The Five Strands of A Sedentary Empress

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We know that politics and race are tricky subjects on their own, but together you have the potential for great debate, or small explosions. Mostly there is anger and frustration, but those emotions were there before anyone said a word. The very topics of politics and racism are vicious and infectious even when left unspoken. It's tough to have a discussion without someone becoming irritated, enraged or downright violent because everyone wants to be right, each person self-righteous in their own way.

Me too.

Maybe I'm naïve, but there are worse things to be. I believe Barack Obama is the genuine article, despite his now immediate surroundings, despite some of the company he has kept. I think this man is in it for the right reasons, and I think he is going to make a sincere effort to tear down all the walls the Bush administration slapped up. I do not think he ran for the position of President for the fame or the glory. His background pretty much indicates he's all about the people. Like I said, it's possible it's all a very elaborate scam of some kind which would work to gain the minority vote for the Democratic party, but it isn't likely they would have ever voted Republican in the first place, anyway.

Am I tired of all the 'Black Talk' that is going on in the American media? Honestly, sometimes it's a little bit grating, but mostly because I can't immediately relate to it, being a white woman surrounded by mostly white people. I've written about this before, though, and it's a topic which is still working for resolution in my head because the education is ongoing, the philosophies still in their seedling stage. First off, I have to say that because he appears to be a sincere human being, and because he presents himself as someone who is for the average person rather than for the elite, I think he was the obvious choice for leader of a country which prides itself on its opportunities and equal potential for realized dreams. The last eight years have really damaged the international view of the U.S.A in terms of fairness, equality and frankly, smarts. How did that last guy get in once, much less twice? All the symbols of America sort of fell away over the last two terms because it didn't make sense that one President would be impeached for an extra-marital relationship, while another gets to lead the country without impedement after starting a war under false pretenses, resulting in the deaths of thousands of innocent people, while essentially ignoring the drowning of one his own cities. What kind of prioritizing is that?

So, yes, I will admit to having flipped the channel when Oprah went ahead with her second showing of Martin Luther King's speech, because I've seen/heard it before. Many, many times. I won't say he wasn't a great man, a visionary even, but I don't think I can get much more out of that speech. I studied it in high school, wrote papers on it even, and for me the subject has been covered. He should never be forgotten, and he won't be, but I'm anxious for the change to happen already. I'm anxious for the dream to be. I also wish that JFK's assassination wasn't broadcast repeatedly in November, or that we could ease up on the September 11th theme. All of it is part of history, absolutely, but is it necessary to keep re-living it, essentially holding people to the past without letting them look forward?

Sometimes I wonder if the well-intended focus on African American culture (I'm sorry, what happened to term 'black'? Am I not white anymore, either?), works against the goal of unity. Is it possible that it only deepens the divide? I ask myself this and then I realize that black culture has largely been excluded from American history, that this is a necessary form of inclusion and that maybe the election of a half-black man to the Presidency is the beginning of a new kind of history, one which will include all citizens. My dream for the future is that there no longer be a sense of relevance in the colour of one's skin. When you really think about it, it's a fairly inane thing to pick on.

One thing I find about Western culture is that we love to witness struggle as much as we love our triumph. We find art in suffering, probably because to most of us it's foreign and we are inspired by victory, especially if it was unlikely. Who would we be without our heroes and victims? Americans, in particular, love their heroes, as well they should. Right now, Barack Obama's unprecedented status is largely to do with him breaking through barriers based on unfounded prejudice. He is a hero for making it, and for doing it on his terms. One has to give pause to admire this. I saw the tears streaming down black faces when that speech was given and I shed a few of my own. I can't know what they were feeling, but I welled with pride anyway. It is ridiculous to assume he was voted in because he is black, though. He was elected because the possibility for change was enough to motivate people to cast their vote for it. He was elected because he was most-suited to the position. The majority of people know that voting based on skin colour is a recipe for doom, and very few people are that stupid.

Will this be the beginning of the end of racism in the U.S? Possibly, but it will take a long time for any significant changes to happen. What I hope is that the majority of people come away from this with a new sense of respect for the people they share the country with, that the differences become less important than what there is in common. All that aside, I'd be okay with less of a focus on his ethnicity now, though. What I want is a focus on what he's doing, what he's solving and what he's struggling with. What he is, I think, is less important than what he does.