July 29 2008: Black Man, White Woman
Filed under Politics
I’ve never posted on this blog before regarding U.S. politics (other than the occasional jab at the Bush administration), but it’s certainly not for a lack of caring about it. It would be awfully misguided for anyone in the world, American or not, white or not, to profess a disdain for U.S. politics as the might of the U.S. in international circles means that what happens in the U.S. will have an impact on our lives on the other side of the world.
So, the upcoming election. Other than a simple “Yay Democrats, Boo Republicans” stance (I’m a small-l liberal) I’m not going to go in depth, because what I find most interesting, was the race to become the Democratic nominee between Obama and Clinton. Yes, Obama won, yadda yadda, he’s going against McCain, yadda yadda. Without reading too far into their respective policies, what I was most struck by was the candidates. Yes, I’m going to make a big deal about the fact that Obama is African-American, and Clinton is a woman. I’m going to play that card.
It’s very easy to view the U.S. as simply Christian fundamentalism and the Bible Belt, as the Deep South where the KKK still exist. It’s equally as easy to view it as a country where the white man still reign supreme in the media, with few exceptions. You can also see it as a country where there’s still no paid parental leave, and where, in many states, women still have no choice over what they do to their own bodies.
Yet, the outpouring of support for two potential presidential candidates, two candidates who have defied this representation of what the U.S. today stands for. America has progressed to an era where it’s no longer taboo for a black man or a white woman to hold a ‘reign’ over the country - which is a lot more than my own country can claim. Australia is nowhere near having an indigenous Australian hold top office, nor would the Labor Party have been voted into government last year if it had been Julia Gilliard who led the party rather than Kevin Rudd.
We’re touted as a society of equals, yet the reality is that some are more equal than others. We’re a society of the white man, of blokes having a pint at the pub together. We’re a society where I could dream of becoming Prime Minister, but where as an Asian female, it can only remain a dream.
So the race between Obama and Clinton gave me hope. As representative of a racial minority, Obama represented my Chinese heritage, as a woman, Clinton represented my sex. If they could be in the running to become president, maybe I could too, someday, somehow. If McCain wins…well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
I have a strange feeling that McCain is going to win because there are simply just too many ass-backwards Americans who will simply not be able to get past the fact that Obama is a black man. There are probably even those who call themselves Democrats that can’t wrap their heads around it.
Nellie on July 29 2008 #
Yes, that race between Clinton and Obama was historical to say the least. What I found interesting was that even though there was a lot of talk about him being a black man and her being a woman, the focus ended up more on the actual race. Because it went to the near end….delegates and all were very close. Also, I don’t think either of them played that card, at least not heavily. I definitely remember Clinton especially not doing that.
As for McCain winning (^), yes, there are a lot of backward-minded people who will not vote for him just because he is black, but then I also wonder if there are people who WILL vote for him just because of his skin color. Or if people won’t vote for McCain because he’s old and white and tradition that we don’t want to associate ourselves with. I don’t really know, but I hope it boils down to the actual politics in the end, which is how I will cast my vote. Honestly, I wanted Clinton to win…”Bitches get things done!” haha. Obama was and is too….idealistic? Utopian? for me, though that doesn’t mean I disagree.
marilyn on July 29 2008 #
I have the exact same view, as I myself felt the same about Obama representing me as a black person, but Hilary as a woman. I think Obama will win, he seems a good person and has a lot of ideas but there are some things of his I strongly disagree with and would probably voted for Hilary instead. But I don’t know enough about politics to really form an opinion and I have no say in it anyway.
Bobbi-lee on July 29 2008 #
Honestly, had someone told me three years ago that we would have a serious contender for presidency who’s an African American in the election of 2008, I would’ve laughed uncomfortably and said something along the lines of, “Well… this country IS for equality and all that but we’re not quite there yet… we’re just getting there.” I would’ve said the same about a female presidential candidate.
I appreciate your opinion of the US in this matter. In all honesty, I’m in a constant state of wariness when it comes to discussing American politics with people who aren’t from the US because I know that we are… err.. always being made fun of or hated by non-Americans. Most of the time, we probably deserve it but I’ve never met anyone who wants to keep his/her mind open when it comes to the US and everything it stands for. I might be misinformed but I think this trend doesn’t solely apply to the US. I think we’re at a point in time where more people are growing up at a time when we’re being taught that race and gender don’t matter. I don’t live in Australia so I can’t compare the racial relations here and there but with more people like you (who are open-minded about racial and gender issues) and with more people who grew up around you (by which I mean diversity), things will probably get better. The majority of those who grew up and were born after the counterculture movement of the 60s and 70s see neither race nor gender as a problem.
Unfortunately, race and gender are still issues for some of the Baby Boomers of the US and I’m afraid to say that they make up the majority of the voting population. =/ There are a few things that I don’t like Obama but I’m still all for him. He’s definitely the lesser of two evils.
Felisa on July 29 2008 #
I wouldn’t say Australia is too far behind the US. We’re nowhere close to having an indigenous prime minister, but neither is the US. I can’t even name a single Native American politician. Also, the proportion of African-Americans in the US is *much* higher than the proportion of indigenous people here.
I’m not sure what you’d call the “ethnic” point, but I guess I see it. Still, have hope! Melbourne’s Lord Mayor is a Chinese man. Our environment minister is also Chinese. Our last premier was half-Lebanese. None of them were the PM, but they were all democratically elected to various positions of power (councillor, MP, premier).
Also, I think the ALP would still have won with Julia Gillard in charge, if she’d mastered the art of propaganda as well as Rudd has. Women have been premiers in many states (even Queensland!) and I don’t think gender actually is that big an issue. When someone is as deeply hated as Howard was, people aren’t going to go, “Oh my God! But all women are twice as bad as Howard could ever be!” Those who do are going to be so small a minority that it won’t even matter.
Those are just my two cents. They were formed in a multicultural neighbourhood in which racism is just something you see on TV, so make of it what you will. ;)
Jessica on July 29 2008 #
Australia will probably vote for an Aboriginal leader around the same time as we Canadians vote for a Native American.
Julie on July 29 2008 #
Maybe we’ll get to a time where we can see past all of this and look at their policies instead.
Amber on July 30 2008 #