I'm Obama'ed out.
I'm not pro-Hillary or any more critical of Obama than I've ever been. But today I got another personalized campaign update, and after the initial giddiness, I realized that millions of other subscribers had gotten the same thing. Before even bothering to read it, I deleted it. This election has officially become fucking annoying.
Every ounce of coverage is starting to annoy me. Did I see Rev. Wright's latest speeches? No. Did I see how North Carolina's governor endorsed Hillary? Well, yeah, 'cause obviously I know that shit happened. But that's only because I still have a slightly played out habit of watching the morning news to start my day. When it comes to any and everything regarding election '08, I'm over it.
So work with me on this one. I'm trying to figure out exactly why, when and how I became completely uninterested in one of the biggest events of our era. Maybe it was last week, when a judge in Queens let Sean Bell's murderers get off and there was hardly any national news coverage. That definitely had me heated in the far removed but collectively outraged kind of way, but my disinterest in the election started way before that.
Maybe what really bothers me is that this election is a spectacle. Campaign 08' is big shit. An event. It's like a big ass family BBQ. It began hella late, got juicy when folks started fighting, got uncomfortable when someone's honest ass uncle spoke the truth about how fucked up the family was (Rev. Wright), and people got even more uncomfortable when somebody's hush-hush white girl said some dumb shit (Hillary's aide) loud enough for everyone else to hear. Now people are beefin' hella hard by playing dirty; bringing up bad histories, drug addictions, baby mama's and ashy nephews. Meanwhile, I'm one of those relatives looking at my phone every 30 seconds, trying to find the perfect time to spout an acceptable lie and bounce.
But back to the spectacle. By nature of the monumental proportion's of this election, the issues and debates brewing because of it become spectacles. Take everybody's favorite issue: race. CNN is running hour long features on the "state of Black America". Shouldn't that be enough? What more does my Black womanist ass want?
Maybe what I'm about to say, right here, in the next paragraph or two, will get my Black card revoked. Again. But fuck it:
Maybe I'm afraid to have a Black man become president.
Because putting a Black face and progressive politics on an old problem just doesn't seem so alluring to me. I'm still pro-Obama, but if the past few months have been any indication, a Black man becoming president might make shit way too complicated. Television pundits and the like will be evoking race, and Martin Luther King, and Civil Rights Movement, in some post-racial nod to how much we're improving, and our President will be physical evidence of that.
Who knows. Maybe if Cynthia McKinney were in Obama's position, I might feel the same way. When it comes to the kinds of politics that wear dark colored suits and sit behind big wooden desks, I have a hard time getting excited. I can't project my hopes and desires entirely onto a symbol, a myth, a construction of the news media -- or even my own -- imagination.
7 comments:
Word, jay, you speak truth, sister.
Okay, no matter what you think of the man, I definitely recommend reading Ralph Nader's memoir of running for president in 2000 if you haven't already. It's called "Crashing the Party" and it is awesome and speaks exactly to the whole issue of "elections as spectacle, not substance" that you are talking about.
Hope all is well with you.
Peace,
KC
Thank you! I'm definitely feeling you on being sick of the whole spectacle of this election. And the fact that we still have *months* left to go makes it even more annoying/depressing. It's ridiculous that the NYPD shot an unarmed black man 51 times and got off, yet all the media wants to talk about is why Obama doesn't wear a flag pin or how he's an elitist (as if the other candidates, who are also vying for the most elite job in the world, are not). Or about Rev Wright. It seems like the reaction to Rev. Wright and the lack of reaction to the Sean Bell case both speak to a pervasive terror/fear of black men in this country.
pssst your wack.
nah i feel you, the shit is played out. it's come to a point where if obama doesn't hurry up and become president i'll feel like i've wasted way too much energy sitting my ass on my couch watching cnn and yes, fox news.
but i'm not afraid, it's about fuckin' time he gets in. he deserves it and fuck it, i deserve it too.
oh and by the way - "snatch"
"What do you mean America is racist? look at Obama." My mother, in a recent phone convo.
Im feelin this post. "putting a Black face and progressive politics on an old problem" I was searching for those words.
But he lost me with his race speech ... and reinforced it with his stumbling silence in response to a question about the Sean Bell verdict. Not that would be cause for me to not vote for him if I could vote here. And I think the amount of people I know who have issues with Obama but still claim they will vote for him is indicative of the US electoral process.
girl. as usual. i feel you.
well not always on that expiremental music tip. but this, yes.
"Maybe what really bothers me is that this election is a spectacle. Campaign 08' is big shit. An event. It's like a big ass family BBQ. It began hella late, got juicy when folks started fighting, got uncomfortable when someone's honest ass uncle spoke the truth about how fucked up the family was (Rev. Wright), and people got even more uncomfortable when somebody's hush-hush white girl said some dumb shit (Hillary's aide) loud enough for everyone else to hear. Now people are beefin' hella hard by playing dirty; bringing up bad histories, drug addictions, baby mama's and ashy nephews. Meanwhile, I'm one of those relatives looking at my phone every 30 seconds, trying to find the perfect time to spout an acceptable lie and bounce."
BEST ELECTION '08 ANALOGY EVER. WOW.
I am so done with this bullsh*t and I too for some crazy reason, begin my day by watching the news and then proceed to feel hopeless and apathetic all day.
please ever stop blogging,
C
*never
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