Well, we've done it. Call it history, call it cracks in the glass ceiling, call it whatever you want, but one thing we can all agree on is--it's over. It's time to move on--pray, hold on to you wallet with all your might and prepare to somehow support the "change" so many have asked for (that's right, I'm trying to be supportive).Obviously, I'm not pumped about the election results, but there is something that is bothering me even more than that and multiple stories in today's Birmingham News further my point.
For example, a headline (on the front page, nonetheless) reads: "State vote shows racial divide and Obama inroads" the article goes on and on saying things like "Black voters cast ballots in the presidential race in enormous numbers for Barack Obama, while whites voted overwhelmingly for Republican John McCain." Then it thoroughly describes how Obama overwhelmingly won the vote in all majority black polling places and McCain won 4/5 of majority white polling places (wait... doesn't that contradict the point?). Then on the front page of the local section we have: "Davis: A black candidate can win Alabama: Experts say statewide numbers are not a positive sign." Despite the confusing headline the article talks about how Obama might have broken the "biggest glass ceiling," but in Alabama that ceiling is still in place for black candidates. Really? How so? I give ole Artur some credit here, he disagrees with the "experts" on this one, but the paper goes on and on about racial disparities in Alabama and how difficult they are to overcome. We go to great lengths to show racism, when an educated African American himself is saying the "experts" are wrong. What's the logic? Let's be glad we've moved on, why don't we celebrate that?
My point, in citing these articles, is how disheartening it is that this election (which was supposed to unite the country) has somehow even further divided us. We're bringing up all sorts of old racial hostilities and somewhere along the lines phrases like "black power" have become politically correct again. I'm confused.
Why is it that if someone chose to vote for McCain instead of Obama, they're racist and it's assumed they don't want a black president? The numbers show the opposite )and personally I don't consider physical appearance a factor in my choice for Commander in Chief). More African American people voted straight for Obama (based on the color of his skin, perhaps?) whereas plenty of white people chose Obama too. Wouldn't that show reverse racism? We don't talk about that. It's okay for a black person to vote for Obama simply because he's black, but if a white person chooses not to vote for him it must be because he/she is a racist? It makes no sense and I'm truly sick of the argument. If anything, I hope this "historic" election puts some of this nonsense to bed. Let's move on. Let's talk about the things that matter--what's the next step? You've got your history, now lets see some results.
I'm frustrated that this election has become more about historic moments than what is best for our country. If you think Obama is the most qualified leader, then fine, I'm okay with that, but if you're rejoicing in the streets simply because our next President is black... you make me sad.
Pray for our country, pray for our current President and our President-elect. Here we go!
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3 comments:
Okay, I have read of your love/support for John McCain throughout this election and I can understand how you must feel concerning the outcome of this election. Although your guy lost you are still "trying" to be supportive of our new president. I'm glad.
You are right, the last thing we need right now is to further divide our country based on racial ignorance. We need to come together and support our president in times of need and challenge him when we disagree with different decisions he might make.
The one thing that i am a bit confused about is your last sentence, "If you think Obama is the most qualified leader, then fine, I'm okay with that, but if you're rejoicing in the streets simply because our next President is black... you make me sad."
Why are you sad? Is it not a great feat that we, our country, can go from slavery, to beatings in the street, to "your kind can only go so far," to the nations first black president? Why is that not a reason to celebrate?
Seriously, think about it. If McCain-Palin won, women all over the country, including me and I am an Obama supporter, would be rejoicing over the historical significance that a woman made it to the white house and not because of her marital status.
Please enlighten me....
Katie - i agree 100 percent...your posts have been very good -
Read and felt the need to chime in on a few observation/comments/etc.
First comment, and in no particular order, "More African American people voted straight for Obama (based on the color of his skin, perhaps?) whereas plenty of white people chose Obama too. Wouldn't that show reverse racism?"
The reasons why people vote for one person vs. another often have more to do with personal identification that they do with qualification. Just as many people, if not more due to sheer ethnic ratios in this country, chose not to vote for Obama as based on his race as those that voted for him because of his race. And historically, based on appearances, that seems to be the case. For example, G. W. Bush was a man who received the minimum passing score (basically a 60% if you need to think about in terms of normal academia) on the pilot entrance aptitude test, used his father’s network to get put ahead of other fellow Americans enlisting in the Guard to avoid combat in Vietnam, could not get accepted into the University of Texas School of Law, whose family has close, documented ties to the family of Osama bin Laden, and finally he produced more stomp syntax than probably every past president combined [i.e. a great orator he was not]. So why did he win, twice against men with more intellectual capacity, better oration ability, that showed more patriotism, etc, etc, etc? Because the people simply identified with him more. So why not African Americans? If a person receives more votes because the people relate to him more, would it not just make sense that African Americans [and even other people of non Caucasian ethnicity, i.e. the Republican biased voters of Latin decent who socially align with the GOP still voted over 60% Obama] would identify even more so, seeing a face of color on the ballot for the first time ever? It’s not reverse racism, it’s simply identification.
Second comment, “pray, hold on to you wallet with all your might and prepare to somehow support the "change" so many have asked for…” I could be reading into this, it appears that you are implying that Obama’s policies will decrease your buying power. If that’s the case, I need to enlighten with a little historical data. Since World War II, Democratic presidents have generally been more successful in spurring overall income growth. From 1948-2005, Republican executive administrations have had negative growth for pre-tax income for all but the upper 20th % of income earners, and that growth was only .9%; contrarily, pre-tax income growth is positive across the board for EVERYONE and this growth is measured in 4-5% gains where that aforementioned upper 20% gained 4.28%! [Bartels, L. M. (2008). Unequal democracy: The political economy of the new gilded age. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.] Could it be the “spreading the wealth” socialism fear tactic, mantra that has been espoused over the last few weeks? Please don’t fear socialism and view it as a bad thing when it is simply a principle that is used here in the US anyway, but (like most things) can be taken to an extreme. Our Education system at all levels is a social program, Medicare is a social program, even the interstate system is a social program.
Third comment, “Why is it that if someone chose to vote for McCain instead of Obama, they're racist and it's assumed they don't want a black president?”
This isn’t really an assumption of most. I generally just questioned why would someone feel McCain could do a better job than Obama when nobody has experience being a president and McCain had some issues that I felt would make his ability to govern more difficult. I have the utmost respect for John McCain and who he is as a man, but I didn’t think he should be President because of what he went through in Vietnam. That fact is that he, like all other Vets that have been through anything traumatizing, have PTSD. I’ve worked and been around a lot of veterans and there are some things that they just don’t handle well. John McCain is very likable, but the risks and his election bid decisions and questionable mental stability were obvious red flags to most. For these reasons mainly but not only, I could not understand why someone would choose him over another Republican to run for the party.
4th Comment, “I'm frustrated that this election has become more about historic moments than what is best for our country. If you think Obama is the most qualified leader, then fine, I'm okay with that, but if you're rejoicing in the streets simply because our next President is black... you make me sad.”
Believe it or not, it can be about both. The Roman Catholic community celebrated Kennedy. If Palin had become the first woman to hold the office of VP, that to would have been something to celebrate. Why? Because that shows advancement of some kind for the United States. Slaves celebrated their freedom, women and African Americans celebrated receiving the right to vote, all these changes were “historic moments” AND they were “what was best for our country.” It’s probably more astonishing to many because people that lived the brutal Jim Crow Era are still alive! My father was an African American who was attacked by the dogs and hoses when he was in elementary school, who started school not knowing how to read, but graduated at the age of 15 from high school, had a 3.98 GPA at UAB but wasn’t allowed to go to med school so he did what he had to do and became a mailman to feed his family [And this was in the 1970’s-80’s. You probably don’t celebrate the right to vote because you don’t know anyone who had to fight for it, you’ve probably been the victim of very little social injustice, this situation, as much as I could try to explain it, you will probably never understand. It will be something to “get over” when things like: Kids burning into the football field and spray painting on the walls of my high school “Nigger Die” [this was in the 1990’s], or overqualified people with Master’s Degree’s can get interviews while their counterparts who they outperform in every area get hired for the position [personal issue (-: , or We celebrate the moments! If a woman becomes president it will be something to celebrate, because that’s not America at the moment. I’ve heard two speeches from Artur Davis, at the Black Graduate Student and at my job, guess what both were about: racial disparities in Alabama. Every great politician knows that they have to choose how open they are depending on the forum. Race is a global issue and if you don’t believe so, move to Afghanistan and see how much you would celebrate if a Christian, Caucasian, or Woman became leader of that country.
Sorry it's kinda long....
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