Wed, 11/05/2008 - 8:42am — lambert
Susie says this better than I can -- and up here in Zone 5b there wasn't much celebration, because it's already too damn dark and cold. But she's right, and I wish I knew what the opposite of schadenfreude was, so I could use it!
Back during the Great Primary Wars of 2008, I was arguing with a friend about Obama when she stopped me cold with this: “If nothing else, it’s a very good thing for every black kid in America to see that particular family in the White House.” Well, she was right. No matter what reservations I’ve had about Obama’s agenda, that’s a pretty damned good reason.
WaPo has a good picture of the celebration here.
Symbols are powerful! And the powerful are symbols....
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And Susie's statement is true for asians, hispanics, women...
any group that has not had adequate representation in government.
I love this job!
I love this job!
I know that...
I was trying to be nice!
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
Here's the One That Got Me
Daughter of former slaves votes for Obama. Watch and listen.
Although I can't find what really got me yesterday on the way home from work, an interview on NPR with a 79-year-old woman who never thought she would see the day. That's not what killed me though. What killed me was when she said that racism would go on because some people just hate black people, then she added she didn't know why because "I'm beautiful." I bet that's right.
I just hope Obama feels as much responsibility towards these folks as I feel on his behalf. Because what they're giving him is sacred.
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right -- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't. " - Eleanor Roosevelt
Symbol: Obama flipping HRC off
He has fused anti-female hate to his symbolism. God, I wish that weren't true, I really do, but it is what it is. I know plenty of young boys (and girls) that learned the lesson of bigotry this election. When they and scores of others see Obama, they see that results of that lesson: You win--big.
Still, in spite of it all, I'm glad we finally have a black president and I can't wait to see the image of a black president giving the State of the Union, meeting various heads of state, and boarding Air Force One. And it not being a movie. It'll be amazing, as if we're truly moving forward as a country, especially after the hell we have been through.
Hopefully, that feeling will last a year or so.
The best thing about Obama is that, whether he likes it or not, his "image" has allowed people to feel hopeful about their own lives and, thus, I believe they will be more likely than not to demand that he deliver on his promise to change their lives for the better.
Nevermind
Nothing to see here.
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right -- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't. " - Eleanor Roosevelt