With the immediate hubbub of the making of history last week having died down, it’s time to recapitulate. Obama is President-Elect, everyone went into a frenzy at the news, and people took to the street in celebration. Newspapers which reported this historic happening got sold out ; my city’s newspaper had to reprint additional copies. There was much revelry on that night in front of the White House.
And while many years down the line, I will remember this, this election of the first African American man as CEO of USA, inc. what will remain foremost in memory is the thought of how personal it was this time. I have voted in Presidential elections, and while I have voted for one or the other with clear conviction , (not a fence-sitter in such matters), this time it seemed imperative that Obama win. His defeat was my defeat and his win was mine.
I am not sure what it was that made me identify so much with this candidate, whose culture I must admit I don’t know. Yes, I know history, as does everyone. But I’m Asian, and very probably our cultures are unalike. But why does it matter – this knowing someone ? It does because if you think you know someone, you can predict how they would handle stress, decision-making etc. So when my Caucasian neighbor told me he didn’t like Obama, because he didn’t think he knew him, I understood what he meant. He was supporting McCain, although he had very little faith in Palin, and the thought of a possible Palin presidency made him queasy.
When I get candid with myself, I think it’s probably the fact that Obama is non-white, so much not a part of the old boy’s network, that one can empathise naturally. And it couldn’t have been just any African-American candidate who’d have won this empathy, it had to be one like this one. Bi-racial, middle-class, having gotten where he was by his own merit and tenacity. He didn’t have it all handed to him, he worked for it. Hard, very hard. And I think one naturally admires men/women with lofty ideals, the ones especially who can articulate them well AND sound lke they mean it.
