Its a fact — check it out.

And I think I know what Ivy Leagues are — give me some credit.

_______________________________________________

Jai @ 61 – Brilliant

Absolutely fantastic news. And what an incredible victory speech, eh. Assuming that he can top that (and I wouldn’t be surprised if he does), I can only imagine what his speech will be like on the day that he’s formally inaugurated as President.

400 years of history, people. And over 200 years since the formal establishment of an independent United States. Only 40-50 years or so since the Civil Rights struggle. Think through the experiences of black people in America during this time, and the significance of all this really hits you. As it obviously hit Jesse Jackson, Oprah Winfrey and some other members of the public who were openly moved to tears during Obama’s speech. Even Colin Powell was momentarily overcome during an interview on CNN today. I can’t wait until Obama eventually meets Nelson Mandela too.

And think about this: To really drive the point home, an anchor on one of the main satellite news channels (either BBC 24 or Sky News, I can’t remember which) commented last night that the first 16 Presidents of the United States would have been able to own Obama as a slave. And let’s not forget the history of Virginia, both as a state containing the capital (Richmond) of the slave-owning Confederacy and a massively intransigent region when it came to conferring Civil Rights on African-Americans in the 60s — a state which, ironically and obviously very symbolically, has now been won by the Democrats.

Many in the media have recently stated that Obama could well end up being not only one of the all-time great American Presidents (up there with Abraham Lincoln etc) but also one of the truly great leaders in world history. I don’t know if Obama’s actions in the years to come can match everyone’s sky-high expectations (although for all we know, he might even surpass them) — and I really, fervently hope he really is the kind of person that everyone desperately believes him to be, and that he remains that way even after prolonged exposure to the intoxicating effects of power — but what I can say to him is “Now that we’ve come this far, for God’s sake don’t let us down”. Not just because of what has been promised and the hopes that have been raised, but because there are still plenty of malevolent people out there who, no doubt, are eagerly waiting for the slightest “mistake”, to be used as ammunition to undermine him and potentially destroy him.

As a final word, I know it’s probably now a cliche to say this (albeit a valid one), but I keep thinking of Martin Luther King, both in terms of his own life & struggles and his famous speeches. How proud he would have been to see the historical events we’re all now witnessing, not just because an African-American will soon be occupying the Oval Office but also because of the kind of man — and, hopefully, the kind of leader — Barack Obama is.

Can’t agree with you more, coupled with Vikrant’s observation that Americans’ notions of themselves and the world are often over the top. We definitely think we are the exception and the ones to set ALL the examples and milestones in the world, when it is far from true.

Let’s just say that this election was exceptional for Americans given the American context. In fact, quite a few things that have taken place in America are exceptional to us Americans, partly because I think America often lags behind the times and conservatism and the free market have an unhealthy strangle on US society and politics. We’re not as advanced as some other parts of the world, but we’re advancing in terms of our own parameters, I guess.

Well, Karzai is not all about throwing hooters to celebrate Obama’s victory. After the congrats, he pointed out:

“In Afghanistan, where American troops are also deployed in an increasingly bitter war, the election brought a rebuke.

“Our demand is to have no civilian casualties in Afghanistan. The fight against terrorism cannot be won by the bombardment of our villages,” said President Hamid Karzai, referring to a string of coalition airstrikes that have caused civilian casualties.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/world/06worldreax.html?ref=world

Um…really? Majority of Ivy League freshmen come from all economic and racial backgrounds? Which Ivy League is this? I want to enroll in it!

“The abiding thought in this household was why it was we never see this side of the african-american community.”

I was living in south Chicago (Hyde Park to be exact) from 2005-2006, and I learned that Chicago has a rich black political heritage. I would listen to black radio on the local radio stations talking about the activism and eloquent articulation of different strands of political ideologies. Compare that to negative portrayal of blacks in the MSM, and it used to burn me up. Blacks are by no means the thugs, gangsters, and apolitical people that they have been made out to be. The only black figures to make it into the national conversations in relation to politics were the ones that had very strong views that were at odds with mainstream ideas, and some of Tupac’s lyrics.

After Obama’s victory though, they’ve been depicted as people having political thoughts and people who have fought for equality that so many of us enjoy (on paper, at the very least). The media has heavily focused on blacks who have lived through the Civil Rights Movement as well. Amazing how much of a difference an election makes. Truly an overnight reversal! This election will give enough food for thought for Media Studies for years to come

Vikrant:

“YES!!! Oakland is a world apart from rest of the bay area so is Chicago southside from the northern suburbs. When i was in Berkeley over the summer, a friend of mine almost shit his pants when we accidently landed in Oakland in BROAD daylight!”

Yeah. People tend to get freaked out particularly at the Fruitvale BART station. And just going from the Lake Merritt station to the Fruitvale one is like crossing from one continent to another in some post-modern film. I should have snapped the shots from the BART window– two extremely contrasting pictures.

YES!!! Oakland is a world apart from rest of the bay area so is Chicago southside from the northern suburbs. When i was in Berkeley over the summer, a friend of mine almost shit his pants when we accidently landed in Oakland in BROAD daylight! His rationalisation?… There were too many black people around!

Having lived in heartland of this country for over last two years has led me to think otherwise. UK is far more accepting and accodmodating of non-white people!

And make sure you take your atrocious sense of fashion with you not to mention your psychopathic husband.

‘In many ways, he does not represent change, AND yet he does. And for the first time in my entire life, I saw positive coverage of blacks in prime time news last night. That is a huge deal. Maybe the mass media will stop portraying African Americans with negative stereotypes!’

That was the most moving of all for me. Here they were reporting from an african-american college in Washington (which highlighted the segregation), and to see articulate young people expressing their joy and aspirations was inspirational. The abiding thought in this household was why it was we never see this side of the african-american community.

http://www.jonwiener.com/?p=289

As one guest put it, Obama is the most constitutionally aware president we’ll have, seeing that he taught constitutional law at Univ. of Chicago, so hopefully he’ll be active about that.

“and a follower of RealPolitiks: he will need to compromise to get laws passed.”

Yeah, I know.

Oh, and I hope Michelle Obama will be an active First Lady. I like her a lot, and I think she is going to be a great role model. Go home Laura Bush!

I am not in the dark about Obama’s politics– I do not think he will turn around US policies that have been deeply engrained for some time, like our foreign policy, health care, and higher education (I was planning on voting for Nader since I agree with almost all of his positions point by point, but then my paranoia of Obama losing the election got the best of me once I was in the voting booth, so I checked off Obama-Biden). But there is no doubt in my mind that this election was pivotal in US history, and it will encourage people to think differently about race, which is still a huge problem in the US. Obama did win, and white voters did elect for him, but in my mind, the racist McCain supporters stand out and I’m cognizant that they still–and will– exist. But slowly it will change, I hope.

I think for many people, Obama represents so many of us Americans whose culture embraces more than just Anglo-Saxon white American values. I know this is purely symbolic, but the fact that he looks like us and felt at one point that the didn’t feel either here or there resonates with many people. His face is the face of many Americans whose roots come from here and there in this increasingly global world. And his political career is different from most American politicians, particularly his work in Chicago. As a “community organizer,” he put democracy to practice, I think. I do believe that he’s been an opportunist in terms of his voting record, and that he’s had to really water down some of his previous politics which I admire… maybe the “real” Obama will come out once he’s in the White House?

In many ways, he does not represent change, AND yet he does. And for the first time in my entire life, I saw positive coverage of blacks in prime time news last night. That is a huge deal. Maybe the mass media will stop portraying African Americans with negative stereotypes!

I was also thinking last night–in a horrible way, I admit– that maybe we needed eight horrible years of Bush to elect someone like Obama. This thought of mine obviously sucks for the Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis, Palestinians, etc who have had to pay the price of Bush policies with their lives, but maybe it was this awful predicament we are in that was a catalyst for some sort of change, however symbolic. And he has renewed faith in the American democratic process, which had previously left many citizens disillusioned. Maybe we should think in baby steps for change in America. Who knows– maybe in my lifetime I’ll see single payer health insurance that is guaranteed to every single American citizen, public education is given greater funding, defense budget and weapons production shrink, we are true supporters of the oppressed rather than helping the oppressors, and social-economic disparity is largely closed.

Also, Shariq, America is still segregated. Having lived in south Chicago, SF and the Bay Area and LA, and now the Imperial Valley, I can say confidently that there is immense segregation.

Vikrant:

“Americans’ notion of themselves and the world are sometimes nauseating.”

I totally agree with this. We are seeing that in the coverage of this election, too.

Sorry for the long comment and numerous maybe’s. But I’m quite emotional and optimistic– even if cautiously so!

I can’t see Britain, the rest of Europe or Canada voting a non-white president in a majority white country . I just can’t.

I’ve been hearing a lot of discussion today on whether a minority could be elected a prime-minister in the UK. To me, that’s the wrong goal. That’s playing identity politics, something I abhor.

What we really aspire is that a minority candidate who is better than his white opponent, is not discriminated against because of his ethnicity. I certainly do not want a token minority candidate, who most likely is an incompetent one.

What we saw yesterday was that the majority of Americans decided to overlook Obama’s race and voted (after their daily kool-aid what objectively was the best candidate. There is no evidence that this would not have happened here. It has not happened here because there aren’t that many good minority politicians. On the other hand, minorities here tend to play identity politics, rather than trascend it.

In a related note, I was surprised to hear Trevor Phillips, the chair of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, saying that more needs to be done to help the white working class – this after last year say they don’t care about Eastern Europeans because they only deal with equality when it comes to non-whites. I suspect that Obama’s rise and his narrative is ressonating here.

Ravi, Leon – yep you’re absolutely right. Four years of semi-coherent anti-Obama FOX News schtik awaits.

You are right though – the Bush years have been really good for Jon Stewart, to the point where he would just show a clip of Bush’s latest fuckup, and get a laugh from the audience without actually having to say anything.

I can’t believe the nightmare is over.

I never thought I’d see a black man in the Whitehouse in my lifetime. I guess America has matured on the race debate. Perhaps in 2012 we may see a female candidate duke it out. Even Sarah Palin may be acceptable. Her Conservative feminism has gone down well with the Republican base. She needs to reach out in the next 4 years.

Shit @ 1:

‘I disagree with President Elect Obama on a whole host of things including his intent to equate Afghanistan and Kashmir’

Kashmir and Afghanistan ARE SIMILAR in that both the occupying powers, India and the US, are historically responsible for the dire destabalised situation they find themselves in. They’ve also committed pretty heinous human rights violations. Yet both India and the US pride themselves on being democracies. In the long run both of these countries need to be free of their occupying powers and the majority of the peoples in these countries would agree to that.

If free and fair elections were held in Indian and Paki occupied Kashmir then an independent nation of Kashmir is the most likely outcome. The Indian army has behaved almost as badly as the Pakistanis did during their genocidal war in Bangladesh in 1971.

It’s facinating how you’ve taken to your father’s side of the family (always the stronger side in Asian ties) in both following your father’s Hindu religion and the unsustainable Indian nationalist anti-Muslim views on Kashmir. The Islamic position disapproving Muslim women marrying ‘out’ is vindicated.