The election of a Black President of the United States of America means a great deal to a great many people.
All. Around. the World.
But there's a whole lot it does not mean.
I remember discussions about reparations, some years back, in which some non-Blacks said they were so tired of us (re: Black Americans) griping about race and this country's history of racial injustice that it would be WORTH paying the reparations, to which we are not entitled*, if it meant we were contractually obligated to shut the fugg up about this topic. Forever.
In bringing this up now, I'm not trying to rehash the reparations debate. I'm trying to illustrate just how much people in this country think and have long thought that racial inequality was a thing of the past. Ancient history. A long time, ago.
To those people and and their adjacents, handing Barack Obama the keys to the White House confirms that the USoA is A-ok.
Often, though, these are the same people who see a highly paid Black athlete drive by them in a car that costs more than the observer's home and conclude that clearly every Black person is on equal or better footing with every white person. If the logical flaw in that line of thinking isn't obvious I'm not sure I can illuminate it.
Nevermind the fact that it took until 2009 for a Black person to be elected to this country's highest office.
Pay no attention to the fact that it wasn't until this country is or was on a road to an icy depression - the kind you can't pop a pill for - that this country elected a Black person to the Presidency.
Let's not think about the incredibly cavalier attitude the previous administration has shown toward life (foreign or domestic), law (foreign or domestic), and basic logic over a period of 8 year, that created a climate in which people were finally ready for a change.
One might look at that and consider it a "glass half empty" perspective. After all, if the country was in the midst of such crisis conditions and turned to a Black man, doesn't that say something good about their attitude toward the ability and potential of Blacks?
Maybe.
Sure Obama got 364 electoral votes (potentially 376) to McCain's 162, which sounds like a lot but apparently is not considered an actual blow-out. But consider how much of the popular vote (which, as far as I'm concerned, is the REAL VOTE) he received**: 53%.
As far as I'm concerned, that's a pretty even split. I mean, if you TRIED to cut a pie in half simply by inspection and then had someone do a precise mathematical measurement to determine how close you were, a 53 - 47 split would be pretty impressive. The point is, it's still half, no matter how you slice it.
So basically, we immersed in debt, our businesses are failing, we're embroiled in at least one unnecessary conflict, we're torturing people, we're outing our federal agents, and soiling our international reputation (just off the top of my head)... and we're just about HALF-WAY fed-up with it and ready for a change!
Or the prospect of that change being realized in the form of this Black man was only enough to get HALF of the country to vote for him. In THESE conditions, after the disgusting campaign run by John McCain and Sarah Palin, about half of us are ready to let a Black person lead us to better days.
Except it's still not half because it's not like 100% of registered voters cast their ballot. So, about half of a fraction of the adult citizens of this country voted for a Black man***.
That truly is amazing. And I mean that in every sense of the word.
* - from their perspective
** - assuming the quote from Yahoo! Answers is accurate
*** - or, as some might consider him, a biracial man, raised by a white family
3 comments:
What an amazing period in American politics. I personally didn’t vote for Obama but am truly inspired by the positivity and global reaction resulting from his election, at least so far. His energy is addicting and his demeanor inspiring. I think Rahm Emanuel will do a phenomenal job as Obama’s chief of staffs. He’s hard nosed, stubborn, and won’t take “no” for an answer.
Obama’s story is truly American. I’d wish to dive into Obama’s mind and discover his motives and internal dialog. To go through a year of campaigning is very difficult, but to go through a year of campaigning and deliver a speech like he did that is truly inspirational. I’m excited about to see how he really attacks global warming and the energy crisis.
What’s also fascinating is looking at the dynamic of who voted, how they voted, and what drove them to vote. Obama’s campaign created a wave of energy that grew bigger and bigger as his campaign moved forward, engulfing (in a good way) each supporter and supercharging them. How did they do this? It all started with a vision. Obama’s vision, planted deep within his mind, began to take root almost 2 years ago today. The power of his vision can teach every American citizen about how to accomplish goals using the powers of visualization and intention.
I looked into this vision questing further and found that many super-successful people have been using vision boards to help focus their mind and accomplish their dreams. A vision board is a collage of images pasted on a board that represent your desired outcomes, your goals, and dreams. By studying your vision board, your brain gains clarity on what is important to your success, the things you MUST accomplish. I found a site www.TheVisionBoardKit.com that allows you to download a free 8-step power plan to creating vision boards. I’d highlight recommend downloading it.
Sounds pretty interesting, to me. I could see the human mind working just as you describe.
I suppose the glass can be half empty. But isn't this the nature of politics? Few people ever really win by that much in the grand scheme.
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