("New Recruits" by Adam Archer, from Upper Deck's Vs. System trading card game.)
I will be the first to admit that my diaries up to this point have been laced with pop culture squeak and seriously lacking in substance. Today I aim to change that just a bit. Last night Nina and I had the extreme pleasure to talk politics with my cousin and his wife from Indiana. They are Republicans who voted for George W. Bush twice.
My cousin's wife brought up the most interesting topic of the long conversation. She is a sales rep that deals with doctors. At dinner the previous Friday, they were talking politics with one of her favorite physicians, who happens to be from Nigeria. He said that a Barack Obama presidency would motivate the black youth of America. She could not understand why he would say that.
I moved from the midwest to the big city of Miami in 1972, when I was 11 years old. The greatest change was most definitely the amount of color that was introduced to my social diet. I remember playing football in a YMCA league the year before, with only one African American player among eight different teams. I remember what it can be like to be somewhat snowblind.
My cousins are very open minded and intelligent, and were very curious to understand why the doctor would say this. Why would the black youth of America be motivated by an Obama win? Don't they have the opportunities that everyone else has? Haven't they lived a whole generation without any real prejudice against them? If they can't keep their pants from hanging down to their knees, are they really going to do something with their lives if Barack wins the election?
Having lived and interacted with a strong black community in Miami for all these years, 25 of them teaching in the inner city, I tried to answer the questions. My version of Yes sounded something like this.
- There really is a glass ceiling. It's basic human nature to say "We will not believe it until a black man becomes president." It's simple, and it's as logical as a checkmark in a box.
- It's a family heirloom, the ugly legacy of slavery in America. It cannot, and should not, be thrown out like an obsolete cassette tape player. There is no tech upgrade to make the bitter history of racial injustice obsolete. Barack Obama as president would make the bleeding stop, symbolically, and give many reasons to hope for a future without as much prejudice.
- An Obama presidency would open floodgates of participation simply because of his exposure as a winner. He would have beaten everyone else at their own game. Many would emulate him, the same way they picked up a tennis racket when the Williams' sisters owned the tennis world. This time the sport would be Changing the World.
So that's what I wanted to share with you here today. I used the word "minority" in the title because I think the same principle applies to any number of previously oppressed groups. I guess it is still pop culture squeak, but that's just the way it sounds in my head. I look forward to your reactions. Kos On!