The Dream
It's morning again in America. The Democrats have something here. They have an exciting candidate. For once in the miserable existence of the Democratic party, they have a person so exciting, so engaging and so inspiring; Republicans around the country have been calling him The Democrats Ronald Reagan. This, of course, is an unfortunate mischaracterization of the Democratic presidential contender. He's far more than JUST a Ronald Regan. Ol' cowboy Ronnie remains the beating (undead) heart of the American conservative agenda; but, the election of Barack Obama means so much more than just ideological supremacy. The symbolism of the first black president brings the story of racism in America full circle. When Africans were first brought to America as slaves they were considered sub-human with the least power and rights of any class of people. From slave ships, the underground railroad, the 3/5ths compromise, Missouri Compromise, the Civil War, 13th & 14th amendment, Jim Crow, Marbury V. Madison, Military desegregation, Thurgood Marshall & Brown V. Board of Education, Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Black Panther Party, COINTELPRO, Cory Booker, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. The last 200+ years of American history has been a bitter struggle for power, recognition and self-determination for Black America. Finally, as Mr. Obama often alludes "this is the moment" when the first black man in History could be awarded the most powerful position in the most powerful country in the world.
Why it (probably) Won't Work
It's a beautiful dream, but unfortunately there are some major problems in the way.
1. White People Suck
White people still make up the majority of America. They also make up the majority of registered voters and are more likely to vote then any other racial group. If there's one thing that White people hate, it's hearing about how much they suck (oh and they do suck). For centuries the asshole tendencies of America's whites have caused pain and suffering four countless American minorities. (case and point Figure 1.1)
The above example is clear cut case of open "in your face racism" (commonly referred to as In your FACeISM) 9 out of 10 whites will say "hey I'm not a Klan member, I'm not oppressing anybody! Maybe black people should learn to work harder and wash my dishes faster, then they could afford a house or a moderately priced condo in an up and coming, openly gay suburb?" This argument is inherently flawed. With little or no working infrastructure in place to help the working poor "rise up" this is nearly impossible. These issues are at the core of WHAT IS WRONG with America. The American Dream is dead and America is dying (*tear*). Mr. Obama's only hope thus far has been to avoid the issue entirely. Anybody who has raised "the issue" (e.g. Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, Martin Luther King etc.) is certain to receive either:
A) character assassination.
B) real-life assassination.
(*Note* Reverend Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson both participate in ugly and corrupted political machines like almost ALL politicians do.)
2. Women (not paying attention)
I'm going to tread lightly here, because women are brilliant, smart, sharp etc...all that stuff, when they want to be. Pound for Pound (of brains) I'm sure there are plenty of women out there that could school me in any logical discourse; empirically however, women tend to vote far less often than men do. Secondly, women tend to be less informed than men on a wide range of issues. Young women are in fact the least informed of all groups of voters (sorry ladies), if you're a young (or older) woman reading this right now, ask yourself "which amendment granted me the right to vote?". If there is one demographic that Barack Obama needs on his side to win the Democratic Primary, it's more support for America's women. An overwhelming majority of American women support Hillary Clinton for President. Aside from the obvious fact that she is the only woman running for president, further inspections shows that her record in the Senate and political ideology are quite conservative. Which brings me to my next point of contention...
3 The Mainstream Media
The Mainstream Media (MSM) is quite possibly our favorite punching bag at PMW. More reliable and longer lasting than President George W. Bush, the MSM tends to let Americans down more consistently than any other individual or organization.
( *NOTE* except for General-Mills. We're still waiting for you to bring back our fucking Count Chocula cereal ASSHOLES!...every minute you wait to re-release that cereal is a dagger in my heart! You thought Yummy-Mummy back in 1988 would make up for it? Guess again!)
The MSM repeatedly fails to bring us "real" issues that candidates stand for. Instead of voting on issues and executive policy that might actually be used in *gasp* REAL LIFE, political discourse as presented by the MSM usually takes on "tough questions" concerning how likable and presidential our candidates look and feel. So really we aren't talking about a presidential race at all...this is a brand war. A breakfast cereal bake-off, if you will.
As you can see we have two desirable General Mills cereal. One is pretty impressive. It has an obese cow on the front. If you pour in milk it makes straw-berry milk! But on the other hand you have a cereal that is LEGENDARY. Count Chocula is empirically the greatest cereal known to man. Is this the way presidential elections should work, who knows? But that's the way they do it.
Expect it to end anytime soon? Highly doubtful. Get ready for 2012
4 comments:
Oh dear, much of this mouthwash is incredibly hard to swallow. As an educated woman voter, I get fed up with men dropping comments about women and lack of "knowledge" of politics. I can only imagine the type of people writing this blog and assume they have plenty to say about politics but little to add in terms of actual hard work to create change. Do any of you volunteer? Do any of you/all of you have a job that benefits others? Should I be wrong, I would love to hear it. Now, I'm going to tread lightly here: many men love to say what they think- A LOT- but what good does this do any of us if there is no proactivity to back your words? I personally loathe talking politics with men because they don't listen, already assume that a woman knows less than them and ultimately prefer to use talking politics as a platform for affirming their own intelligence and wit rather than genuinely provoking change.
Hard to swallow? For the record, just so everyone is clear, DO NOT swallow mouthwash. It's meant to kill bacteria and the gum disease called Gingivitis that lives in your mouth. Just swish it around for about a minute or so then spit it out.
The alcohol content in most mouthwash is pretty high and it will probably get you drunk, which is obviously what you are for suggesting that a blog where people openly voice their opinions is somehow inhibiting of the political process. Open discourse in politics is the lifeblood of our republic. Being able to vocalize your point of view is the first step to creating change. I created this blog for that very purpose. So to say that i'm not being proactive in the "change" process is a bit silly.
PS (suck it)
I am an educated FEMALE voter as well and I find the post quite enjoyable and smart. Thanks for the good read.
And on that note i'll get to writing a new post for today :)
Post a Comment