Mood:
quizzicalTopic: big media
We guessed 296 to Obama needing 270 electoral college votes. And how wrong we were. He stormed into the 350ies or so. Yet it seems most New York Times readers were also "nervous" on election day. And the story of race surely is the basis of those nerves.
We did our own little vox pop the afternoon of the awesome McCain concession speech and the even more awesome victory speech by Obama.
One South American buddy sent a text of jubilation, the Persian or maybe Arabic guy in the corner shop was excited and told me later he stayed up all night watching the news till 3 am. Another very jaded South American buddy said nothing would change or jobs would be lost poor countries in a US protectionist policy.
My 30 year old female neighbour said only half joking "until they shoot him" while the shop keeper also said he was in danger.
Even so you can tell in this very mixed race suburb of Sydney a certain bounce in the coloured residents. A bounce in everyone. Even as we spied a notorious white supremacist incognito in the main street early on election day.
What strikes us is how stark the claim in the Big Media that Obama is the first "Black" president. How did it come to this of defining people by their colour rather than the content of their character as Martin Luther King would have it? Or is the colour simply an artefact.
One defensive journalist said his parentage has been well documented. But maybe it's my post racial attitude that just ignores the colour and finds much more significant that:
1. His mother had a Phd (in anthropology)
2. His dad was an economics graduate from Harvard
As Oprah has said "it's because he is brilliant". On a trivial level we recall that Obama is what we call coffee not black, while this writer is pink not white, and one of the guys in my neighbourhood surely from North or Central Africa is indeed coal black. The Indigenous in Ten Canoes are somewhere in there again. But the Big Media in particular simplify and stereotype because they can.
There is no doubt that Obama is adopted by the civil rights movement from Jesse Jackson crying on tv, to 95% of African Americans voting for Obama. We shed a few tears and punched the air too. But did Obama represent their struggle? There is no doubt he provides blessed inspiration but we are not convinced he was the civil rights candidate per se even as he is adopted across the globe by minorities. As he says himself he was the mainstream candidate. He needed voters far beyond the relatively small proportion of African Americans which he demonstrably did receive.
His biographer was on the 7.30 Report last night pointing out that he was raised by his caucasion mother, adding to pictures of his 'white' western grandparents who obviously loved him to bits. That he had to learn in 2000 how to connect with struggling 'black' voters. That his friends in school were 'white'.
By chance we watched a quite inspiring sports movie based on a true story 2 weeks out from the US election. It's called Coach Carter and good value:
Here is the wikipedia entry for Kenny Ray Carter:
Biography
Carter gained notoriety in 1999 when coaching the Richmond High School Oilers. He canceled all of his undefeated basketball team's games and practiced for eight days -- forfeiting two games (one non-conference game and one alumni game) -- because fifteen team members had unacceptably poor academic performance. This event was known as "the lockout", and his actions were criticized by the school, players' parents, the community, the schools where his team was scheduled to play, and media commentators.
Carter maintained that his athletes must take their studies seriously as good academic performance would give them access to college and other opportunities in life. Public opinion eventually changed, and he was praised for his determined emphasis on encouraging proper life priorities for his team.
The story of the 1999 season is in the 2005 film Coach Carter, with Carter played by Samuel L. Jackson.
The DVD dramatisation carries an interview with the man himself with emphasis on close knit family and high expectations for African Americans.
It was a good window into that community about a pioneer for success against a backdrop of psychological victimhood. It echoes commentary how Obama avoided victimhood growing up outside the 'black' community. Just as Colin Powell is said to have Jamaican roots longer emantcipated from the historical slavery grievance.
Many writers here have spoken about Obama as president elect being in effect very 'white' in his upbringing and even of 'white' guilt motivating voters to pick Obama. What worries us is this approach just doesn't get the true message of MLK that it's irrelevant. Colour blind is the way to go and judge a man on "the content of his character".
And I can add one other piece from my genetics course in a zoology degree. A healthy combination of diverse genes will throw up hybrid vigour above even the two already superior parents. And that I think is the true nature of Obama. A superior human being from the union of Africa and European humanity. This is stock standard good breeding in The Man. That indeed is a message of hope for humanity in a complex world.
The biographer on tv last night said he was driven by ambition to resolve the "failure" of his father. But I think that too may misunderstand that Obama is just a better mind with that hybrid factor than either his mother or father which is a great credit to both regardless.
Meanwhile in the damaged and sick eddies and currents of humanity some one wrote some weeks back in a public toilet at Addison Rd Centre Marrickville: "the only good black man is a dead black man". So there is no doubt the sickness of racism still exists out there. We didn't see it, an Irish chap I was chatting too warned me so it could be painted over as quickly as possible. I hope it was.
