Election

Yay!

I am the happiest and most hopeful I have been for awhile.

Eight years of W. was like I remembered the Reagan years when I was an elementary school student. There was always this background fear of the communists attacking us, of economic hardships for the average person that was waiting for the trickle down from the top. It's scary how similar these last eight years have been - operating on a campaign of fear and helplessness, that only the government can protect us from unseen 'others' out there.

Everyone talks about how Obama is African-American. He is half white. Like Serenity would have been.

I watch the Colbert Report fairly often, and I always loved the skits about how Colbert had black friends and was 'colorblind' (the irony). I don't like the hype that Obama got elected (I was VERY worried however) despite his 'color'. He is an educated, intelligent person from a regular background who has a can-do attitude. He seems honest and has a normal family life. Education, hard work, fidelity, and acceptance of others, those are some of my ideals.

Pundits talk about the colorblindness of today's youth (I suppose they mean urban/suburban youth- cause there's still no black people out in most of the midwestern or central PA countryside). But if they make such a big deal about it, that's not really being colorblind, is it? I think it's great that the struggles of the civil rights era has made this possible. But things like race-based affirmative action and pundits still keep the color in the spotlight. I think it is amazing that a guy from a middle class family got into harvard and worked in low(er) paying jobs, was not a rich person (at least until his book), and still got elected.

To me, the differences in this country should be drawn across socio-economic lines, not race. I grew up out in white-folk country and now live in a diverse city (although still quite segregated). I probably never could live in my hoemtown again, esp with the nonwhite Triple S. I don't think I could live near here, in the outer suburbs. I had to go there once and was actually weirded out when I realized I didn't see any black folks.

I hope for better things for the young girls that get pregnant just like their mom did, no matter their color. It happens in all races. The poor are similar no matter their race or whether they live in the city or live in the country. I guess my point is that I have lived in both areas and I believe it is an economic issue, an issue of role models and being able to see that you can live your life differently, and an issue of educational and job opportunity. It's also cultural. Do the parents challenge their children, or discourage them? Are the children supported or or degraded? Are the children taught that they can make a difference, or are they uninspired and kept occupied by entertainment, drugs, and anger? (Drugs are a large part of country-culture too- I saw it growing up and you can see it now in the meth boom).

What I see is that the politics have managed to divide the poor into poor, urban 'minorities' and poor, country whites. If only these two poor groups could get together and demand less greed from the true minority (the rich 1-5%). I think if they could see past those things that are used to keep them apart ( race and hiphop vs country western culture type things) they would find that they have a lot more in common, and common struggles and common oppressors.

I also think that a major problem in our country is the prevailing anti-intellectualism. This is perhaps the scariest thing I see. It is deeply cultural and is a part of America. Electing a 'C' president is part of this ant-intellectualism.

If not seeing race is 'colorblindness', what is not judging someone by their sexual orientation?? I don't really care who you are sleeping with, as long as you are honest, true and caring and have respect for both the other and yourself in the relationship. Because I belive these are factors in making a nice world.

Do these thought make me some kind of socialist or something?