should be for "growing" as a nation. How proud to have a black president, and I cannot help but remember how all of the pundits did not want this race to be about race. We shouldn't vote for him because he is black, or shouldn't not vote for him for the same reasons. Considering only 4% of black people voted for McCain, I would say Obama got a lot of votes for being black. That is based on the assumption that I believe more than 4% of black people hold views different from those on the far left. Anyway, the race that wasn't supposed to be about race was going to be about race no matter who won. Great if he wins, racist if he doesn't. I don't know, maybe I am just bitter and fed up with the pundits and the media garbage... I just feel nothing about it.
maybe that is the nature of politics. Two years of build up and, NOW WHAT? Wait and see? I guess I shall...
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3 comments:
yeah I feel similarly little in the way of change.
it was exciting to be at the rally...
you have to think though, as I do, that obama has the chance and potential to be a great president. Great. McCain would've been a fine president, but never great.
we'll see. obama might be boring. that's probably the worst he'll be, is boring. because america needs to climax right now. hopefully the election wasn't the climax.
The statistics concerning black men in America right now are pretty scary. One in nine are in prison. A black man in the White House is an excellent example for a struggling people. We take for granted all the privileges we have as white people. Here's a few examples:
As white people we...
-turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of our race widely represented
-are told about our national heritage or about 'civilization', we are shown that people of our race made it what it is
-can easily buy posters, postcards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys and children's magazines featuring people of our race
-can buy band aids in 'flesh' color and have them more or less match our skin
Will Obama being president automatically change these things?
Of course not, no change is automatic.
A black man being elected president is a very important step in the right direction and I am disappointed in the impatience and lack of vision I have read here.
I don't know if I summarized myself very well there at the end, I got distracted.
So for our whole lives we, as white people, are widely represented everywhere. Historical accounts show white people making this country what it is. The only time we see black people in history is as slaves. Now there is a black man in the history of the United States who holds the highest office. No it doesn't save Wall Street, no it doesn't end the war, no it doesn't fix everything automatically. What it does is give a huge group of people a figure to identify with who they've never been able to fully before. That's really important in my book. I don't want to be preachy, but I hope you can see it a different way.
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