Why Are We Being So Ridiculous About the Obamas?

I haven't had much time to blog lately, mostly due to the large workload that never fails to sneak up on you at the end of the quarter...

So... I'm going to do another quick post...

Can I just make one thing clear?

Michelle and Barack Obama are not anybodies Messiah... they are not indicative of the Second Coming... they are not God's gift to the world... and they do not represent the defeat of racism against African Americans, sexism and misogyny against black woman and every other kind of oppression present in the world...

... they just don't...

I'm frustrated because I feel like black people are being totally unrealistic on this one...

Every girl friend I have has had a facebook status talking about how shes looking for "her Barack" at least once... and a significant number of my male friends have had status msg's about how they are lusting after Michelle...

Whats worse... are the articles like the one recently printed in Newsweek that goes so far as to argue that it is Michelle Obama's responsibility to represent all black women everywhere and to fight every negative stereotype thats ever existed about them.

I hate to disapoint everyone... but it's really not...

Now don't get me confused, like most of my friends I am a bigger fan of Michelle, than I am of Barack. And I continue to get excited about the presence of all those black women in the White House... living and not serving... I love the thought of soul food cooking in the White House kitchens and hot combs and pink hair oil in the bathroom...

But at the end of the day, our communities compulsive need to find a new "messiah" to represent us, in the way we fantasize Malcolm and Martin once did, is ultimately what cripples our journey toward social justice in this country. We point to the Obama family as the answer to harmful stereotypes about our families, our women and our men.

We argue, like the Newsweek article did, that if there are just enough "good examples," then suddenly racial and gender injustice will just suddenly stop being present in our lives.

When the reality is... at the end of the day... it just really isn't that simple...

And I would think the larger presence of articles about Michelle Obama's ass... than articles about what she brings to the White House as First Lady... would be indicative of that...

a la higher learning....

WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

peace...

"I Will Be Your President To..."

I don't know how most people felt about last night's speech, but I was truly moved. I was probably more moved or at least just as moved, as I was during his speech after winning Iowa in January 2008.

I'm going to keep this short, but I want to point out one part of this speech that I found particularly poignant.

President Obama told those Americans who did not support him that, "he would be their president to." On the most basic level he was letting those Americans know that he would listen to their concerns and that he will do his to best to address them in a way that makes them feel like they have a place in his... our... new America.

But it seemed to me, that on a deeper level, he was also saying something more aggressive and commanding. By saying "I will be your president to," he was telling those nay sayers who used everything from his race, to his age, to his "community organizing" in a attempt to discredit him, that he was now their president. That picturing him as a monkey, or putting his picture on food stamps, or claiming the White House for "whites only" would no longer be acceptable. Because he is their "president to." And as such, as Americans, as citizens, they MUST, leave their racism at the door and get behind him.

President Obama made it very clear in his instruction to us to "summon a new spirit of patriotism." The racial demons that McCain and Palin tried to resurrect from the American burial grounds of slavery and Jim Crow are not welcome here, and those who attempt to haunt our future with them, will be defeated.

peace.

Obamercial

Barack Obama Infomericial

(Comic from The New York Times)

What did you think about the 30 minute spot the Obama campaign ran today on NBC, CBS and Univison?

The cost was approximately five million dollars and it featured no commercials...

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts...

I thought it was really well done... although having already voted, it just reaffirmed what I already knew and felt about his candidacy...

What struck me the most was how profoundly different his campaign is from McCain's... the entire 30 minutes focused on Obama, his plan and his vision... from what I saw, McCain was not even mentioned once...

This is compared to McCain's campaign over the last month... where every rally, speech and interview is about cultivating fear of Obama and an Obama presidency... when was the last time you heard McCain talk about substantive policy?

The question many pundits are asking is if this infomercial is overkill... what do you think?

I would argue... that for a black man running for president of the United States... there is no such thing as overkill...

peace.

The Black Womans Toolkit for Graduate School

What every black woman needs to stay sane in graduate school:

1. a great therapist: if your one of those black women that believes that black women don't need to address the mental stress of their daily lives... get over it... i firmly believe that no one can get through graduate school without directly addressing the anxiety, stress, fears and insecurity that graduate school inflicts on you with no mercy...

2. great mentors: academic, spiritual and personal...

3. good relationships: family, friends and lovers... all need to be able to remind you of who you are and why you are where you are... positive energy is key...

4. enough ego to believe that your brilliant enough to be there and that your ideas are important enough to warrant years, even decades of energy and time...

5. enough humility to respect those that came before you and the brilliance of your peers and those that come after you...

6. awareness of the mental and spiritual costs of being apart of academia...

peace.

Applying to Graduate School pt. 1

Things to think about before applying to graduate school:

It seems simple... but the first thing you should ask yourself is whether or not going to graduate school will even help you achieve your professional goals. A lot of folks assume that this is the case, but quite often, graduate school ends up having more financial consequences than professional benefits. So do some research into how people successful in your field of interest got there. It might just be that internships or entry-level positions end up getting the job done better than another two-six years in the classroom.

Ask people already in the program you are interested in about their experiences. Asking people in your specific program of interest is important, to often people think just talking to any random graduate school will help them out. But oftentimes, a masters student won't be able to tell you how to get into a doctoral program. A political science student probably won't be able to tell you how to apply to a psychology program and a medical student probably can't help you get into law school.

When you do talk to people (especially potential writers of letters of recommendation) be clear about where you are in the process of thinking about graduate school. If you aren't sure if you are ready to apply to graduate school, make that clear. If you talk to a bunch of people, and they dedicate a lot of time to trying to help you get your application together and then you don't follow through, when you actually are ready to apply they may not be so willing to help you out.

If you are applying to doctoral programs, ask yourself if you have existing relationships with faculty who can write letters of recommendation for you. If you are a couple of years out of school and have just lost contact with former mentors and professors, that's ok, there is probably some leeway to be had. But if you are a senior in undergrad, or just recently out of college and you don't have any faculty who would be willing to write you a letter of recommendation... that might just be a bad sign (lol... remember this is just my personal opinion).

When applying to doctoral programs, don't get so caught up in the department that you ignore the climate of the campus itself. Make sure there are resources and people present that will help you live in a way thats healthy and vibrant (to the extent that, that is possible in graduate school).

more to come...

peace.

p.s. check out my post on finishing the chicago marathon

Random Thoughts for October

1. Whats going on with the revival of Colored Girls on Broadway? The show was supposed to debut in August, but after losing a backer in July, I haven't heard anything else about it... I hope Whoopi and company are able to make this thing happen!

2. I'm so excited about this opera written by Toni Morrison, its the story of Margaret Garner, a runaway slave. I'm going to try to get the $10 tickets for students to the dress rehearsal.

3. Whats the difference between socialization and assimilation? Does the difference matter?

4. I really like the new Jazmine Sullivan album... but I had to take it out of my cd player because I'm just not feeling the fear/hatred of men theme throughout the album... My vibe is much more aligned with the new Maiysha album... I really recommend that you check her out...

5. Why do people like that Kanye "Love Lockdown" garbage?

6. 6 days until the Chicago Marathon!

peace.