The candidacy of Barack Obama was probably the greatest social experiment in the history of America.
I have written about the transformative power that Obama's presidency can have on America's youth and especially upon young Black men. And while this new reality is a positive; I have noticed something in regard to this that may not be so productive.
Many parents have talked about how Obama is a welcome alternative to the rappers and musicians who act as role models. In President Obama, their children now have someone proper to look up to.
While having a Black president as an example of achievement is certainly welcome, I think there is a misguided rush to diminish the lives and accomplishments of others while pointing toward Obama.
In all honesty I have found myself doing the same thing.
Since the election, every time a child has expressed a problem, acted up, or dismissed the role of education I have simply replied with " Obama". It has become almost like a magic word at this point. The mere mention of Obama is supposed to automatically instill discipline, ambition and a general sense of well-being.
While using the Obama tactic I noticed that I was no longer concerning myself with the feelings, background or temperament of the children I was addressing; but rather looking up at the peak where President Obama now resides.
There is an importance to individuality and the path not taken. I am not referring to this as a means to excuse irresponsibility or bad behavior but simply as recognition that it is almost always a mistake to live one's life as a carbon copy of someone Else's.
So as great as President Obama's journey has been, it is HIS journey. That means we have to nurture the youth to become the best versions of what they aspire to be and not legions of the next Obama.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Redemption
I haven't written anything since Obama won the election in November. I wanted to bask in the euphoria that captured millions of people across this nation on that night. Now that Barack Obama has assumed the Presidency, I think it is time to embrace the reality of the future.
Today, I had the pleasure of experiencing the inauguration with hundreds of Elementary school children. It was the perfect environment to experience the true magnitude of what took place this day. When I watched the unbridled joy and passion that can only emanate from kids; rise again and again every time Obama's name was mentioned, I realized that this was truly a moment of redemption.
All of the promises of the transformative power of education and the reward of hardwork that often-times seemed to be absent in the lives of some of their peers and family members, suddenly manifested in the form of Obama.
When all of these 8-10 year olds would cheer when they saw a reflection of themselves in each member of the Obama clan who are now the first family, the promise of a new beginning seemed clear.
So often we talk about children being the future but with the pressures of life we are almost constantly looking at ourselves and what lies ahead for us. For the first time, in a long time, the happiness that I saw today forced me to look back at all of the kids who will one day lead us. And now more than ever I feel optimistic about the future knowing they will have a point of inspiration that was unimaginable before this day.
The promise of America has been redeemed and the future truly begins now
Today, I had the pleasure of experiencing the inauguration with hundreds of Elementary school children. It was the perfect environment to experience the true magnitude of what took place this day. When I watched the unbridled joy and passion that can only emanate from kids; rise again and again every time Obama's name was mentioned, I realized that this was truly a moment of redemption.
All of the promises of the transformative power of education and the reward of hardwork that often-times seemed to be absent in the lives of some of their peers and family members, suddenly manifested in the form of Obama.
When all of these 8-10 year olds would cheer when they saw a reflection of themselves in each member of the Obama clan who are now the first family, the promise of a new beginning seemed clear.
So often we talk about children being the future but with the pressures of life we are almost constantly looking at ourselves and what lies ahead for us. For the first time, in a long time, the happiness that I saw today forced me to look back at all of the kids who will one day lead us. And now more than ever I feel optimistic about the future knowing they will have a point of inspiration that was unimaginable before this day.
The promise of America has been redeemed and the future truly begins now
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Obama wins!!!!!
Its 8:16 pm and I just want to add to the zeitgeist that is presently running rampant now all over the country.
Barack Obama will be the president of The United States by Midnight!
I cannot wait to experience that moment as it will signal the complete and final repudiation of the politics of fear and intolerance perpetrated by the Republicans under the helm of Rove. It will also mark the beginning of hope, enthusiasm and fellowship as the dominant aspects of American society after their long absence under the Bush administration.
This day will go down in history as the moment America was reborn in the spirit of its true ideals.
Barack Obama will be the president of The United States by Midnight!
I cannot wait to experience that moment as it will signal the complete and final repudiation of the politics of fear and intolerance perpetrated by the Republicans under the helm of Rove. It will also mark the beginning of hope, enthusiasm and fellowship as the dominant aspects of American society after their long absence under the Bush administration.
This day will go down in history as the moment America was reborn in the spirit of its true ideals.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Sarah Palin: The Real American Hero
The term " Real America" has been a hallmark of the McCain/Palin campaign for the past month but I am still unsure about what this phrase really means. According to Hannity, Limbaugh and Beck, Gov. Palin embodies the real America. Now while I'm doubtful about the term, I know exactly what Sarah Palin embodies.
Gov. Palin's candidacy has been comprised of willful ignorance and somehow it is described as a positive in her being "Folksy". The xenophobia displayed by Palin; which is probably a testament to her not owning a passport until recently and only leaving the U.S. once, is in some bizarre twist indicative of patriotism and her being unconcerned with " Those Europeans".
Another in the list of great Palin attributes is her ability to lie and race-bait simultaneously. A casual look at any of the Palin rallies in the last month involving her accusing Obama of " Associating with terrorists" and the response of applause mixed with cheers of " Kill him" and " Traitor" are a testament to this great SKILL.
Using the logic applied by Hannity and Limbaugh, Sarah Palin is what the real America is all about. So that means the America that Palin, McCain and their supporters speak about is characterized by hate, ignorance, lies and xenophobia if their stump speeches are to be believed.
By virtue of living in New York city, I am not a part of the real America as defined by Sarah Palin. I am very happy to be outside of those borders.
Gov. Palin's candidacy has been comprised of willful ignorance and somehow it is described as a positive in her being "Folksy". The xenophobia displayed by Palin; which is probably a testament to her not owning a passport until recently and only leaving the U.S. once, is in some bizarre twist indicative of patriotism and her being unconcerned with " Those Europeans".
Another in the list of great Palin attributes is her ability to lie and race-bait simultaneously. A casual look at any of the Palin rallies in the last month involving her accusing Obama of " Associating with terrorists" and the response of applause mixed with cheers of " Kill him" and " Traitor" are a testament to this great SKILL.
Using the logic applied by Hannity and Limbaugh, Sarah Palin is what the real America is all about. So that means the America that Palin, McCain and their supporters speak about is characterized by hate, ignorance, lies and xenophobia if their stump speeches are to be believed.
By virtue of living in New York city, I am not a part of the real America as defined by Sarah Palin. I am very happy to be outside of those borders.
The Maverick Myth
With only a few days left til the election; I thought it would be appropriate to look back on the McCain campaign and how much of it lived up to the " Maverick" ideal.
John McCain by winning the Republican nomination had the opportunity to transform that party to represent the ideals that he championed during the 2000 election. Instead of taking the risk of being a visionary he simply sank into the mire of fear, anger, xenophobia and racism that has become a hallmark of the Republicans for the past 20 years.
A real Maverick would've selected a TRUE candidate for the Vice- Presidency instead of a gimmick in an attractive package named Sarah Palin. The Pseudo-Maverick which is John McCain failed to lead and gave into the "religious right' of the GOP and chose someone that is truly unfit for leadership and certaintly incapable of being POTUS.
The "mythical" John McCain we have heard so much about would've never took on the same team of handlers who smeared him in South Carolina along racial lines alleging he had an illegitimate Black child. The real McCain though didn't hesitate to take them on as a means to win at any cost.
The great statesman that FOX and other conservative outlets have described McCain as should never be in the presence of those calling for the " Killing" of a political rival at one of his rallies without speaking out in protest. But as the pattern has been made clear, the REAL McCain lives down to expectations and embraced the attack on Obama as an uppity, unpatriotic, muslim until the wheels fell off and his poll numbers dropped.
In closing, I think it is pretty clear that John McCain isn't and never truly was a Maverick. What we have in McCain is a man who somehow has been mythologized as a great leader and hero when the reality of his life suggests anything but.
McCain is someone who personifies the term, "Failing upward". A mediocre and reckless pilot who somehow got to keep his wings while endangering others. A poor student who by family connections got accepted to and graduated from some of the most prestigious military institutions in the world. Lastly, a man who has shown no true desire to learn, inspire or lead beyond his own personal ambitions has had a political career marked by success for almost 3 decades.
Failing upward has been a given in the life of John McCain, that is until now!
When McCain fails to win the election on November 4, it will be the first time in his life where he won't be able to gain success from failure. It will be a first that I will thoroughly enjoy experiencing with the Maverick this Tuesday.
John McCain by winning the Republican nomination had the opportunity to transform that party to represent the ideals that he championed during the 2000 election. Instead of taking the risk of being a visionary he simply sank into the mire of fear, anger, xenophobia and racism that has become a hallmark of the Republicans for the past 20 years.
A real Maverick would've selected a TRUE candidate for the Vice- Presidency instead of a gimmick in an attractive package named Sarah Palin. The Pseudo-Maverick which is John McCain failed to lead and gave into the "religious right' of the GOP and chose someone that is truly unfit for leadership and certaintly incapable of being POTUS.
The "mythical" John McCain we have heard so much about would've never took on the same team of handlers who smeared him in South Carolina along racial lines alleging he had an illegitimate Black child. The real McCain though didn't hesitate to take them on as a means to win at any cost.
The great statesman that FOX and other conservative outlets have described McCain as should never be in the presence of those calling for the " Killing" of a political rival at one of his rallies without speaking out in protest. But as the pattern has been made clear, the REAL McCain lives down to expectations and embraced the attack on Obama as an uppity, unpatriotic, muslim until the wheels fell off and his poll numbers dropped.
In closing, I think it is pretty clear that John McCain isn't and never truly was a Maverick. What we have in McCain is a man who somehow has been mythologized as a great leader and hero when the reality of his life suggests anything but.
McCain is someone who personifies the term, "Failing upward". A mediocre and reckless pilot who somehow got to keep his wings while endangering others. A poor student who by family connections got accepted to and graduated from some of the most prestigious military institutions in the world. Lastly, a man who has shown no true desire to learn, inspire or lead beyond his own personal ambitions has had a political career marked by success for almost 3 decades.
Failing upward has been a given in the life of John McCain, that is until now!
When McCain fails to win the election on November 4, it will be the first time in his life where he won't be able to gain success from failure. It will be a first that I will thoroughly enjoy experiencing with the Maverick this Tuesday.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Point Of No Return
Its rare to see a modern myth disappear before your eyes; but it happened today. The straight talking maverick of the 2000 GOP campaign died today and in his stead rose a new John McCain with race card in hand. While I am under no delusions about the high stakes nature of politics and the place that pragmatism plays in it, I never thought MCcain would stoop this low this fast. From a purely political perspective it makes sense to use " The race card" because any mentioning of race automatically puts Obama on the defensive. Barack Obama is supposed to be the candidate that transcends race and you can't effectively hold that position if your comments are always in reference to the issue.
While this was an all or nothing gambit on the part of MCcain in the tradition of Bush The Elder's " Willie Horton" ad, the sad difference for MCcain will be the change in the outcome. Simply put, it won't work this time.
Unlike 1988 or even 2004 with the swiftboat affair there are certain realities that are present now that diminish the most desperate attacks of the worst kind of demagogue.
People are more susceptible to acting out of fear and doubt when they can conveniently hide themselves from the reality of their lives. You can buy into the rampaging Black convict ( or covert Muslim) terrorizing your home when the prices of gas and food aren't at an all time high. When you aren't being foreclosed upon or having your property values diminished because of the foreclosures; those attack ads seem a lot more potent and pressing.
The failure of the Bush administration is too explicit and abject for any degree of race-baiting and xenophobia to prove effective. Even more the impotence of MCcain as a candidate has now been exposed with this new stunt.
The corruption, arrogance and incompotence of the Bush administration has effectively created the perfect storm for an Obama presidency.
I can't wait to see what version of MCcain emerges next.
While this was an all or nothing gambit on the part of MCcain in the tradition of Bush The Elder's " Willie Horton" ad, the sad difference for MCcain will be the change in the outcome. Simply put, it won't work this time.
Unlike 1988 or even 2004 with the swiftboat affair there are certain realities that are present now that diminish the most desperate attacks of the worst kind of demagogue.
People are more susceptible to acting out of fear and doubt when they can conveniently hide themselves from the reality of their lives. You can buy into the rampaging Black convict ( or covert Muslim) terrorizing your home when the prices of gas and food aren't at an all time high. When you aren't being foreclosed upon or having your property values diminished because of the foreclosures; those attack ads seem a lot more potent and pressing.
The failure of the Bush administration is too explicit and abject for any degree of race-baiting and xenophobia to prove effective. Even more the impotence of MCcain as a candidate has now been exposed with this new stunt.
The corruption, arrogance and incompotence of the Bush administration has effectively created the perfect storm for an Obama presidency.
I can't wait to see what version of MCcain emerges next.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Turn The Page
I never truly understood the meaning of unmitigated gall until I saw Hillary Clinton tonight. The woman didn't have the decency to congratulate Obama on his VICTORY but only his "running" during the primary. That doesn't even begin to express her silence during the chants of Denver in the background while she touted her having the most popular votes while missing the fact that those votes won't count.
In many ways I was guilty of being naive enough to believe that Clinton would pull back from the scorched earth policy in the face of defeat. Clinton, should reamain what she is and go off into the sunset with her delusions of victory to comfort her.
I will say it now, If Obama selects Hillary Clinton he will truly be exhibiting the lack of judgement that both Clinton and Mccain have accused him of having.
In many ways I was guilty of being naive enough to believe that Clinton would pull back from the scorched earth policy in the face of defeat. Clinton, should reamain what she is and go off into the sunset with her delusions of victory to comfort her.
I will say it now, If Obama selects Hillary Clinton he will truly be exhibiting the lack of judgement that both Clinton and Mccain have accused him of having.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)