Race, Politics and my Point of View!!!!
I am sure most of us have heard or seen Barack Obama’s last speech on race and his associated with his pastor. I thought it was an inspirational speech which also reflected an individual’s courage to speak out honestly and from the heart. As suspicious as it might seem to come from a politician, I felt that if people gave George Bush a chance to go to war with Iraq, they could at least give the young senator from Illinois the benefit of the doubt about something which he acknowledges as not right and needs to be fixed.
The speech had various other implications on a personal level. I began to dissect and understand the issues that arise with not only racism but prejudice and stereotyping. Our contemporary society is full of daily events that occur because of a predetermined view of certain groups of people and places. It is hard to abolish such mindsets altogether because of the simple fact that we as humans just have that trait - to judge and be judged but it is important to open up communication on issues that are potentially divisive and harmful. It is also amazing to see how such stereotyping affects us on a personal level. Obama spoke about the African American kid born in the projects whose height of ambition is being gangster and how middle/lower class White America could resent the other ethnicities for taking their jobs away, but it is more than that. Stereotyping affects me personally because of self infliction as well. The South East Asian community has stereotyped itself to be in the Engineering, Medical Information Technology field, and it is very rare to see someone cross these borders and if they do, they are considered mis-fits within their communities. I have always wanted to follow or have some sort of footing in the Political Science arena, but the level of confidence that I have in the IT field is far greater than that I would have in the PS area and it is not because I am a shy person or my personality reflects that of a non-confident individual. It is because psychologically my mind has been altered by perceptions set in society that I might not be “so good at it”. This kind of politics is not played in a Congressional environment or a parliament but in everyday situations by people whom we have a very close relationship with. It is like a chain reaction. Someone sets a precedence that desis are good at IT. More desis start learning computer languages and the next thing you know, if a desi is good at Geology, it is seen in an awe and shock manner.
When the speech was considered to be at a broad level, I do not think anyone understood at the magnitude of its importance and the scope it covers. I think the speech reflects issues that are not just associated with the pastor and Obama but with us and ourselves. The importance for us to see past the precedence set by ancestors, the need for us to listen and then judge, the height of hypocrisy exhibited by each and everyone of us when we talk about religion, respect for each other and forgiveness. I am not sure whether Obama tried to be Atticus Finch, but in my opinion I think he tried very hard to see the world in others’ shoes before delivering that speech. I think you cannot ask for more from a presidential candidate or from yourself - you need to at least try.
