Yesterday two African-American men brought me to tears and strangely enough their messages had a common theme--something I'd never considered before.The first man, of course, was Barack Obama, who made one of the most lucid, carefully considered, meaningful speeches on race I've ever heard.
The second man, was a character on IN TREATMENT, the bereaved father of a suicide victim. In thirty minutes, the actor Glen Turman brought this
man and his issues, grievances, and sadness to life.This is where there narratives converged. Both the fictional character and the very real Obama made it clear that the generation of black men who grew up in the forties and fifties were very different from the generation that followed. These men had almost no hope that avenues for success would ever open to them. This hopelessness made them harder and more bitter than those who would follow, and rightly so. Thus ministers from that generation might read America differently than some of their parishioners.
Their sons--in the sixties and seventies had some reason to hope for more-as Obama pointed out, he's the prime example of it--a candidate for President. Racism is still a huge problem but we recognize its existence now and can work to change it.
You can find Obama's speech on MSNBC if you missed it.
10 comments:
One of the best speeches I've ever heard. The reason behind it may have been damage control, but its results were something beyond. This is not politics as usual, this was something different. If I had any doubts about Obama before, they have long disappeared. I've gone past just rooting for Obama to believing he is what our country needs. Do I dare think that his possible presidency would be something that surpasses the (what now seems in comparison) superficial hope of Kennedy's Camelot? I don't know - but I hope so.
Ive listened to it twice now and it's just brilliant. I so wish Hillary would bow out because I see that McCann is profiting from this divisiveness. How ironic that the party that never mentions or cares about race would profit from its emergence as an issue and the war takes a back seat. Five years and counting.
The important thing is to beat McCain and I don't think Obama can. It's a racist country and no matter how brilliant his speech was (and I agree it was)it won't change the minds of the racists.
It's also a sexist country but I believe Hillary can beat McCain. She certainly shouldn't bow out before Pennsylvania.
We cannot have another war president, among other horrors, in that office.
I think Hillary is tougher too but I don't think she can beat McCain. She just has too much baggage and I don't think she had the delegates to get the nomination. I know so many people that will sit out the election rather than vote for her. People who will vote for Green Party tkts, Nader, or not at all. I can't see her pulling in independents and I think she has lost a lot of black support in the last few months. The latest polls show McCann beating both of them, but Hillary more easily.
Here is what I am hearing from my fellow Northville Democratic Club members. If Hillary wins the nomination, then those who supported Obama will vote for her. However, if Barack wins the nomination, the Hillary supporters may stay home. How sad is this.
To my mind, it would be so refreshing to have a President who inspires us for a change. I remember "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." I haven't felt the same way in all these 40 years except for now with Obama.
His speech was wonderful.
Go Obama. Beat the cynics and the racists.
You know, I just want to say, speaking as someone who's not American, the statement, "It's a racist country," is up for debate. Mr. Obama said that was the mistake that Rev. Wright made, he spoke about America as if it was static, as if no progress has been made.
I wouldn't say America is racist, I'd say America is struggling with racism.
In many ways, America is the only country that is (or has been), that's making any real effort and progress (slow though it may be). Most of the rest of the world simply denies the existence of racism - that's what we do in Canada and that's what most of Europe does.
It's really only been recently that the rest of the world has had any kind of multi-cultural society and as soon as they have, it's usually turned into ugly racism.
Chuck, what is their problem with Obama? I am so sad.
John, you are generous. Canadians are a different breed for various reasons. Read Chuck if you want to feel sad.
Some of the Democrats that I know, especially older women, are very radical for Hillary. Best I can determine, it is thinking like this: It's a woman's turn to be president and not a man's, not even a black man's.
It also appears to me that the women who feel this way are older, never been married or divorced. Go figure?
At this point, I am getting very nervous that this dissension is pushing McCain up in the polls. I don't like the numbers I'm seeing. I have no confidence that he will ever end the war or solve the health care crisis or do anything at all. And he could easily get to appoint another SC Justice. Hey when do you leave for Greece? And why aren't we coming along?
As has been repeatedly said, leave it up to Democrats to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
However, I think that as the siginificance of his wonderful speece on race spreads, Obama's status will grow.
And now we have the illegal access to Obama's passport records by several state department employees in January who have since been fired.
Post a Comment