Aliens
There is a huge story getting overlooked – or purposely ignored, more likely— by the mainstream (read Manhattan & Malibu) media regarding the current pile of Democratic presidential wannabes. Heard that Barak Obama is the first “serious” African-American presidential candidate, or that Bill Richardson is the same Hispanically speaking? Also heard that’s wrong, for various fill-in-the-blank reasons? Well it is wrong, but probably not for the reasons you’ve heard. Not because Barak was preceded by the “Rev’ns” Jesse and Al, or Shirley Chisolm—who Were Too serious, albeit in a silly kind of way; nor because Barak isn’t really black any more than a zebra is (whose applying the 1 percent rule now?); or because some other Latino made a run at things back in 1940-something. No, it is that Bill and Barak are the first two non-Americans—or at least marginally, questionably, need-a-discussion-about-this-Americans-- to ever be courted for the presidency.
That’s right. Forget about ethnicity, or race, or personal cultural identification or whatever the current Academie PC term might be. It is easy to argue, and I would, that these guys ain’t really full-fledged Americans. Period. Both of them spent significant portions of their lives, their formative years, in very foreign places: Mexico and Indonesia (no joke) specifically. Barak Obama’s father was Kenyan. Not an immigrant from Kenya, KENYAN. And he went back there (bless him), worked for the Kenyan government, as Kenyan citizens are wont to do, and died there. Barak’s mother—who is just as white as fellow Kansan Dorothy— is American. This gives rise to the “reservations” expressed by some in the African-American community that he doesn’t really represent the experience of African-Americans. After all, he isn’t descended from African-Americans, but rather from one of each. The only-half-African is the only-half they fret about. But the African half is also a decidedly Non-American half and that is actually and really worth worrying about. A bi-racial president is feared by those racist boogeymen. A dual-national, semi-national, semi-American president is a valid concern to everyone. The Founding Fathers were rightly concerned about divided loyalties when they made native birth one of the very few qualifications for presidents. And this isn’t just about birth. Little Barak spent a chunk of his childhood in a foreign country. And by foreign country, we don’t mean Dearborne, Michigan, Manhattan, or Miami. We mean Indonesia. A Muslim country, where he went to a Muslim school and presumably did not a have a typical American educational experience pledging allegiance to the flag, learning that “colonial” refers to men wearing wigs and knee-socks, and wondering what phrases like “ortha ramparts” or “tiza thee” meant. And there are, of course, much bigger cultural issues.
Richardson carries a similar taint as one who probably privately identifies as a “North American” more often than not. His own press office says he was amused when he told his aged mother, who lives in Mexico City-- once more, His Mother Lives in Mexico City—that he was running for president and she asked, “President of what?” Ha, ha. Yeah, that is really funny. Cracks me up to no end. He could just as well, and perfectly legally as if that matters, run for President of Mexico. Come 2010, he just may do that for all we know. Whether he’s in the Casa Blanca or not, a foot in two worlds and whatnot. You can’t of course, just dismiss his impressive resume, we are told. No president since James Buchanan has had such extensive credentials in foreign and domestic policy. And we all know how well that served him. Right at home in the Winter Palace playing chess with the Czar, but befuddled and mystified by South Carolina. His father was an immigrant, too, though James was content to grow up in Pennsylvania with both feet planted firmly in a measly single world. What a bumpkin.
Of course, what this really says should concern blacks and Hispanics. The ready conclusion is that to be an “acceptable” African-American for the mainstream, you can’t really be of the common, soaked in the mythos of slavery variety. You really need to be above all that baggage and, well, be a mulatto to boot. And if you are looking for a trustworthy Hispanic leader, don’t look in western fields, barrios or construction sites where Latino Americans come from. That world has never seen the foot of Bill Richardson. Look in the ivy encrusted parts of Boston and the gated and guarded portions of Mexico City that don’t fret over tortilla prices. But if you are an American of any stripe or shade this should say something even more important. Cars, electronics, over-the-phone service, are we going to start importing our presidents, too?
There is a huge story getting overlooked – or purposely ignored, more likely— by the mainstream (read Manhattan & Malibu) media regarding the current pile of Democratic presidential wannabes. Heard that Barak Obama is the first “serious” African-American presidential candidate, or that Bill Richardson is the same Hispanically speaking? Also heard that’s wrong, for various fill-in-the-blank reasons? Well it is wrong, but probably not for the reasons you’ve heard. Not because Barak was preceded by the “Rev’ns” Jesse and Al, or Shirley Chisolm—who Were Too serious, albeit in a silly kind of way; nor because Barak isn’t really black any more than a zebra is (whose applying the 1 percent rule now?); or because some other Latino made a run at things back in 1940-something. No, it is that Bill and Barak are the first two non-Americans—or at least marginally, questionably, need-a-discussion-about-this-Americans-- to ever be courted for the presidency.
That’s right. Forget about ethnicity, or race, or personal cultural identification or whatever the current Academie PC term might be. It is easy to argue, and I would, that these guys ain’t really full-fledged Americans. Period. Both of them spent significant portions of their lives, their formative years, in very foreign places: Mexico and Indonesia (no joke) specifically. Barak Obama’s father was Kenyan. Not an immigrant from Kenya, KENYAN. And he went back there (bless him), worked for the Kenyan government, as Kenyan citizens are wont to do, and died there. Barak’s mother—who is just as white as fellow Kansan Dorothy— is American. This gives rise to the “reservations” expressed by some in the African-American community that he doesn’t really represent the experience of African-Americans. After all, he isn’t descended from African-Americans, but rather from one of each. The only-half-African is the only-half they fret about. But the African half is also a decidedly Non-American half and that is actually and really worth worrying about. A bi-racial president is feared by those racist boogeymen. A dual-national, semi-national, semi-American president is a valid concern to everyone. The Founding Fathers were rightly concerned about divided loyalties when they made native birth one of the very few qualifications for presidents. And this isn’t just about birth. Little Barak spent a chunk of his childhood in a foreign country. And by foreign country, we don’t mean Dearborne, Michigan, Manhattan, or Miami. We mean Indonesia. A Muslim country, where he went to a Muslim school and presumably did not a have a typical American educational experience pledging allegiance to the flag, learning that “colonial” refers to men wearing wigs and knee-socks, and wondering what phrases like “ortha ramparts” or “tiza thee” meant. And there are, of course, much bigger cultural issues.
Richardson carries a similar taint as one who probably privately identifies as a “North American” more often than not. His own press office says he was amused when he told his aged mother, who lives in Mexico City-- once more, His Mother Lives in Mexico City—that he was running for president and she asked, “President of what?” Ha, ha. Yeah, that is really funny. Cracks me up to no end. He could just as well, and perfectly legally as if that matters, run for President of Mexico. Come 2010, he just may do that for all we know. Whether he’s in the Casa Blanca or not, a foot in two worlds and whatnot. You can’t of course, just dismiss his impressive resume, we are told. No president since James Buchanan has had such extensive credentials in foreign and domestic policy. And we all know how well that served him. Right at home in the Winter Palace playing chess with the Czar, but befuddled and mystified by South Carolina. His father was an immigrant, too, though James was content to grow up in Pennsylvania with both feet planted firmly in a measly single world. What a bumpkin.
Of course, what this really says should concern blacks and Hispanics. The ready conclusion is that to be an “acceptable” African-American for the mainstream, you can’t really be of the common, soaked in the mythos of slavery variety. You really need to be above all that baggage and, well, be a mulatto to boot. And if you are looking for a trustworthy Hispanic leader, don’t look in western fields, barrios or construction sites where Latino Americans come from. That world has never seen the foot of Bill Richardson. Look in the ivy encrusted parts of Boston and the gated and guarded portions of Mexico City that don’t fret over tortilla prices. But if you are an American of any stripe or shade this should say something even more important. Cars, electronics, over-the-phone service, are we going to start importing our presidents, too?
posted by the wrightist at 1:14 PM
1 Comments:
Good post!
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