One of the less pleasant aspects of the Obama campaign, one coming into full flower since Tuesday, is the disturbing phenomenon of well-to-do white elites patting themselves on the back for having "overcome" and voted for Obama. There is no hint of irony, no shadow of doubt, in the paeans they sing to their own wonderfulness, as if casting a vote for Obama indicates something good about them, and that their action - to cast a vote for a black candidate - represents a triumph over racism as such. We are all post-racial now!I'll add this.
The self congratulation is usually accompanied by a lecture of what this win must mean for the rest of us, such as Krugman's pronouncment that if I am not personally moved to tears, something must be wrong with me.
In Hollywood films, one barrier was breached when white audiences came to accept black actors playing heroic leads. It was a good day when the studios discovered that Sidney Poitier could carry a film, even though he spent the 1960s playing characters defined by race. Today, audiences embrace Will Smith in heroic roles that could go to actors of any background. In I Am Legend, Smith plays a role previously played by Charlton Heston and intended (at one point) for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Best of all, in my judgment, is the fact that today's black actors also get the opportunity to play the antagonist -- as Michael Clark Duncan does in Daredevil, or as Morgan Freeman does in Chain Reaction. No-one watching the latter film has ever argued that casting Freeman as a nefarious backstabbing schemer insulted an entire group of people, although we would have heard such arguments ad infinitum back in the 1960s and '70s. He plays an individual, not a symbol, not an archetype -- one man.
Onscreen equality was achieved not when black actors got the lead, but when they got the lead and the heavy.
I cherish the idea of America electing a black president. I cherish even more my freedom to say that I think Barack Obama is just another corrupt, lying politician -- neither the first nor the last corrupt liar to be elected to our highest office. In my eyes, he's not a symbol, not an archetype, not a representative of any group. I'm not talking about anyone or anything else. Just that one guy.
If that's not equality, how do you define the term?
9 comments:
Well, mostly post racial. There is that issue of Obama's minimal tip rhinoplasty. People may vote for him now but would they have voted for him with his original nose?
(See snaps from student years--or his photo for the Ayer's book blurb vs his official photograph as newly elected senator.)
Excellent point Joseph. I've never heard it put quite so elequently. Mind if I use it? Credited to you, of course.
Rompadinker
The media hailed Bill Clinton's election as heralding a new era of anti-sexism and equal opportunities. Later in his presidency he was reported as saying the only thing he'd be remembered for was f*cking a lot of ugly women.
Obama will do zero against anti-black racism in America. Why should he give a damn? Can a puppet step out of line anyway? His 'ethnicity' is corruption and lies; he shares zero with the black poor. As will become clearer to more people as time goes on.
b
ll: I'm not sure about the rhinoplasty accusation. Has that been confirmed?
Romp: Hey, this is blogland. Everyone quotes everyone. Thanks.
b: I always thought Monica was pretty. Although I agree that Obama shares little with poor blacks, his feelings about his heritage strike me as complex. Even a bit troubling.
G and I have been discussing, off-channel, the strange story of the "Life" photo mentioned in his book -- a photo no-one seems able to find. I hold with those who think that Obama has mis-recollected a full-page ad for the book "Black Like Me." The story's a bit too long to tell here, but -- yeah, it's a bit troubling.
An addendum to my post:
It occurs to me that there's one barrier that Hollywood has not yet broken down.
Look again at the choice of Michael Clark Duncan to play the Kingin. In the original comics, the character is white. He's also quiet, intelligent, commanding, ruthless, occasionally given to wry humor -- and most all, he's HUGE. After the good guy received the first punch, he would think: "That's not fat; that's muscle!"
Michael Clark Duncan was and is the only "name" actor who could play the role. The voice is right, the aura of utter self-confidence is right, and no-one else has the sheer heft.
But...
In the comics, the Kingpin has a beautiful, elegant wife named Vanessa. She humanizes him. He's obsessively in love with her. His one weakness.
Let's say Michael Clark Duncan has another go at the role. Let's say Vanessa is brought into the story. Now it's time for casting.
Would Hollywood dare to cast the part without regard to race? "Oh, so Halle's not available? All right. See what Jennifer Connelly is doing."
Would the filmmakers truly give no thought at all to Vanessa's race? Would the audience?
I'm not sure. I think that's a last barrier.
I'd think Freeman was all that villainous in Chain Reaction. Scheming, yeah.
I agree. It seems those who looked as Obama as just an inexperienced, unvetted, typical lying politician are the ones being labeled racist. Those that voted for him only because it was historical....are the true racists.
While those white elites are patting themselves on the back and babbling about how black kids will now know that they too can be President of the United States, they might consider the idea that maybe we need a lot of these kids to realize that they can simply be teachers, or lawyers, or editors, or graphic designers, or chefs, or speechwriter, or civil engineers.... Many of them don't know that those options are there for them, as long as someone can open a path.
So far, the media has told these kids again and again that they can be billionaire media maven talk show hosts, sports stars, President-elect, rappers, and box office superstars. But 99.99% of those kids will never ever be those things--just like 99.99% of white, Asian, and Latino kids. What about setting some realistic dreams and goals for African American kids? Give them some freaking options and provide them some opportunities and support. Many of them live in poverty and go to schools that are out of control and falling apart. Because of that they have almost no chance of succeeding in the type of careers us normal, non-superstar people work at every day. So maybe those self-congratulatory Whole Food nation assh*les could expend less energy in helping an unctuous politician in his campaign to achieve his latest morally challenged career goal and instead support campaigns to improve opportunities for the other 99.99% of African Americans.
I'm in Europe, convo at a kids bday party. After detailing unresolved questions about OB's glaring lack of accomplishment, I get the question. I'm black, so I expect and it all the time now. "But isn't it great for the black community to have a black pres...?" The question is sincere just like my response.
I say, "My hood was rough. It wasn't rough because there had yet been a black U.S. President. It was because folks, in those circumstances, did what they knew, good or bad, to survive and get by. They didn't know what else to do."
If Obama was going around telling black people WHAT TO DO to get out of their situation and make their lives better then, yes, that would be great for 'the black community' and for any other community for that matter if he solutions in that regard. He didn't. He doesn't."
I finished with, "He can't say 'Do what I did', 'be like me'...get avg. grades all your life and still get to attend good private schools for what reason?, but still manage to be moved to up to positions usually occupied by much more accomplished folks i.e. Harvard Review Editor without having to write a single review."
If he had said that, everyone with their brain still in place would look at him like the a12hole that he would show himself to be. But it would be true.
'That is all...' in my best 'Radar' voice.
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