Election!
I just read a great article on Salon.com about how race might, or might not, influence the presidential election. http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/11/03/racists_for_obama/ The article talks about a very interesting phenomenon in this election, which is that some people who could quite fairly be considered racists are choosing to vote for Obama. Even blatant bigots who bandy about using the n-word are looking past his skin color and seeing the next president of the United States. It would appear even racists are complicated people.
I had a funny experience while I read the article. For some strange reason, I thought that the writer of the article was a white woman. I related so much with what the writer was saying, and with the point of view, that I assumed I was reading the work of someone like me, a white woman in her thirties. But on the second page, toward the bottom, I learned the writer is a six-foot two African American man with dreadlocks. I looked back over the article to try and discover why I pictured the writer as a mirror image of myself, in spite of the fact that the byline clearly says James Hannaham. I can discover no reason why I assumed what I did. I just assumed. This might reveal a deep, unconscious bias on my part, but I prefer to believe that the writer is a very talented individual whose glowing core of humanity appealed very much to my own glowing core. I looked beyond the pages and saw a person who is a lot like me, despite our outward appearances.
This election seems to be challenging a lot of preconceived notions about how people relate to race. I live in a predominantly white state, so I've only had the chance to chat with a couple African Americans about the election. The first told me he is a staunch Republican and will be voting for McCain. The second told me he was very disappointed when Hilary Clinton didn't get the nomination. As a result of these conversations, I had to chuckle to myself whenever I'd hear pundits on TV saying that Obama could count on "black votes." Those talking heads do love to cut the population up into tidy little pie slices, but as anyone who has served Thanksgiving dessert can attest, there's nothing tidy about cutting pie.
I have always been an Obama supporter, even though I'm a feminist and we had a chance to help elect the first woman to the American presidency. I think Hilary Clinton is one heck of a broad, but I'm not crazy about this trend in American politics toward "legacy" presidencies. I didn't like that we got a President Bush 2.0 because it felt a little too monarchical, as though George W. inherited the presidency from George H.W. In the same way, I didn't want a President Clinton 2.0, not because I thought Hilary would have made a bad president. I feel pretty confident that she'd be a far better one than our current Commander in Grief. But it would still feel like a legacy if the wife picked up where the husband left off. My Yankee paranoia about aristocracy isn't the only reason I wanted Obama from the early days. I'd read his book, Dreams from My Father, a memoir of his childhood that he'd written before there was serious talk of him being a presidential contender. I liked how he wrote about his desire, from an early age, to help fix what he felt was ailing in American society. I liked that he was a community organizer in his youth, such a selfless job, and a demanding one. He seemed like a sincere, caring, dedicated human being, one who had enough integrity to be that rare type of politician who is capable of wielding power without compromising his morals. I'd have voted democrat, whoever got the nomination, but I'm voting very enthusiastically for Barack Obama.
I think one reason I like Obama so much is because, in the same way I read an article written by a black man and saw myself there, I can look at Obama's sense of mission and see my own hopes for America. Obama's life and experiences are, I'm sure, quite unlike mine. Yet, we share a common humanity, and a feeling of hope that America can learn to rally around causes that aren't just about vanquishing enemies. We can band together to fix our ailing health care system and our struggling schools. We can work together to help other nations see that we're not just a military power, but we're a kind and generous people who sincerely want to help make the world a better place for everyone, even if we don't always get it right. I believe I'm like a lot of Americans in feeling very tired out by our hawkish militarism. I'm not insensible to the threat Al Queda poses, and I believe we need to maintain a strong military that can respond to attacks. But I'm ready for a president who will work for peace. I'm ready for someone who can reach out to people in other nations, offer them his glowing core of humanity, and have theirs offered to America in return.
I had a funny experience while I read the article. For some strange reason, I thought that the writer of the article was a white woman. I related so much with what the writer was saying, and with the point of view, that I assumed I was reading the work of someone like me, a white woman in her thirties. But on the second page, toward the bottom, I learned the writer is a six-foot two African American man with dreadlocks. I looked back over the article to try and discover why I pictured the writer as a mirror image of myself, in spite of the fact that the byline clearly says James Hannaham. I can discover no reason why I assumed what I did. I just assumed. This might reveal a deep, unconscious bias on my part, but I prefer to believe that the writer is a very talented individual whose glowing core of humanity appealed very much to my own glowing core. I looked beyond the pages and saw a person who is a lot like me, despite our outward appearances.
This election seems to be challenging a lot of preconceived notions about how people relate to race. I live in a predominantly white state, so I've only had the chance to chat with a couple African Americans about the election. The first told me he is a staunch Republican and will be voting for McCain. The second told me he was very disappointed when Hilary Clinton didn't get the nomination. As a result of these conversations, I had to chuckle to myself whenever I'd hear pundits on TV saying that Obama could count on "black votes." Those talking heads do love to cut the population up into tidy little pie slices, but as anyone who has served Thanksgiving dessert can attest, there's nothing tidy about cutting pie.
I have always been an Obama supporter, even though I'm a feminist and we had a chance to help elect the first woman to the American presidency. I think Hilary Clinton is one heck of a broad, but I'm not crazy about this trend in American politics toward "legacy" presidencies. I didn't like that we got a President Bush 2.0 because it felt a little too monarchical, as though George W. inherited the presidency from George H.W. In the same way, I didn't want a President Clinton 2.0, not because I thought Hilary would have made a bad president. I feel pretty confident that she'd be a far better one than our current Commander in Grief. But it would still feel like a legacy if the wife picked up where the husband left off. My Yankee paranoia about aristocracy isn't the only reason I wanted Obama from the early days. I'd read his book, Dreams from My Father, a memoir of his childhood that he'd written before there was serious talk of him being a presidential contender. I liked how he wrote about his desire, from an early age, to help fix what he felt was ailing in American society. I liked that he was a community organizer in his youth, such a selfless job, and a demanding one. He seemed like a sincere, caring, dedicated human being, one who had enough integrity to be that rare type of politician who is capable of wielding power without compromising his morals. I'd have voted democrat, whoever got the nomination, but I'm voting very enthusiastically for Barack Obama.
I think one reason I like Obama so much is because, in the same way I read an article written by a black man and saw myself there, I can look at Obama's sense of mission and see my own hopes for America. Obama's life and experiences are, I'm sure, quite unlike mine. Yet, we share a common humanity, and a feeling of hope that America can learn to rally around causes that aren't just about vanquishing enemies. We can band together to fix our ailing health care system and our struggling schools. We can work together to help other nations see that we're not just a military power, but we're a kind and generous people who sincerely want to help make the world a better place for everyone, even if we don't always get it right. I believe I'm like a lot of Americans in feeling very tired out by our hawkish militarism. I'm not insensible to the threat Al Queda poses, and I believe we need to maintain a strong military that can respond to attacks. But I'm ready for a president who will work for peace. I'm ready for someone who can reach out to people in other nations, offer them his glowing core of humanity, and have theirs offered to America in return.
posted by Amy at 7:46 AM
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