"Both candidates ran a good race, but as with all races, it was won by a Kenyan"
I will admit that I am not in the least bit adequately informed of the candidacies and platforms of either party to publish a complete political review of this presidential race, which ended with Barack Obama winning the coveted title of president-elect; to succeed George Bush as the 44th president of the USA (i love how i just made that sound like a beauty pagaent win). I also was not one of the vast multitudes who voted for either McCain or Obama, since I am not a U.S. Citizen. I was, however, fortunate enough to be in the center of the campaign race during its last few legs, exposed directly to the atmosphere of trailblazing patriotism that consumed this superpower.
It was 'moving', to say the least, to see the live broadcast of hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered in the cold and wintry night in the middle of parks, major thoroughfares and campaign party 'parties' rejoice and cheer (and some even cried) upon the announcement of Barack Obama's victory. The subsequent interviews with plebeians (hahaha) about the political, emotional and cultural impact of electing such a young, and African American president were frought with cheers, tears, battle cries and... what I can only describe at content sighs (although the large black woman sighing on national television, international, even, since it was CNN, seemed out of place. It looked like she merely ran out of breath after a taebo routine, rather than being super-elated at having obama elected)
Newspapers today are splashed with a deluge of 'first African American president's and 'historic's and other terms to decorate Obama. Blog entries, Facebook statuses etc. etc. are all full of triumphant messages of victory and pride and patriotism. Americans, the general sentiment seems to be, have finally recognized the African Americans! Americans are now truly free, truly 'mature', yay yay yay!
But is this really the triumphant end to a race well run? I don't think so.
Pardon my acerbic-ness, but I think that this is actually just the beginning. While it is indeed newsworthy and praiseworthy that the American people have finally had an epiphany of the possibility of having a 'black president', I refuse to believe that Barack's victory was won merely by the combined forces of his race, and the American's changed outlook on the issue. I'm sure the whole 'change' campaign, his polotical platform, and the empowering combined forces of the youth and media also played a large hand in things. This is why, instead, I offer the following thought: This is merely the beginning of the race.
Barack Obama is about to set foot in an office which affects the rest of the world's affairs. Barack is about to jump headfirst into leading the country, a superpower in the world, in the middle of an economic crisis. Barack Obama, after promising change and better days for all (then again, all campaigners do), is about to face a sea of demanding and exacting people expecting more than ever to see the tangible realities of his abstract goals and promises. Despite the disclaimer included in his 'acceptance speech', in which he said that the changes we want might take longer than a presidential term to materialize, Americans and the rest of the world's populace will still eagerly await some proof of his abilities.
Each and every one of his actions and decisions will be scrutinized under the public microscope, and dissected and studied in every way. Every achievement, and also every mistake he makes will be magnified and supersized to proportions even McDonalds would not want for their fries and Coke. And, inevitably, these achievements and mistakes will be associated with and to his race, his youth, his radical mindset for change, his very own Obamarama.
Forgive my sour and bitter frankness, then, when I say that now is not a time for all people (and maybe especially the African Americans) to drop all worries and celebrate. Now, more than ever, is a time to pray, to hope, or to turn to whatever greater-than-thyself deity there is for guidance and excellence during the coming term of President Barack Obama. We are about to enter a time when fodder for the empassioned haters will run ripe, and fuel for the fire of the very narrowness we think we've defeated just might be in abundance. Stigmas and stereotypes are just as likely to experience a rapid growth spurt as change, equality, and new-age-pro-the-people-thinking. Remember that, in as much as this is a stereotype for the 'ugly American', it is a distinct possibility that if Barack Obama 'screws up', the image of the black man as president just may be tarnished forever; in the same way that his success would finally free African Americans of their downtrod image in the American Political Arena. I hope, with an empathic passion, that we encounter nothing but the latter. I hope, with a hope shared hopefully by the whole people in search of equality, that this really will be a time to celebrate.
The end, is but the beginning.
It was 'moving', to say the least, to see the live broadcast of hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered in the cold and wintry night in the middle of parks, major thoroughfares and campaign party 'parties' rejoice and cheer (and some even cried) upon the announcement of Barack Obama's victory. The subsequent interviews with plebeians (hahaha) about the political, emotional and cultural impact of electing such a young, and African American president were frought with cheers, tears, battle cries and... what I can only describe at content sighs (although the large black woman sighing on national television, international, even, since it was CNN, seemed out of place. It looked like she merely ran out of breath after a taebo routine, rather than being super-elated at having obama elected)
Newspapers today are splashed with a deluge of 'first African American president's and 'historic's and other terms to decorate Obama. Blog entries, Facebook statuses etc. etc. are all full of triumphant messages of victory and pride and patriotism. Americans, the general sentiment seems to be, have finally recognized the African Americans! Americans are now truly free, truly 'mature', yay yay yay!
But is this really the triumphant end to a race well run? I don't think so.
Pardon my acerbic-ness, but I think that this is actually just the beginning. While it is indeed newsworthy and praiseworthy that the American people have finally had an epiphany of the possibility of having a 'black president', I refuse to believe that Barack's victory was won merely by the combined forces of his race, and the American's changed outlook on the issue. I'm sure the whole 'change' campaign, his polotical platform, and the empowering combined forces of the youth and media also played a large hand in things. This is why, instead, I offer the following thought: This is merely the beginning of the race.
Barack Obama is about to set foot in an office which affects the rest of the world's affairs. Barack is about to jump headfirst into leading the country, a superpower in the world, in the middle of an economic crisis. Barack Obama, after promising change and better days for all (then again, all campaigners do), is about to face a sea of demanding and exacting people expecting more than ever to see the tangible realities of his abstract goals and promises. Despite the disclaimer included in his 'acceptance speech', in which he said that the changes we want might take longer than a presidential term to materialize, Americans and the rest of the world's populace will still eagerly await some proof of his abilities.
Each and every one of his actions and decisions will be scrutinized under the public microscope, and dissected and studied in every way. Every achievement, and also every mistake he makes will be magnified and supersized to proportions even McDonalds would not want for their fries and Coke. And, inevitably, these achievements and mistakes will be associated with and to his race, his youth, his radical mindset for change, his very own Obamarama.
Forgive my sour and bitter frankness, then, when I say that now is not a time for all people (and maybe especially the African Americans) to drop all worries and celebrate. Now, more than ever, is a time to pray, to hope, or to turn to whatever greater-than-thyself deity there is for guidance and excellence during the coming term of President Barack Obama. We are about to enter a time when fodder for the empassioned haters will run ripe, and fuel for the fire of the very narrowness we think we've defeated just might be in abundance. Stigmas and stereotypes are just as likely to experience a rapid growth spurt as change, equality, and new-age-pro-the-people-thinking. Remember that, in as much as this is a stereotype for the 'ugly American', it is a distinct possibility that if Barack Obama 'screws up', the image of the black man as president just may be tarnished forever; in the same way that his success would finally free African Americans of their downtrod image in the American Political Arena. I hope, with an empathic passion, that we encounter nothing but the latter. I hope, with a hope shared hopefully by the whole people in search of equality, that this really will be a time to celebrate.
The end, is but the beginning.
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