First I would like to give the show "Boston Legal" a big ups for the episode that aired two weeks ago which dealt with both the Democratic Party's undemocratic, nomination process, and the corruption and ineptitude of the FDA, and the seriousness and immorality of Cloning animals for food usage.
OK, on to todays juice...
I have become more depressed about U.S. politics over the past month than in many years. This, I know, is an enormous statement when one considers all that this country has been through over the last decade. Never have I witnessed such a great number of Americans hyped up over the idea of "change." Change in the way politics are run and change in the direction of our country.
Change is the word of the day, even though it should be the word of everyday! Though many of us fear changes to our perception of reality, most people in the world live in realities that beg for change. How realistic is it to expect a country such as the United States to embrace what is “different” when it would mean forcing it's citizens to look at themselves and their full role in the world a bit more honestly?
And of course this leads us to one of the fundamental limitations of American politics: During a political campaign, candidates must worry more about what Americans are willing to accept as truth than truth itself. Aspiring leaders proclaim over and over again that they represent the end to “politics as usual,” and up till last fall I actually allowed myself some hope that after years in the “Bush,” this could become a reality.
Now, some have counseled me to always expect politics as usual. They remind me that as a history teacher, I should know better than most about the reoccurring themes in American politics and the way in which power creates and maintains a status quo. Because of this, until a couple months ago, I could not bring myself to fully endorse Barak Obama, a man whose books scream truth, but whose present success seems only possible by back room deals. Yet, as a idealist, every part of me hoped, and still does, that he is the truth- a political and social messiah, here to usher in a new day for our country and thus, the world. But I'm seeing contradictions that have made me wish that I had never jumped on the Obama train...it would be far less hurtful that way. Everyday I watch the news and hear him becoming less and less original and it depresses me, if for no other reason than because a Black man is running for president and finding success previously unheard of and not allowed, or in other words, a dream.
Obama presents himself as a man with a new vision of our true America. He claims that business as usual is gone forever, but now, after the last several weeks of media circus over the Senator and his Pastor, Reverend Wright, I am in a free fall and hope is quickly deserting me... and not because of what the “good Reverend” is saying.
I too, am a Black man born of mixed racial descent, and just as Obama found his identity in his “tan,” I too came to an age when I realized that my skin pigmentation affected my life in many ways. The most influential of these being the way in which I see the world, or, my "World view."
I, like Senator Obama's Reverend, Jeremiah Wright, see the world in a far different way than many of the people that the Obama campaign needs to impress in order for him to win the nomination. Seeing the world through the eyes of the oppressed is a great privilege and responsibility. I was raised by a Black Caribbean man and a Jewish woman of Russian-Hungarian descent, to know who I am and where I come from, as well as never forgetting what I look like. They didn't hide the realities of race and oppression in America that that Black men, and poor ones, face as a precaution to the dangers of those realities. Due to my upbringing, I was never given the opportunity to exist in Plato's "Cave,"and with the bliss of ignorance being a luxury not afforded or obtainable, "Truth" seems far easier to perceive.
Those with power rarely look "down" to try and understand the plight of others. They have no need to and so unnoticed, the plight of the less and unfortunate is perpetuated to no end. But those who suffer, those who are suppressed, those who are marginalized cannot ignore the realities of inequality and injustice. And so we are charged by fate with the task of pushing others to find real truths, at times, so different from their own.
Reverend Wright is a powerful figure. He speaks through the lens of those whom we label the less fortunate, but truly we should call some "Unfortunate," because fortune has been removed from their existence. We (or some of us), the fortune makers, the fortune hunters and the fortune takers of the United States of America have a direct relationship to the many people around the globe who do not know what fortune is. They work hard for little pay. They know extortion and slavery. They know that colonialism has never truly ended. They believe that the U.S. and Europe are responsible for their suffering, both in the past and in the present, and in most cases they are right.
LET US NEVER FORGET: Free Market Capitalism is about competition. When you compete with another, there is a winner and a loser. Extreme wealth and poverty are basic byproducts of our national and international economic and political philosophies. Yet, we forget, turn a blind eye, or were never properly educated in the first place about how this system works and so it is impossible to even understand our own responsibility implied in the idea that people “hate us because of what we have.” I submit that "they" don't hate us because of what we have, but "they" hate us because we have at the expense of their prosperity, health, and in many instances, their very humanity and survival. Simultaneously, anyone who speaks against this system is labeled a revolutionary (which does not have a negative connotation in its definition, but does in the way it is used in our country), a radical, a communist, or socialist, instead of being called a humanist.
So when Reverend Wright tells us that once again the “Chickens have come home to roost,” when he tells us that a country cannot create suffering around the globe and at home and not expect suffering to come back to us as well, he reminds us that our privileged position at the top of the "food chain," has made us an immoral people. Most Americans, do not seem to appreciate negative things being said about their government and country. But, we forget that a country's government is supposed to be criticized! They forget that it is our flaws that must be pointed out not solely our greatness. This is what keeps governments from enslaving us and doing horrible things in our names. It's what keeps a nation evolving and becoming better than it was a generation before.
There is not one member of America's oppressed (and yes, due to institutionalized racism, classism, and sexism, the United States of America continues to have many oppressed citizens-Michael Jordan is not one of them) who cannot see clearly that there are fundamental flaws in the structure of our country (though not all seem to acknowledge this in the way we treat other nations). And as a Black man, no matter where he was born, who has lived and worked in some of our most downtrodden, marginalized neighborhoods, who studied in multiple institutions of higher education, and lived in other countries, next to a far deeper reality of poverty, than most American's can fathom, Senator Obama knows, better than most, the evil the U.S. is capable of.
I do not believe that Barak Obama disagrees with the statements made by his Pastor, not most of them anyway. How can he? Any member of an oppressed race or class with an inkling of education and exposure to the reality of the United States' negative effects on the third world understood completely the truth in Wright's echoing of Malcolm. The chickens have come home to roost and will continue to as long as the United States continues to exercise the practice of imperialism.
Americans must realize that today, a country need not physically occupy another (we still occupy Guam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, S.Korea, etc) to be considered imperial, but rather, the global free market, economic system has allowed for a new type of colonialism. One that is enabled by wealthy countries and maintained by organizations such as the “International Monetary Fund,” the “World Bank,” and their “Structural Adjustment Policies.”
I would prefer to have a candidate say that this is how the world works right now and because it is better for the U.S. that it does work this way, they will continue such policies, than to act like we live in a different reality. But even that statement is no longer true as we can not seem to prevent what we call "terrorism," which is a natural byproduct of our overseas policy.
In all honesty, I do recognize the gravity of Obama being the first Black man to have a shot at the presidency. I do realize that because many Americans do not have all of the information, or education and many times, vote against their own more urgent interests, the Senator from Illinois, by way of Hawaii, must be very careful as all politicians must, and even more so because he is a Black man in a country filled with such people. And, of course I understand that to acknowledge the truths in the Reverend's speeches, and sermons could mean political suicide, because of such people existing in the United States.
In addition, I am also propelled to admit that Wright's statement that the U.S. may have helped bring H.I.V. to the country is far fetched (though his later explanation of that statement wherein he claims that the government of a nation that has demonstrated a capability for evil, such as dropping 2 atom bombs on Japan after WWII had ended, is capable of anything, is not that crazy). And finally, because I do not trust Hillary and McCaine like many other democrats, I see the need for Obama to win (at any cost?)... but the reminder of this... the reminder of business as usual (even after the horror of the past seven years of Bush and a lifetime of living in United States), is so hurtful, and disrespectful to honor, and justice. and truth, and love, it has sent me falling into a new level of despair.
Even now, as scientists swear to us that we are killing the planet, millionaires still worry about making more millions, and politicians and ministers convince their constituents and congregations to vote for leaders based on gay marriage (Reverend Wright's church is inclusive for all races, nationalities, and sexual orientations), anytime someone tries to bring truth to the masses so that there can be acknowledgment, apology, and forgiveness, and true reconciliation, it is rejected. It is interesting to note that the underpinning ideology of "Black Liberation Theology" (which Wright's church is based upon) is repentance, forgiveness, and ultimately unity. However, many American's (as the media has painted him) see Wright as a racist, or as racially divisive. This seems to be true of anyone who publicly reminds, or accuses White America of it's racial privilege and abuse (all I have to do is think about Sean bell, or the Philadelphia 3, etc!). While most of America heard sound bytes of Wright calling the Minister Luis Farikan a great leader, they did not hear Wright say that he does not agree with everything Farikan stands for. Especially what he stood for twenty years ago.
So yes, Wright's comments on how the American Government brought AIDS into the Black community might seem insane... but by reminding us all of the unsavory acts our government been responsible for over the last two hundred, plus years, one does remember to put nothing past it. Again, as always, one's experiences and socio-economic background and present reality shapes how one reacts to such comments.
Although I believe that Wrights statements were the ones that the candidates should be making, I juggle with whether or not I regret him speaking at this time. Yes, he has the right to defend himself, especially if he thinks that Obama didn't do a good job doing so, but simultaneously he may screw up Obama's political aspirations which are monumental for all Americans, especially Black ones. Right? But as a man of the church is he not supposed to live a more honest life holding himself to greater ideals than politics? Should he modify his behavior and truths for political reasons as the candidates do? Would that not be a far more horrendous betrayal, as he is a man of god , and thus, of the planet?
Have the people who said “Shhh...” to him because they are afraid of what the controversy might do to Obamas chances of getting elected truly thought about what they are demanding? Possibly the most important question is what type of further damage to this country can Obama's denunciation of Wright's comments create? How will the negative reactions of many Americans to Wright's comments affect the future of the U.S.?
Obama's response last week to his Pastor/former pastor's speech at the Washington Press Club, validated these typical reactions. By universally denouncing Wright's comments about America, he, a member, or former member, of Wright's congregation, let's all American's who understand the American reality in terms of sound bytes, off the hook. The press doesn't help, calling Wright's ideas radical, which is a loaded and anything but unbiased word. But then again, the media, over 90% of which is owned by several Transnational corporations, seem to create truth for most of us these days. Obama, the candidate that claims that he is not "politics as usual," Seems very familiar right now.
I write out of love, I write out of fear. I write from the perspective of an elitist due to my access to information and education that most in the world do not have, but also from the perspective of the majority who do not benefit from the lies and atrocities of Empire. My skin is where I start from, my heart is where I end. I do not know if Barak Obama will be the next president of the United States of America. I do not believe, though hope that the Senator believes most of what he says in public. All I know is that a country and a people who refuse to acknowledge that part of its “greatness” was built, in large part, and continues to be maintained at the expense of other people (including it's own), a country that habitually chooses war over peace, and profit over humanness, and base their understanding of truth on lies, is a country that cannot endure for much longer.
Peace and Love to you all.
D.C. Williams
Links to speeches and interviews:
Obamas first response to Wright (very ambiguous) :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7piGy0u43c
Obamas race speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrp-v2tHaDo
Bill Moyers Interview with Reverend Wright: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04252008/watch.html
Washington Press club Speech (a must watch to understand who Obama is and how he lied): http://www.hiphopmusic.com/2008/04/rev_wright_national_press_club.html
Obamas response (clip): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2008/04/29/VI2008042901733.html
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