"The Trading of an Evil for a Lesser One"

First post–instead of awkward introductions, here is an article I wrote a month or so ago, following the elections. If it looks familiar, it’s because you probably read it in the Collegian.

I don’t remember who was president when I was 5.

I do remember moving from my hometown of Orlando to a strange town. I remember celebrating my birthday with a bunch of kids from school I barely knew, who were more interested in my pool than my party.

I do remember who was president when my mom first got sick, but I don’t remember if that made taking over household chores any easier, or if George Bush did anything to help my family.

With all of the excitement and media hype over the election, it is startling to reflect over your past, the experiences that the mean the most to you, and remember how few of them were affected by whichever political figurehead happened to be in office at the time.

In the end, the president of America does not change the identity of American people. Politics do not shape the content of your character; burnt Thanksgiving turkeys, raking leaves in the fall, cleaning the pool in the summer, white Christmases, candlelight services, late night conversations and moments spent with loved ones (or without them) are the things that mold your experiential understanding of the world.

President Barack Obama will not change your character. John McCain would not have changed your character. Politics will not change who you are, and ultimately, that is the most important element of the American experience.

In short: chill out.

If politics are understood as a hollow kind of reflection of America’s will, there is a more profound victory in Obama’s win; his race. But race doesn’t matter, right? If you’re the first African-American president in a nation with a long history of racism and bigotry, it does. If Obama played the race card in his favor preceding the election, his demands that racism be dealt with were certainly justified in light of the responses to his presidency. If Americans refuse to look more closely at the advantages of Obama’s policies, they can at least rejoice with the African Americans in their victory over a heritage of suppression and slavery. If nothing else, the Berlin wall of racism has been torn down. We are perhaps the luckiest generation in that we are now witnessing a groundbreaking moment in history. Racism remains a very serious problem in America today. When citizens like James Jackson of New York go to work, only to find a noose hanging as a blatant racist symbol, or workers like Charles Hickman, are nearly strangled as a sign of hatred, America is clearly sick. But Tuesday’s victory was a triumph over this history of bigotry. Maybe, just maybe, America is recovering from an illness with which she has struggled for centuries.

Politics do not change our lives, but perhaps this time around they are an accurate representation of our beliefs which make a powerful statement to world.

And hey, if Obama’s “socialism” really bothers you—move to Canada. But don’t come rushing back in 8 years, hoping things will be better. In the words of Derek Webb:

“you can render unto Caesar everything that’s his
you can trust in his power to come to your defense
it’s the way of the world, the way of the gun
it’s the trading of an evil for a lesser one
so don’t hold your breath or your vote until
you think you’ve finally found a savior up on Capitol Hill.”