Barrack Obama will be our next President. In some ways this bodes very well for our culture. There are also real reasons for concern and potential dangers from an Obama Presidency. We must productively address our culturist concerns and work to maintain our point of view. We are especially well placed to avert the dangers the Obama Presidency brings. And, ultimately, as proud Americans we must wish Obama the best of luck as the next President of the United States.
First the good news. We have a black President. This can help America shake its self-image as a hopelessly racist nation. Obama's election seems to be irrefutable evidence that we have moved beyond racism. It will also provide a sense of optimism to minorities. Rather than hating or resenting America for being racist, having a black President should help minorities to see that America is amongst the least racist nations on earth. This realization can aid culturists in their quest to teach Americans that differences in achievement have more to do with culture than race. Thus having a black President could make us prouder and more culturally aware.
While celebrating the cultural impact of Obama's being black, it would have been preferable for culturists if he did not have a Muslim name. Our leader having such a name normalizes an Islamic presence in our nation. It implicitly teaches us to consider cultural differences irrelevant. And while his color may help us to identify the Enlightenment roots of our Western culture, his name subtly undermines the recognition that we have specific Western culture to protect and promote. Culturists must point out that our lack of racism highlights our Enlightenment roots and Obama's Christianity confirms the other source of our Western civilization.
Obama's election creates some very real concerns. His having chosen a Muslim name and his affiliation with some powerful Muslim leaders indicates that he will not recognize that Western cultural is under siege. This will at very least lead to lackadaisical security. His affiliation with the racist Reverend Wright raises concerns that he may describe ours as a racist nation. Even more than other Presidents, he may label efforts to protect ourselves and our economic inequality as reflecting racial rather than cultural concerns. Both possibilities point to culturists needing to continue teaching people to distinguish the important variable of culture from the irrelevant one of race.
The biggest danger of Obama's Presidency comes from the power it could give to one lone nut or even an undercover Jihadist. Assassinating Obama would greatly destabilize America. We are very vulnerable now. Remind people that the West is great because of democracy and democracy is great because it makes for stable, flexible and peaceful governments. As many culturists blog on the right, we have a special duty to sternly denounce hysterics. As culturists we take pride in the fact that Western nations use ballots and words, not bullets. Obama's getting through office safely will help us showcase the greatness of America and democracy. Being a good American means monitoring and arguing with your President. But at the end of the day, it also means wishing him or her success in their attempts to improve America. As a culturist and an American, I hope Obama makes us all proud.
7 comments:
I wonder if Obama will be able to transcend the association with color and achieve something significant in his presidency that goes beyond his color or will his color be the ultimate criteria for judging his achievements?
culturist, I wish you had been on city hall plaza in Boston Tuesday night.
My niece showed me some of her pictures. Blacks, Muslims, orientals ... it looked like the freakin' U.N. You would have been grabbing your chest.
I just stumbled on your website apparently because of your ability to self-promote. Congratulations.
Look, I think we should all look at each other and see individuals. But your culture is apparently that of Racist Creep. A person should be respected as an individual whether they've got dreadlocks, and a funny "muslim" name, or if they're just a little old grey haired, tattooed white granny in chucks like me. I do not subscribe to your idiotic theory that we must become an amorphous blob of John (or Jane)Presses to be a culture. Look what MONOCULTURISM has done for Korea and Japan; there are too cultures as racist as they come.
Sorry, I don't normally go off on perfect strangers, but you are a racist idiot all dressed up in suit and tie. Go away.
Anonymous, I hope you also go to my website and get more information. I think you'd find more. Having lived in Asia, I think it is less horrible than you. And, I explicitly accept that the U. S. shall always be more diverse than such cultures.
But should we emphasize common values or differences? Should we never judge? I would be quicker than you to judge not doing homework. I would say that in terms of the honor killing and restricting of women is not something I want spreading in the West. Multiculturalist usually, like you, treat all cultural diversity as variations of style. Culturists treat cultural diversity as significant.
And, I would assert that in some respects we needn't distinguish, disriminate or worry. But if you argue that the Muslim and tattoed white granny are equally dangerous on airplanes, you need to check statistics and respect cultural diversity more than you do.
But these are nuances to be considered and discussed. Your slurs of "racist idiot" suggest you follow the pre-culturist dictum of quasing all discussions of diversity via vitriolic slurs.
www.culturism.us
Lexcen, I don't think Obama will be judged as a black or white President. He will be judged as a President. By the next election his color will be even less of an issue than it was in the election.
Ducky, please be subtle. I never worry about Asian culture. Your attributing worry about skin color to me shows a total misunderstanding of culturism. I am genuinely happy for the cultural impact this election will have for blacks. But yes, if there were muslim parties in Boston streets, it would concern me.
In my neighborhood the largely white crowd burned two motorcycles and defied police. I found that disturbing.
All, Islam is incompatable with Western values. We've been at war for over a milenia. That is not a color issue. I purely hope that we look at the content of people's character ala King. That is a Western value. Color itself means nil to me. I hope all there were good citizens.
www.culturism.us
First the good news. We have a black President. This can help America shake its self-image as a hopelessly racist nation.
I thought so too -- at first.
But all the harping on race and the comments I've heard on the news as to how we're still a racist nation have disheartened me in that regard. On and on my local news shows here in the D.C. area go about this matter of race. If this continues and BHO doesn't do well, race relations will be set back.
Always on Watch, this is maddening. Especially because it isn't true! We may be culturist against gangsters. But that is not racist.
The election shows we're an extremely open nation. In what other nation does a member of the minority get elected? If this nation gets undermined issues such as sensitivity over racism will pale in significance.
I am not sure where we can go. Perhaps the work of telling people that disparities do not indicate racism. The implicit self-responsibility message may be more needed than ever. It isn't, however, one that seems to resonate much anymore.
Thanks, John www.culturism.us
www.culturism.us
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