The Great White Hope
Girl you're every woman in the world to me
You're my fantasy, you're my reality
--Every Woman in the World, Air Supply
Keep you doped with religion and sex and tv
And you think you're so clever and classless and free
But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see
A working class hero is something to be
--Working Class Hero, John Lennon
And you think you're so clever and classless and free
But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see
A working class hero is something to be
--Working Class Hero, John Lennon
The chief distinction in the intellectual powers
of the two sexes is shown by man's attaining
to a higher eminence,
in whatever he takes up, than can woman
--Charles Darwin
of the two sexes is shown by man's attaining
to a higher eminence,
in whatever he takes up, than can woman
--Charles Darwin
__________
This is a post on confusion: why are the actual political issues in this campaign being skirted in favor of a cult of celebrity, and where did women go in our society's ostensible march to inclusivity?
Presidential candidate Obama is a rock star without music. He fills stadiums in 10° degree weather, with groupies strung around the building at 7 a.m. for the 10 a.m. show. He has earned Oprah's imprimatur, which usually goes to self-help gurus who help her and her audience feel better, folks like the elfin Eckhart Tolle and Marianne Williamson, Andrew Vachss and Dr. Phil. Former addicts, or street people, or tough-love advocates.
Presidential candidate Obama is a rock star without music. He fills stadiums in 10° degree weather, with groupies strung around the building at 7 a.m. for the 10 a.m. show. He has earned Oprah's imprimatur, which usually goes to self-help gurus who help her and her audience feel better, folks like the elfin Eckhart Tolle and Marianne Williamson, Andrew Vachss and Dr. Phil. Former addicts, or street people, or tough-love advocates.
If you believe that Oprah's got The Secret, then O politics wins. In this age of wanting to feel good about oneself -- the spa-entitlement age -- Obama's slot, like that of a good pastor, is to make you feel good. To give you hope in your wretched life for a new day. We want to get pumped up over something, and have a sneaking suspicion that it ought to be about something other than ourselves.
Obama's soaring rhetoric accomplishes this nicely. His is the role of the self-help guru, a genre which is bursting with titles at your local bookstore. Thousands of tracts promise to show you how to navigate your wretched spouse/parents/children. The Calgon moment has never been bested as the prescription, and Obama is the one who will take you away.
As William Kristol said Sunday in the NYT,
"So we don’t have to work to improve our souls. Our broken souls can be fixed — by our voting for Barack Obama. We don’t have to fight or sacrifice to help our country. Our uninvolved and uninformed lives can be changed — by our choosing Barack Obama. America can become a nation to be proud of — by letting ourselves be led by Barack Obama."John Kennedy, to whom Obama is sometimes compared, challenged the American people to acts of citizenship and patriotism. Barack Obama allows us to feel better about ourselves.
". . . Obama’s rhetorical skill makes his candidacy appear almost collective rather than individual. That’s a democratic courtesy on his part, and one flattering to his followers. But the effectual truth of what Obama is saying is that he is the one we’ve been waiting for ("It's All About Him")."
Obama is like O[prah]-guru Tolle, who promises in his latest bestseller to midwife you along to your best you in the modestly titled, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. That is, presuming there is one for you. How could there not be, after all? Aren't you the one who felt so good after all the hot rocks were aligned on your back, while ylang-ylang and chrysanthemum were wafted in the air?
We, the scions of the Me generation, seek aggrandizement of the self via Facebook and MySpace, not even shuddering from the possibility of egocentrism as a negative. For her part, Oprah is there to salve any nagging fears we might have on the matter.
She is on the daily menu for a large number of your cohorts, maybe even you yourself. While there are the crazies who let it all hang out, like Jerry Springer's guests, there is Oprah to lead you to your higher self.
But for all her wealth, Oprah struggles. Her weight drops, only to be packed back on. She has an on-again, off-again relationship with her stately, light-skinned lover Steadman, but always the affection of her steadfast girlfriend and dogs. Oprah owns this niche; she is Black Like Me. She is everywoman, as Obama is everyman.
This is not a racial screed. It is a lament for a society which disallows honest, non-racist, non-sexist consideration of the very real political topics at hand. It is a lament for a provincial society stuck in its -isms, which harbors a real and barely latent disdain for anything other. A society that wishes to feel good by covering up these tendencies and gloating about how inclusive it has become by fronting a non-musician rock star for president.
It is odd to see Hillary's all-but-inevitable moment be so cruelly quashed. It seems women are denied the parabolic peak. Their ascent looks like a mined West Virginia mountaintop--flat. A good place for a golf course.
The first female candidate for president was Victoria Woodhull in 1872 on the Equal Rights Party ticket, with a black man, Frederick Douglass (Up From Slavery) as her running mate. Race is again on the table today, but it seems gender is the more onerous issue.
White women have written many of the seminal tracts in the feminist movement. Gloria Steinem, Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Freiden, Irigaray, Klein and Horney and many others have all written grounbreaking works on the stature of women in society. We still go to white women for financial advice (Suze Orman, Maria Bartiromo et. al.), presumably because they can do the heavy lifting on boring fiduciary matters.
Geraldine Ferraro had a run at VP and we all knew she wouldn't make it, but felt it was only a matter of time. It seemed for a time Condoleeza Rice was on the fast track, being groomed as a possible presidential contender. But her star has fallen, and recently she was consigned to introducing a display explaining the obtuse symbolism on the back of the dollar bill.
One wonders why Hillary is so suspect, why her detractors so viscerally despise her. I have spoken with numerous people who admit they cannot put their finger on the reason why; they simply hate her.
What has this admittedly wanting-for-charisma woman tapped in the national psyche? It appears that even her husband, former President Bill, sabotaged her efforts early on with some notably non-charismatic additions. Hillary stood by her man, but he has not stood by her.
It is not that she is part of a "Clinton dynasty" as the press is hectoring. If that were so, democrats who were pleased with Bill would be pleased with Hillary. And political dynasties are nothing new to U.S. politics.
Presidents, no matter how high-minded, have only limited power to bring about change. They may encounter not only inertia but, more often, its exact opposite: an active, self-interested opposition, frequently fronting a broad constituency. Seeing this reality, one should choose a conciliator for president, not a firebrand, if change is what is actually sought.
I have heard well-intentioned liberals discuss the fact that Obama will make a fine role model for young black males if elected. But that is not the reason we elect someone president. That is the reason to join your local Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
Obama has been successfully branded -- he is hot, and he is cool, while Hillary is not. She is just another politician, who tends to spreadsheets and fiscal data, nothing that makes you want to get up and scream; she possesses nothing like Obamania.
Hillary simply doesn't rock, and we want someone to rock our world. Just look at who can run for president -- little Ray-Ray from the Chicago hood, who made it through his AA at community college.
Well, not actually.
____________
correction: Frederick Douglass's autobiography is, A Narrative on the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, My Bondage and My Freedom. Thanks to vigilant reader Minstrel Boy.
Labels: hillary hatred, misogyny, obama as pop star, obama as rock star
posted by Lisa at 10:46 AM
20 Comments:
Good post, good points, and good writing, Lisa!
Thanks, UC!
It's been sitting in the cache two weeks now--should've got it out sooner.
From my perspective as a middle-aged white woman, I don't really see it as being about race or gender or charisma. I have had a bad feeling about Hillary since she persisted in refusing to admit that she was wrong to support the Iraq war, and has continued to vote for bills escalating tensions in the Middle East. If she is denied the opportunity to run for president, I hope it is because of her policies. Being a devout left-winger, of course I'll be thrilled to bits to see either a woman or a young black guy in the White House - a nice change of pace from the old white men. However, I believe it's fundamentally wrong to support or reject a candidate based on any physical quality. If Obama has achieved rock star status, one hopes it is his ideas and opinions that have attracted the attention of the masses, not the fact that he's a)black or b)male.
Kootenay
P.S. Did you actually quote that neocon mouthpiece Billy Kristol? What are you thinking?
Hi Kootenay,
There is nothing wrong with old white men; some of them I love.
I feel Hillary has been hogtied. There is nothing she can say or not say that will not get her skewered by the press.
She is a middle-aged-older white woman, not a winning demographic if you're going for rock star status. Just look at Debbie Harry today.
As far as what has mobilized the masses, I do not think it is Obama's ideas or opinions, for there is nothing novel there. His soaring quotes are mostly cribbed from thinkers I happen to like, without attribution.
I'll have some more thoughts tomorrow which are bubbling up tonight.
p.s.,
It would be awfully limiting not to read William Kristol or any of the rest. There are some valid ideas to be found there.
We must not become self-congratulating machines, only associating with those who think like we do.
Thanks, but please don't let it built up next time just let it out. Yes I for one would like some Beef with my discourse on who I would vote for on issuse. It looks like Amerika is in for a Murdock type of canpaigns in the future. I'm an 59 yr old male I only my problem with Hill is Yes the war but she is mean enough for this job. Would either one of them do the right thing. Out of the war, all rights given back to the American citizens. NO chance is my personnel feeling and I hope I'm wrong.
jo6pac
Great Post
Beef conmment is for those old enough to remember when we were taken before.
Thanks, jo,
The only thing that should matter is the candidate's plan. Hillary's seems stronger and better articulated.
I am hopeful, but also realistic. No president can kiss the country's wounds and make them better. Hope or no. I'm amazed at the lack of substance which "fires them up" at Obama rallies. Where's the beef?
BHO might make a good president. He seems likable enough when he works at it. But I for one am turned off by the bile of his attack-dog supporters. They appear to be very similar to the For-Us-Or-Against-Us Bushistas. They scare me. There is no place in America for fanatics.
Jim,
"I for one am turned off by the bile of his attack-dog supporters. They appear to be very similar to the For-Us-Or-Against-Us Bushistas. They scare me. There is no place in America for fanatics."
My feelings exactly. Mindless fanaticism from folks who usually can't tell you why they support him. This phenomenon runs the gamut from poor and younger supporters, to my West Coast, zin-drinkin' contacts.
small, minor nit to pick.
UP FROM SLAVERY
was the autobiography of Booker T. Washington, not Douglass.
he wrote
A Narrative on the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, My Bondage and My Freedom
which is very well worth reading.
Thank you, MB.
What a delight it is to have such a vigilant reader as yourself. (The editor falls down on her job, at times!)
William Kristol ? What valid ideas? He's been wrong about just about everything. The guy should be hung for war crimes.
tw,
For all that, his ideas quoted were spot-on, IMO. Just because someone follows a different agenda, doesn't mean they can't stumble upon truth.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again.
Don’t believe one optimistic word from any public figure about the economy or humanity in general. They are all part of the problem. Its like a game of Monopoly. In America, the richest 1% now hold 1/2 OF ALL UNITED STATES WEALTH. Unlike ‘lesser’ estimates, this includes all stocks, bonds, cash, and material assets held by America’s richest 1%. Even that filthy pig Oprah acknowledged that it was at about 50% in 2006. Naturally, she put her own ‘humanitarian’ spin on it. Calling attention to her own ‘good will’. WHAT A DISGUSTING HYPOCRITE SLOB. THE RICHEST 1% HAVE LITERALLY MADE WORLD PROSPERITY ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE. Don’t fall for all of their ‘humanitarian’ CRAP. ITS A SHAM. THESE PEOPLE ARE CAUSING THE SAME PROBLEMS THEY PRETEND TO CARE ABOUT. Ask any professor of economics. Money does not grow on trees. The government can’t just print up more on a whim. At any given time, there is a relative limit to the wealth within ANY economy of ANY size. So when too much wealth accumulates at the top, the middle class slip further into debt and the lower class further into poverty. A similar rule applies worldwide. The world’s richest 1% now own over 40% of ALL WORLD WEALTH. This is EVEN AFTER you account for all of this ‘good will’ ‘humanitarian’ BS from celebrities and executives. ITS A SHAM. As they get richer and richer, less wealth is left circulating beneath them. This is the single greatest underlying cause for the current US recession. The middle class can no longer afford to sustain their share of the economy. Their wealth has been gradually transfered to the richest 1%. One way or another, we suffer because of their incredible greed. We are talking about TRILLIONS of dollars. Transfered FROM US TO THEM. Over a period of about 27 years. Thats Reaganomics for you. The wealth does not ‘trickle down’ as we were told it would. It just accumulates at the top. Shrinking the middle class and expanding the lower class. Causing a domino effect of socio-economic problems. But the rich will never stop. They will never settle for a reasonable share of ANYTHING. They will do whatever it takes to get even richer. Leaving even less of the pie for the other 99% of us to share. At the same time, they throw back a few tax deductable crumbs and call themselves ‘humanitarians’. IT CAN’T WORK THIS WAY. This is going to end just like a game of Monopoly. The current US recession will drag on for years and lead into the worst US depression of all time. The richest 1% will live like royalty while the rest of us fight over jobs, food, and gasoline. Crime, poverty, and suicide will skyrocket. So don’t fall for all of this PR CRAP from Hollywood, Pro Sports, and Wall Street PIGS. ITS A SHAM. Remember: They are filthy rich EVEN AFTER their tax deductable contributions. Greedy pigs. Now, we are headed for the worst economic and cultural crisis of all time. SEND A “THANK YOU” NOTE TO YOUR FAVORITE MILLIONAIRE. ITS THEIR FAULT. I’m not discounting other factors like China, sub-prime, or gas prices. But all of those factors combined still pale in comparison to that HUGE transfer of wealth to the rich. Anyway, those other factors are all related and further aggrivated because of GREED. If it weren’t for the OBSCENE distribution of wealth within our country, there never would have been such a market for sub-prime to begin with. Which by the way, was another trick whipped up by greedy bankers and executives. IT MAKES THEM RICHER. The credit industry has been ENDORSED by people like Oprah, Ellen, Dr Phil, and many other celebrities. IT MAKES THEM RICHER. So don’t fall for their ‘good will’ BS. ITS A LIE. If you fall for it, then you’re a fool. If you see any real difference between the moral character of a celebrity, politician, attorney, or executive, then you’re a fool. WAKE UP PEOPLE. The 1% club will always say or do whatever it takes to get as rich as possible. Without the slightest regard for anything or anyone but themselves. Vioxx. Their idea. Sub-prime. Their idea. NAFTA. Their idea. Outsourcing. Their idea. The commercial lobbyist. Their idea. The multi-million dollar lawsuit. Their idea. $200 cell phone bills. Their idea. $200 basketball shoes. Their idea. $30 late fees. Their idea. $30 NSF fees. Their idea. $20 DVDs. Their idea. Subliminal advertising. Their idea. The MASSIVE campaign to turn every American into a brainwashed credit card, pharmaceutical, love-sick, celebrity junkie. Their idea. All of which concentrate the world’s wealth and resources and wreak havok on society. All of which have been CREATED AND ENDORSED by celebrities, athletes, and executives. IT MAKES THEM RICHER. So don’t fall for their ‘ good will’ ‘humanitarian’ BS. ITS A SHAM. NOTHING BUT TAX DEDUCTABLE PR CRAP. Bottom line: The richest 1% will soon tank the largest economy in the world. It will be like nothing we’ve ever seen before. and thats just the beginning. Greed will eventually tank every major economy in the world. Causing millions to suffer and die. Oprah, Angelina, Brad, Bono, and Bill are not part of the solution. They are part of the problem. EXTREME WEALTH HAS MADE WORLD PROSPERITY ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE. WITHOUT WORLD PROSPERITY, THERE WILL NEVER BE WORLD PEACE OR ANYTHING EVEN CLOSE. GREED KILLS. IT WILL BE OUR DOWNFALL. Of course, the rich will throw a fit and call me a madman. Of course, their ignorant fans will do the same. You have to expect that. But I speak the truth. If you don’t believe me, then copy this entry and run it by any professor of economics or socio-economics. Then tell a friend. Call the local radio station. Re-post this entry or put it in your own words. Be one of the first to predict the worst economic and cultural crisis of all time and explain its cause. WE ARE IN BIG TROUBLE.
Lisa,
I watch Fox News Sunday to get a different slant and to see what the other side is up too. The up side is that it gets my day going as that little creep Billy Kristol just makes my blood boil. Of course it's great when Juan Williams puts him in his place and I can go on with my day with a smile on my face.
Anonymous,
I agree, we're in big trouble. More so than anybody wants to admit.
anon,
If what you say is true, the only solution would be a re-distribution of wealth. Karl Marx would agree.
There has been a great re-distribution of wealth upwards since Reagan, and the middle class, whose health is the basis of a vital democracy, is suffering.
The world cannot accommodate the rapacious ways of the upper 2%, but that is the fallacy committed upon the paeans. That is, that they too can have what their superiors have.
tw,
Always wise to listen to FOX with a bottle of Maalox nearby. (I heard Madelaine Albright say recently she listened to FOX on her way to work, and she was amazed she had not yet had an accident.)
It is important to know your enemy, and all the talking heads are just putting on a show--Juan Williams and the bunch of them.
I do think we are in trouble, yet it is a bit eerie how the life goes on. . . Ob-la-di, ob-la-da
I enjoyed your post -- just wanted to point out that Andrew Vachss, one of my heroes, is in *no* way a self-help guru, even if Oprah wants to think so!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Vachss
-Jeff M.
Hi Jeff!
[Lisa smiles sheepishly]: you are correct. I only mentioned Dayan in the whole megillah because his is a name I remembered from her show 20 years ago, when I stopped watching.
I remembered him because I thought him dashing looking, with his eyepatch, rather like Moshe Dayan. But you are correct, he is a good guy who does real work.
Not to say that there's anything wrong with sincere efforts at self-development(I feel like I'm on a Seinfeld episode...) It is just that it can become a little solipsistic.
This has been an interesting discussion. I have been following Obama's progress and supporting him by being a precinct captain, making phone calls, etc., but it's not just because he sounds good and makes me hopeful again. I have read his entire Blueprint for Change and see a lot of specifics for improving our economy, utilizing the money we will save by getting out of Iraq. He even proposes to increase funding for our Internet Crimes Against Children task forces, something Andrew Vachss (my mentor and hero) and the rest of us PROTECT members have been fighting for. Hillary never mentions child abuse or seems to have a plan for helping young people go to college and repay their tax incentives through real community service, or anything substantive.
Yes, we are in real economic trouble thanks to the legacy of Reaganomics and the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few greedy ones at the top, but is that inevitable or can we change it by changing the tax structure, consuming less and building green energy options? I prefer to think so. It's hard enough to stay alive sometimes without hope and a specific plan for getting somewhere more humane in our society. Obama "08!
Laura
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