Obama's imprint goes something like this: defeat racism by ignoring it. Obama has defanged racism by neglect.
And accordingly, there's going to be tremendous pressure within the black community to question this newfound freedom. Already, today's black leaders are cautious and quick to remind Americans that Obama won the presidency because of the debt paid by many years of struggle.
Cornel West says in an interview with the Miami Herald:
"Our agenda still requires a highlighting of the disproportion of suffering and misery of black people... We are going to have to put pressure on to let him know we are part of his public interest, too...I will speak and I will organize and I will mobilize and be part of pressure groups seeking justice for black folks, but never stopping there."
Michael Eric Dyson writes in the LA Times:
"We should not be seduced by the notion that Obama's presidency signals the end of racism, the civil rights movement, the struggle for black equality or the careers of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton."
While to many degrees these assertions are accurate, West and Dyson's statements hide another idea. And it is this: This is a game changer. And this is not a changer about a "post-racial" or "post-racist" America; this is a changer about the way blacks operate and view themselves.
What Obama has done is so extraordinary that it calls into question the entire project of black advocates and intellectuals preoccupied by the question of racism (reveal it, explain it, shame it). What Dyson later refers to (in the link above) as the "incalculable psychic boost" of youngsters growing up seeing Obama, is a whole lot more than that. This is not about getting boosted but rather about finding a tactic that works.
More specifically and for example, there are two sides of being a victim: the wronged side and the side of insight. If insight is the transcendent side, then the victim side is the side that has not been transformed, gotten over, accepted the wrong or whatever the negative was. Obama's imprint is on the side of insight. It's a stark choice. One stays in jail, the other has stepped out.
There are competing agendas of course. Black leaders want to retain their relevance and platform. This however disempowers the individual who is told that he is up against a society working against him. It deemphasizes his ability to change events, to mold the world to his will. This is the Obama imprint.
A New York City teen I know, grew up tough (his mother was brutal and abusive); he got his girlfriend pregnant and is now struggling to support her and his child working two jobs. The Obama victory was an amazing event to him. The old black leader might counsel this teenager: You see Obama, he's special; what's he going to do for you? He owes you something. But the Obama imprint, or what I might say to this boy-man is this: Now despite everything you have been through, everything you have endured and done, now you have proof that anything is possible. There is a huge gap between here and where you want to be (if you can bear the thought of hoping for more for yourself) but you alone must cover it. Nothing can stop you.
This is freedom. And it's quite frightening. But it's a whole lot better that being a slave.
Slavery seems like such an antiquated term and yet freedom and slavery are really what I am talking about. And this is not to diminish the black the experience. I mean actually to highlight that blacks have a lot of information to share about strength, endurance and beauty. But the depth of our understanding (and mercy) is just beginning to show itself. Our self-pity, sadness or anger over what West calls "suffering", however real, is actually an obstacle.
Even the black literary giants will have to make a new literature for our updated situation. We've spent a lot of time going over and over and over the wounds -- like a fly stuck in a box. I don't think any of us expected this quick turn in our story. A recent review of Toni Morrison's latest novel, A Mercy senses this shortcoming:
This author's early novels were breakthroughs into the experience of black Americans as refracted in the poetic and indignant perceptions of a black woman from Lorain, Ohio; as Morrison moves deeper into a more visionary realism, a betranced pessimism saps her plots of the urgency that hope imparts to human adventures...Varied and authoritative and frequently beautiful though the language is, it circles around a vision, both turgid and static, of a new world turning old, and poisoned from the start.
And, the limits of our religious traditions will be tested too, the old time religion that taught blacks to wait for 'the kingdom' or a better time. What if the better time is now? It's now. Blacks have to rethink the place of preachers who advocate justice but not the rights of gays. Blacks have to come to terms with the gap between what they know intuitively about faith and God and what has become culturally acceptable to think, value or believe. This is the struggle of the larger culture as well, but blacks know better, if they can learn the lesson (transform the experience) of being victimized.
But for all this collective talk, let's face it, blacks are individuals. By history and fate blacks are loners, a tribe of mavericks and rogues. Now, my wish for that teenager is for him to know that wherever he finds himself, that's where a leader is.
When Barack Obama says that white guilt has largely exhausted itself in America, he is wrong and he knows it because white guilt is responsible in large part for his ascending to the presidency. Avoiding issues endemic racism does not make them disappear. Barack Obama didn't have to talk about race because it was and is self-evident. The "historic nature" of his presidency that is constantly referred to is all about race.
What you seem to be referring to is the power of suggestion. If everyone just tries to minimize race, it will have the effect of making society post-racial. The problem is that the entire election was all about race. Race is the only game in town. If race were so insignificant, you wouldn't have one million people expected to attend Obama's inauguration.
South Africa had a black president 15 years ago yet the work on the ground was not done to promote justice and blacks are still in as bad shape as they were before Mandela's election.
As a white woman, I can tell you that I did not vote for Obama because of his race. Meaning, I didn't vote out of any white guilt -- I voted for O because I think he is an exceptional human being and a gifted leader for our time. I don't know if you are black, but to be totally honest I worry when I offer my heartfelt self-assessment of why/how I voted that somehow you feel you get to say "no,, you are wrong...you really....." Hopefully not true in your case.
I don't think he is getting the huge crowds because he is black, although of course that is part of it. I live in Oregon, and I can tell you that most of the people at the 70,000 strong rally attended because they wanted to see and hear their could-be president and show support for his ideas.
I just that I don't think race was the driving force for his win. The stats support this.
Anyways... they were talking about previous college athletes that were also Rhodes Scholars and Bill Bradley's name was mentioned. And my initial thought was, "Yeah, but Bradley is white." And I realized that I was applying additional significance to the fact that this football player was black. To be clear: I was excited for the young man. I was like, 'Wow! He's black and a star athlete and will possibly by a Rhodes Scholar too!' So, you see, the story held extra weight for me at first because this young, accomplished man was also black. THEN I remembered Barack Obama. And I was immediately less impressed by this football player. And I think this is a good thing. Not to take away from his accomplishments. But maybe if we stop fetishizing the accomplishments of minorities and simply recognize them as accomplishments the world will be a better place. No more of this "AND he's black too! Wow!"
These distractions and toys manufactured by our hero captains of industry are a technologically effective preparation for the corporate interests' wars, and we are footing the bill to appease our increasingly distracted children and would-be warriors' training.
We have come a long way. Our way of life - once a post-slavery serfdom redesigned as social-capitalism - now consists of a new appeal to patriotism disguised as multi-ethnic community, and hegemony cloaked in post-racial politics.
"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds."
The collective struggle goes on.
Stay with me here... the war analogy works because the way African American's were treated overtly and across the board has been criminal to say the least; only a militaristic, war-like push back, attitudes and behavior, could make a dent against the evil momentum perpetually driving at African Americans.
The civil rights generation waged the D-day, the Hiroshima bomb, the great battles that turned the tide of the war. "Land" has been secured along the way and much of the bloody fighting needs to stop. It is time for politicians speaking of peace, rebuilding and prosperity, while, yes, battles rage on where fighting and resistance still exists, but as for the TIDE, it is turning and the ferocious generals and their tactics of the past (like Sharpton and Jackson) need to heed using the same kind of force and tactics that blew victorious holes in the front line. It is 2008, time for believing in post war attitudes and tactics (and new, different leaders).
The author may have eluded that older ideas and tactics (perhaps now are counterproductive- victim mentality) no longer fit fully in the equation, thus renders the old generals near ready for retirement. But, if they keep fighting like it was 1960, where is the evolution? Looks like more nasty, bloody warcontinuing to antagonize resistance and its retaliation. Obama is acting AS IF the transition from war to peace is currently ripe. As he leads, others follow. Why not now?
Thanks.
I am pointing out 2 different ways one can go about representing the the latter moments of any fight where you can remain angry and punitive and exclusive (problem-based) glass half -empty or use forward positive inclusive thinking (solution-based) glass half-full.
The stuck-in-the-past old guard mentality requires everyone to fearfully believe that it is the middle of the war and blame problems on the antagonist, so fight fight fight and remain blindingly angry, while Obama signals it might be winding down soon where you can now use your own power to solve problems regardless of the antagonist --fear vs. hope, dysfunction vs. function.
Early war behavior does not fit if the opportunity arises to make amends and be civil. Yes this might be woefully oversimplifying things, but not misguided. Some people will always be racist, Black, Green and White- the problem will never fully go away, but no one wants to be friends with you if you insist on carrying a loaded bazooka on your shoulder(which was once the only way to operate).
Let's grow.
History teaches us, along a similar analog, if I may use a military analogy, that victory after World War One, filled with punitive attitudes (continuing the same angry war-time attitude after the war ) created a resurgent, angry, retaliatory, militaristic Natzi Germany, where as Japan, after WWII, folded into the world scene peacefully because war-time attitudes and tactics clearly changed after the war. Necessary and rightful wartime anger and retaliation shifted toward healing, rebuilding, amends, peace and prosperity -- specifically as a lesson directly learned from the mistakes of WW1.
A shift occurred sometime between full blown war and an end of hostilities. That time might be now in America......
(continued below (or above...)
Yer picking my metaphor apart and it was not that deep. All I'm saying is change is a good thing.
The best of times is for a President-Elect Obama, and for Black and White people who need to feel good about themselves.
It's the worst of times for this black family in Chicago, of all places (the land of Lincoln and Obama), who appeared to have be brutalized by the Chicago police dept for celebrating Obama's victory.
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/lawsuits-claim-election-night-hate-crimes-po
History is always a progression. Be thankful you and I are able to witness black history come to fruition.