The Root.com: Why Obama Needs a Chilean Mine Rescue
I am learning that the best way to observe the range of thoughts of a given set of people and their ultimate agenda is to sit back and watch the product of their efforts.
The recent rescue of 33 miners in Chile after spending up to 70 days underground provided a fevered pitch of national pride within this South American nation, recently battered by a devastating earthquake and other issues. Whereas most of the news articles that I read focused upon the unifying effect that this event has had upon the Chilean people this one article from The Root.com stood out in my mind.
The author of the piece was less focused upon "national pride" but instead envisioned President Obama standing at the podium as 33 American miners were rescued from their would be tomb, 2000 feet under ground.
After I read the title of the piece my first response was: "So this author doesn't mind that 33 human beings would have to suffer under ground for 70 days, wondering if they would ever again see the light of day, just to raise up Barack Obama?". This is a perverted way of thinking. It subordinates and inferiorizes these equal human beings, using them as expendables for the sake of some staged political glory.
I read the story and the author proceeds to make note of several recent disasters or points of acute contention and does analysis of how Obama handled them. I failed to see the author mention that these conflicts are far more complex and expansive than was the challenge of drilling a bore-hole down 2000 feet on dry land for the rescue of these miners. It was clear that some people are already dreaming of a movie in which George Clooney will darken his skin and learn the language in order to play the staring role.
Obama The Hero Over The Rescue Of "The Least Of These"
I could not help but make the comparison between this author's (or whom ever wrote the title - not necessarily the same person) desire to see Obama's name in lights in a mining rescue against my knowledge that even after 4 years or 8 years of an Obama presidency and the communities housing "the least of these" not experiencing any advance in their organic competencies - the author of the piece in question along with an array of other living this vicarious life will still hold up their "Obama commemorative plate" in celebration.
For you see they are not actually lobbying for the best interests of these people in question. Their job #1 is to fight against Obama's enemies as these enemies are their own. If they can save face for Obama, craft some new talking points that they can hoist up for the future ("Obama saved the USA from a 2nd Great Depression") then this is the victory that they will hoist up on their flag pole.
It stands to reason that these same people also have a vested interest at maintaining their claims of failure and incompetency against their ideological enemies. Thus in a national disaster the actions of their enemy will never clear their goal posts. The actions of their friends will never be judged "wide left" and thus a miss.
2 comments:
CF,
As I watched the Chilean rescue unfold, I was actually thinking about how black folks could use a Chilean moment--a moment where we pulled together and figured out how to rescue some of our folks or address some vexing issue. There was a high and an immense sort of pride the Chileans felt as they did what they needed to do for their own on their own. I was unaware of them seeking outside help of any sort and the camaraderie they exhibited in the approach to the problem is something to be admired. To be honest, I was forced to contrast this with a similar example among our folks and was unable to recount any. Similarly, as I drew a comparison of their earthquake response versus the one in Haitian one.
At some point, this thing gets down to a simple matter of pride as once you have that, you start to believe that you're competent and capable. That doesn't mean that there aren't things to learn, but you believe enough in your abilities such that you're confident that you'll learn whatever you need to know to manage. Pride, in part, is the pride of ownership and knowing that you are ultimately responsible for you and yours. Once you're thinking along those lines, you're not going to allow anyone else to be responsible for that which you alone should be responsible for. This is what we saw in Chili and this is what we need to see in black communities where ever they exist.
I know I've gone off on a tangent and not addressed the content of the The Root op ed, but Obama having a Chilean moment is far less significant than us as black folks having the moment.
That's my point Greg L.
Most news reports talked about how THE NATION benefited from the event, the coverage and the unity.
In the case of the article they focused upon how OBAMA would benefit.
My argument is that for some Black people - even if every single index of Black community prosperity is down - they will work double time to insure that Obama and every single Black candidate gets reelected.
In Chicago they are now scheming over who will be the "Black Consensus Candidate" while they mention NOTHING about the gross problems afflicting the city and how they are going to hold the machine that runs the city accountable.
This would require them to indict themselves.
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