Wednesday, December 3, 2008

"Pump Ya Brakes"

Look, I'm as excited as the next person about Obama's election to the nation's highest office. Maybe even more, for that matter.


I grew up in a household with a father who has always stressed the importance of Black achievement in general and in this country, specifically.


In my short lifetime, I've never been more glad to have been wrong about my feelings in regards to White America's willingness to elect a Black official to ANY office; much less to the Presidency.


Real talk-I remember being happy as hell when they elected Wilson Goode to be Mayor of Philadelphia in 1983! That was a HUGE deal back then. HUGE!!! (sitting in my parents room listening to the clock radio play the S.O.S. Band's "Just Be Good(e) to Me" over and over the night he was elected) In 2008, Black elected officials are fairly commonplace and I never thought that a Black person didn't have the ability to be President, but I can honestly say that I NEVER saw this coming.



So before anyone reads this post and calls me a 'hater' and threatens to revoke my 'Black Pass', I get It.


And by 'It,' I mean the significance of Obama's election. But as always, some folks are taking things too far.


Just as it's asinine to think that B+ is going to take office on 20 Jan, put a grill on the White House lawn with accompanying weight set and crip walk after his acceptance speech, it's just as stupid to think that this dude is going to solve all the country's ills at 21 Jan @ 12:01. This man is just that: A man. Complete with flaws and contradictions so please let him be human and allow for his mistakes and missteps.




Above: WTF?!!!

The way I see it, (how you ALL should see it) Obama will be lucky if he gets through even 1/4 of his agenda during the next four years. In all reality he'll most likely need antother term to even scratch the surface of the country's fiscal issues. I've overheard some people saying that he's starting to renege on some of his campaign promises even before he takes office. People, he's not reneging; he's trying to say that he's not going to be able to change things overnight. That's all.
Plus, as I said before Barack Obama is only one man. He may actually be the advocate for the common person that we've been looking for but even still there are issues he will not be able to change for you.

He won't be able to stop the violence in our communities.

He won't be able to make people think it's cool to be smart.

He can't stop Mike Jones from making records. (although I wish he would)

He's going to need our help. Get ready to put in some work.



2 comments:

Chris said...

Jim,

I absolutely love what you are saying here. I think it's foolish to think that everything will be all better on 1/21/09. So many people have pinned this on Obama unfairly. Someone, in trying to explain this futility, even said the people have elected him "messiah." That is so unfair. He, nor anyone in my opinion, can fix the injustices that have become so much a part of American life in a day, a month, a year, or a term of presidency. I am torn between optimism and my cynicism. Thank you for your writing here. I do apprecaite it. Keep speaking the truth.

The Philadelphia Negro said...

Thanks Chris. I really appreciate the feedback. I thought I was the only person out here who thought like this who was an actual Obama supporter. I think it's a slippery slope when we put ANY person on the pedestal we've placed him on and we're setting him up for failure with unrealistic expectations.