We Are All Blended-Americans!

Like many other people in this country, the entire primary season wore my butt out. I am one exhausted American. The good news is that history was made. The bad news is that history was made.

Some of the 'good news' history included the following positives. The candidates who made the short list came from very diverse backgrounds. A variety of religions, heritages, and regions of the country were represented. There were at least two different sexes represented as well. In many of the primaries more voters than ever before participated. Young voters got excited about the elections. They saw a chance to influence the direction of our country and realized the first step in that process was the step into the voting booth. It seemed that people everywhere realized that history was being made and they didn't want to stand on the sidelines.

The 'bad news' history came on several different fronts. More money than ever before was spent for the candidates' dog and pony shows. The numbers are simply mind boggling. We can only dream of how the world could have moved forward if the money was directed at some of our country's people related challenges. Another piece of negative history involved some of the media attempting to create news from nothing on a regular basis. The candidates couldn't break wind without it being a media driven national debate about whether their dietary habits were good for the country. It got very old very early in the campaign. Unfortunately, many of the illusions created by the media and the spin-doctors made Penn and Teller look like a couple of rookies.

However, the most important news of the entire campaign has to be the fact that we moved much closer to a Blended-America. Barack Obama is the son of a man from Kenya, a woman from Kansas and he was born in Hawaii. I guess that makes him an African-American in the truest sense of the word. The number you use depends on whose spin you listen to, but many millions of people said that they were alright with this African-American as a presidential candidate. The term melting pot didn't surface because we have remained separated by our nationalities, religions and general backgrounds. Many more people have accepted that we are really all Blended-Americans.

I am not really big on the hyphenated monikers that involve past generations. I understand being proud of your heritage, but above all I am proud to be an American. If you want to get technical about this whole hyphenation thing, my kids would really be in trouble. When my wife and I combined our backgrounds, the resulting hyphenated tags for our children became British-Cherokee-Austrian- Hungarian-African-Italian-Americans. As far as I am concerned, I am an American and so is Barack Obama.

On just a little side note as a sports fan, I like the fact that Barack plays one of America's games, basketball. It appears that he has a decent game but I am pretty sure that he couldn't stop my patented 'through the legs, up and under finger roll scoop shot." Yes, I am talking a bit of trash even though I am an old white (Blended-American) boy who really can't jump. Bring it on Barry!

The point of my ramblings is not that we all have to vote for Barack Obama for president. O.K., I have to admit I am feeling very proud of the historic statement that our country made with this nomination. Even though there is still plenty of work to do, we made a statement that we are a step closer to a Blended-America and a United-America.

Another significant part of my feelings of pride comes from the grass roots nature of the statement America made. Millions of people who hadn't stepped up before got involved and the world changed. It is a wonderful lesson about action and participation. The message is that we need everyone somewhere and somehow to play a role in changing the world for the better. It has never been better articulated than when Peace Pilgram said, "One little person giving all her time to peace makes news. Many people giving some of their time can make history." So get involved and stay involved because history rests is in our Blended-American hands.

Comments

[Promise]

I agree with the comments that point out that Mr. Obama, (whom I ardently support) has done a dis-service---yes, I dare say it---a disservice to those of us who are "white." I want to be included in his heritage, too. I loved reading about his white mother, born in Kansas and her parents who raised him; she sounds like someone I would have been good friends with. And yes, my dad was born in Kansas. I support Obama, because of his intelligence, his grace, his ideas, not because of his race. But I would like him to be more forthcoming in owning up ALL of his background.

For a while Jesse Jackson headed something called the Rainbow Coalition. Maybe it would be good to bring back the idea of rainbows. Just look at your skin--only the palest Albino is actually white--we are all a mix of lovely colors. I hope that when he is elected (!) that he will help us to accept this fact. It would be nice if they had more kids and one turned out to be a blue eyed blond.

[MajorKong]

"We're all very different people. We're not Watusi, we're not Spartans, we're Americans. With a capital A, huh? And you know what that means? Do you? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts."
- Bill Murray, Stripes

[bethace]

I have always found it difficult to think of myself as Itallian-Irish-Rusian-Jewish-English-Danish-Dutch-Swedish-African-American. I say that I, like most Americans, am a mut, but your term (Blended-American) sounds better.

[mredder4]

First off, this sentence really confused me:
"There were at least two different sexes represented as well."
At least two? Is there a third or fourth option somewhere in the species that the author isn't telling us about?

Second, I remain somewhat disappointed that Barack Obama chose and chooses to this day to identify with only part of his heritage. He considers himself African-American, obviously because his father was from Kenya, and most people consider him the "black" candidate, but his mother was white and people seem to forget that. Telling everyone his grandmother is a racist certainly didn't display any pride on his part for his maternal ancestry. What makes Barack Obama so special when he can seemingly purge part of his self so easily to score some points on the political stage?

Thirdly, I am also a proud American descended from various countries, but when asked what I am, the answer is always "American." This is the root of my issues with illegal immigrants and most Hispanic immigrants: they want the perks without the title or responsibility. Immigration rallies waving the Mexican flag? Take that back to Mexico. Americans wave the stars and stripes, amigos.

[TomGerdy]

mredder4,

I didn't mean to confuse you. I meant to make you grin. The point is that we are finally accepting people in the process from all over the spectrum.
I don't think he is proud that his grandmother is a racist. He still has the ability to love people who have flaws, no matter how significant. The message here is that in spite of the fact that his grandmother is a racist, he doesn't have to be. The fact that his father is black and his mother is white might just give him a better insight into human relations.
The lesson involves changing. People can change, generations can change, the government can change and the world can change. As Margaret Mead so succinctly said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; it's the only thing that ever has." The important piece of this puzzle is that Obama has convinced many people that they can make a difference and that they can change the world.

[mredder4]

Thanks for the reply, Mr Gerdy. I did grin when I first read it, but mainly because I couldn't figure out where Michael Jackson fit into any of this. Man/woman? Black/white? (an easy joke, I know)

But I do see your point. I guess I just expected Barack Obama, coming from a more diverse background than any candidate in history, to highlight that more than gloss over it. He seems to have gone from a biracial man into black candidate status so fast that no one seemed to register it. But I also see how it might be hard for him to highlight his white roots, since there are more white people who would be offended by someone of both black and white parentage than there are black people who would feel that way.

[picodegallo54]

if you don't look white in this country, a hyphenated label is given to you, whether you ask for it or not. may as well be proactive and claim one. this doesn't detract from your claim of being "american." it should enhance it. others may beg to differ, but usually they are the same people who draw lines of separation and would like to leave it that way.

[blaqntelligence]

High Five.....

I can almost bet Obama has done more than a little trash talking on the b-ball court himself.


Imagine that, a president who you could imagine playing a pick up game of basketball, complete with trash talking and bragging rights.