For the record, I took advantage of my state’s early-voting program and registered my political choices yesterday. If you have that option where you are, I highly recommend taking it. It’s nice to have it out of the way.
That said, I wonder how many people really get how remarkable and important this election season is. A few people do, at least:
For me the most moving moment came when the family in front of me, comprising probably 4 generations of voters (including an 18 year old girl voting for her first time and a 90-something hunched-over grandmother), got their turn to vote. When the old woman left the voting booth she made it about halfway to the door before collapsing in a nearby chair, where she began weeping uncontrollably. When we rushed over to help we realized that she wasn’t in trouble at all but she had not truly believed, until she left the booth, that she would ever live long enough to cast a vote for an African-American for president.
It was only two generations ago — if we define a generation as 25 years, more or less — that black people weren’t allowed to use the same drinking fountains as whites. Viewed in this context, it doesn’t really matter who wins the presidency (although I certainly have my preference). We’ve still taken a big step forward. And for that, I am proud of my nation. At risk of pissing off my conservative readers, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt able to say that…
(Via.)
I would submit that we took a big step forward in 1964, and have been taking steps forward ever since, and Obama’s candidacy is evidence of that progress.
African Americans have been prominent among leaders in both the public and private sector for 20+ years now (Cabinet level posts, senators/congresspeople, CEOs, movie stars, sports heroes, religious leaders, etc.) It rankles me when people*** suggest that this singular moment brings us from segregation to enlightenment; IMHO, it mitigates all the accomplishments of all those who came before.
I’d even go as far as to suggest that by highlighting a stereotype (African Americans as unable to succeed in the upper eschelons of society) that hasn’t been true in many years, we legitimize the stereotype as the “norm” that is now being challenged. That’s a step backwards, IMHO, and serves to reinforce the stereotype in those people who already believe it – even moreso than an African American candidate does to detract from it.
***: I’m not yelling at you, Jason, but rather the folks who are hyping this up at the expense of other, successful blacks. I, too, am proud of my nation, but I was proud all those other times too. This is an important step – it’s just not the only step…
Brian, I’ve been mulling over how best to respond to this…
I don’t disagree with your point. There have been a great many steps forward in the past 40 years, and it’s wrong to ignore them or downplay their significance in light of current events. As you suggest, all those CEOs, politicians, movie stars, etc., have certainly paved the way for Obama’s candidacy.
That said, I think many people, if not most, consider the presidency to be in a whole different category than those other accomplishments. Think of what we tell our kids: America is the place where, if you work hard, you can grow up to be president. Not a CEO, not a celebrity, but president. And maybe the fact that African-American achievement has become the norm in so many other places is a factor, too, because this is essentially the last place they haven’t yet cracked. This may not be a singular moment in our country’s long racial journey, but it is, I think, a pretty undeniably major moment, because of the significance people attach to the presidency.
Also, I think folks are just excited about the possibility of seeing a “first” at a time when it seems like our society has already accomplished just about everything else. It’s a novelty, like Lindbergh’s flight must’ve been in 1927.
In any event, I hope I haven’t come across as too simplistic in my thinking on this, i.e., being one of those who rankle you. I certainly didn’t mean any disrespect to other successful black people or their accomplishments.