Post no. 5

So, the question remains: what does this mean?

That's an essentially impossible question to answer, especially this soon after the election.

But, I think it means U.S. America is going to have to analyze injustice on a deeper level than it has been comfortable doing. So many people categorize this country in terms of race. We create programs like affirmative action to try to make amends for what has happened to the African-American community through Slavery, Jim Crow laws, Welfare originated for the 'deserving poor,' redlining black neighborhoods, creating a suburbia with mandates to exclude certain 'classes' of people (including Jewish people and Catholics). This has made it easier for U.S. citizens to ignore the broader implications of class and opportunity. I think, with Obama's election, we can do so no longer.

One cannot deny that Obama had opportunities in life that, with the failings of our urban public-school system and inequality in law enforcement, many 'minority' children do not have. (I put the term minority in quotes here, because I am not sure, if unregistered immigrants are included in the count, that the U.S. has a majority 'race' any longer. [I am putting the word race in quotes because definitions of race are everchanging. Ask an Italian immigrant, who arrived on our shores at the turn of the century, if s/he was considered 'white' when s/he docked in this 'promiseland.' {and there I hope I don't need to explain the quotes}]) One cannot deny that it is not only the 'minority' children that do not have these opportunities, but poor whites as well. With an African-American/Black/Bi-racial/whatever-you-want-the-label-to-be man as the President of the United States, one is forced to examine how he made it. And through this examination one cannot help but be reminded that one man reaching the pinnacle does not represent equal opportunities throughout the land. However, it makes one consider for whom EXACTLY are these opportunities sparse?

This is not to say Obama's victory as a black man is not earth-shattering. It is not as if, since Obama went to Harvard Law, he had an easy road ahead of him. No, it speaks to Obama's courage, endurance and desire for change that he applied to Harvard Law in the first place. . . or that he ran for senate at all! (Until January, the count remains 16 women and 5 'minorities' in the senate out of the entire 100 senators. . . Oh so far to go.)

All I am trying to say, is that now that Obama has reached the highest office in the land, non-white children are more likely to have the self-confidence and strong reaffirming-self/community-image to do the same. . . HOWEVER, I fear a greater shift to socioeconomic divide. Middle and even lower-middle class children of all races, I am SURE, will have the dreams and aspirations to achieve greatness. What about children of all races who live in the ghetto and don't have the skills or support system or time to even graduate high school because our industrial cities are only falling deeper into disrepair? Black, White Latino/a, Asian, American-Indian, alike, when will the hope come for those children? And this is not to say that Obama hasn't inspired hope in these communities. . . because I am sure he has. . . But I guess I just fear the U.S. American people will forget about this issue of social-class, which is arguably a larger obstacle for success than race. . . and an obstacle that many children, in this system, will not yet overcome. Basically, we have a lot of work to do. . . and race is just one of many areas we need to examine. I do believe, though, that Obama's life story will lead us to examine these other social barriers.

On the upside of things: What does this mean!? The fact that white U.S. Americans could cast their vote for a black man, son of a Muslim, means that we are on our way to eradicating racism. Once again, this is not IN THE LEAST, to say we have surpassed any sort of racial divide. . . It is nonetheless, a symbol of the world ahead. . . an idealistic world that now seems within grasp.

On a related note, I can say I am proud of U.S. America to actually be ahead of much of planet earth on the race issue. Obama had a much better chance of being elected President in the U.S.A. than he would've had in Kenya. Obama's father (and thus Obama) is a member of the Luo ethnic group. In the 2007 elections in Kenya, Tribalism played a huge role in who got elected. . . And guess what, the Presidency didn't go to the candidate of Luo ethnicity. I point this out so that I can reassure myself that the still-present racism in the U.S. is surpassed by the greatness of other countries' racism. . . (Not that it's good that other countries have racism.) But it lets me realize, that for the U.S., an essentially non-racist future is a possibility. Perhaps not in my lifetime, unless I live to 106, but this gives me a hope for it.

Also: HOW GREAT WAS OBAMA'S SPEECH!? He ADMITTED we have massive work to do. . . and. . . GET THIS! That we, as an entire NATION, need to work on it together. He has called us all to service, because no man (or woman) can produce the change Obama has promised on his (or her) own. And Obama's willing to ask for our help, to reach out to Republicans asking for their support as well, and to warn us it will take more than one term to get the job done. This is good to admit, for sure.

More disappointment: California's proposition 8 passed, banning gay marriage. 2 steps forward, one step back, right? I guess U.S. citizens have to have some group to oppress. . . If this will be harder to do along racial lines with a black President, at least we still have our homophobia. To sum it up, this made me sad. :(

More uplifting news: Massachusetts banned betting on dog races!! Essentially, this serves the same purpose as banning dog races. Who REALLY wants to watch grey hounds run in circles if there's not a little sumthin-sumthin to be made off of the helpless animals' hard work? My only fear: the initial repercussions will include many poor, defenseless, little, loveface, doggies abandoned. :( I mean, I know these dogs get abandoned anyway when their racing careers fade. . . However, as this happens little by little, shelters can better afford, and are better prepared to take them in. So what happens when ALL of them are surrendered or abandoned at once!? A lot will probably have to be killed :(. . . or, for all my sensitive readers out there, ''put to sleep."

Additional news from Cali: Farm animals have to be allotted enough room to stand, sit AND TURN AROUND. Listen, this seems like a marginal victory. . . But when it comes to animal rights, I will take what I can get and shout, 'HURRAY!' One more step to acknowledging humans are not the only species with a central-nervous system. . .


(These kitties feel pain too, because they have central nervous systems.)

I have to go to sleep now.