Amateur Hour
Something old, something new,
something borrowed, something blue
--Victorian Good Luck saying
His clothes are loud, but never square.
It will make or break him
so he's got to buy the best,
cause hes a dedicated follower of fashion
--Dedicated Follower of Fashion, the Kinks
We have seen the best of our time.
Machinations, hollowness, treachery, and all
ruinous disorders follow us disquietly to our graves
--King Lear (Act I, sc. ii), Shakespeare
______________
What we have this election are two tickets vying for who will be the most inane and irrelevant to addressing the pressing matters facing the U.S's survival as a Republic.
Obama is riding the nostalgia express. Take a look at the young uns' today wearing peasant blouses and checkered pants to get the idea. Probably a lot of tunes on Obama's iPod feature samplings from the 70's and 80's. And the nostalgic craze is just that deep; it's a fashion statement. Though his watchword is "change," it is a retro kind of change promising to herd you and your country to your better self, which presumably means pre-Me Generation bloating.
Throw in the too-cool facts like his announcement of running mate via text messaging (oooh), and you can't beat it. He's new, but he's old school too, but not too old. If he wore the checkered pants they'd be Brooks Brothers or Burberry's, though definitely not chav; McCain's would be back of the closet, with moths flying out.
The Baby Boomers are high on the same nostalgia, but for them it is for themselves. All things 60's + Dr. King find their embodiment in the person of Obama. Such solipsism is rarely a problem for the ever-egotistical Boomers. Complementing such unreality is Mr. Obama's partner Mr. Biden, who is every Hollywood West Wing inhabitant you've ever seen: smiles and tanned, for miles and miles.
Within 10 minutes of the Democratic convention last night I heard references to lynch mobs, the March on Washington, Civil Rights and the statement that with Obama, we finally have the realization of Dr. Martin Luther King's efforts in the 50's and 60's and someone who will pick up the Civil Rights torch in the 21st century.
This is insulting to every civil rights worker of the last 50+ years. What about Lyndon B. Johnson, the president who oversaw the implementation of so much civil rights legislation? What about every civil rights advocate, black and white, who laid it on the line, and every president since who has enacted legislation to serve underrepresented and oppressed populations in the U.S.?
I resent the simplicity of the message that Obama is the quintessence of the Civil Rights era, ergo, Obama = Change. He offers naught but a bromide, riding the coattails of great orators like MLK. Once one gets behind Obama's soaring generalized rhetoric, there is no particular message of change.
The next patter is no better. Today, McCain announced his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Ms. Palin has been governor for a little over 1 1/2 years. Her previous governmental experience was as two-term mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of 6,500. But, she is a white woman, and the country has just dealt a killing blow to Hillary, a white woman with a sizable base, albeit for the other team. But those disillusioned Hillaryites may become switch-hitters, something which McCain may be hoping for.
Ms. Palin is, well, pale. And young. On the scales of many voters, adding her age (44) + his (72) / 2 = a reasonable balance. Qualities the McCain ticket offers are: all-white, ostensibly maverick, a bit of a change (the other 50% is represented) yet still properly medieval regarding things like abortion rights. Ms. Palin sports funky black geometric glasses, giving the same young-hip vibe as Obama. Hip as Alaska gets, and there is something quirky about Alaska, plus there is oil up there.
But if the Republican party really wanted to cover some bases, why not a black woman? While you're there, why not go whole-hog? Lay on with the niche groups: woman of color, lesbian (Cheney surely couldn't disapprove) -- the possibilities are endless. One could really pile on in the p.c. department. At 44, Palin is hardly many years Obama's junior. The republicans need something completely different.
Since matters of state importance are scuttled to the periphery, matters of no consequence become the focus. Gender, skin color and plasticity and age are the things most occupying this Nip and Tuck sort of viewing audience.
Since neither candidate has successfully brought matters of national import to front and center, pundits focus on the messenger, rather than the (absent or inadequate) message. For McCain's supporters, as with Cheney's, his hoary bearing gives him gravitas. For Obama, his alterity alone says "change". By virtue of his chromosomes he is different, right?
Then to the wives. McCain, who in choosing his current wife Cindy has done what 90% of American males would do given the chance, is branded a golddigger, an unforgivable offense in a male, especially an alpha male.
Some white liberals figure they will flatter Michelle Obama by referring to her attractiveness, or at least, acceptability. They note that "at least she is not wrinkled." Some went so far on the complimentary to scale to say things like, Obama better watch out or their white selves would give her a run for her money.
Ditto white women on Obama. Because, y'know, Obama's clean and bright, to quote running mate Biden. These are two blacks who probably do not harbor HIV, separate as they are from their brethren who accounted for 50% of new AIDS cases in 2005 (CDC Bulletin). They are not the one's at whom President Bush's "Healthy Mariage Initiative" is aimed -- the almost 70% of unwed mothers who are black. The Obama's are acceptable blacks, blacks with whom we might even have relations. Though most of us do not.
Racism is as omnipresent in 2008 as it was in 1950. That Michelle Obama is attractive is only in comparison to her nappy-headed sisters. That is why white men feel it is such an impressive compliment to say they would go for her; the implication is, she is not your run-of-the-mill ho, who they most certainly would not consider chasing.
Or at least she's not an old white woman, like Pat Nixon or Lady Bird Johnson, let's say. (It is a given that a Babs Bush of any age would not be a contender.) Crones of any color are also the butt end of jokes in this racist, ageist America.
To make such a statement belittles not only women but black women in particular. It seems the best we can say of her is that she would elicit a sexual response in members of the opposite race. She can be an unwitting receptacle for the male, not even one of her own choosing. She should be flattered.
However, this is the appropriation of the slave body in yet another guise. Reverse the claim and see how it plays: a black man says of a white woman that her husband better be on the lookout, because he's on the prowl to get some of that strange stuff. It is the reverse of the Mandingo fantasy, and we are looking to eradicate that, no?
If coveting the female body is the highest form of praise men can offer, then we are at square one the evolutionary table regarding gender relations; forget race. This isn't politics, but it is the subtext of politics. The politics of gender and race is the issue in this election, an election in which foreign affairs should be the focus.
Obama and Biden, McCain and Palin. Tokenism--no great achievement for EOE.
Obama is riding the nostalgia express. Take a look at the young uns' today wearing peasant blouses and checkered pants to get the idea. Probably a lot of tunes on Obama's iPod feature samplings from the 70's and 80's. And the nostalgic craze is just that deep; it's a fashion statement. Though his watchword is "change," it is a retro kind of change promising to herd you and your country to your better self, which presumably means pre-Me Generation bloating.
Throw in the too-cool facts like his announcement of running mate via text messaging (oooh), and you can't beat it. He's new, but he's old school too, but not too old. If he wore the checkered pants they'd be Brooks Brothers or Burberry's, though definitely not chav; McCain's would be back of the closet, with moths flying out.
The Baby Boomers are high on the same nostalgia, but for them it is for themselves. All things 60's + Dr. King find their embodiment in the person of Obama. Such solipsism is rarely a problem for the ever-egotistical Boomers. Complementing such unreality is Mr. Obama's partner Mr. Biden, who is every Hollywood West Wing inhabitant you've ever seen: smiles and tanned, for miles and miles.
Within 10 minutes of the Democratic convention last night I heard references to lynch mobs, the March on Washington, Civil Rights and the statement that with Obama, we finally have the realization of Dr. Martin Luther King's efforts in the 50's and 60's and someone who will pick up the Civil Rights torch in the 21st century.
This is insulting to every civil rights worker of the last 50+ years. What about Lyndon B. Johnson, the president who oversaw the implementation of so much civil rights legislation? What about every civil rights advocate, black and white, who laid it on the line, and every president since who has enacted legislation to serve underrepresented and oppressed populations in the U.S.?
I resent the simplicity of the message that Obama is the quintessence of the Civil Rights era, ergo, Obama = Change. He offers naught but a bromide, riding the coattails of great orators like MLK. Once one gets behind Obama's soaring generalized rhetoric, there is no particular message of change.
The next patter is no better. Today, McCain announced his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Ms. Palin has been governor for a little over 1 1/2 years. Her previous governmental experience was as two-term mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of 6,500. But, she is a white woman, and the country has just dealt a killing blow to Hillary, a white woman with a sizable base, albeit for the other team. But those disillusioned Hillaryites may become switch-hitters, something which McCain may be hoping for.
Ms. Palin is, well, pale. And young. On the scales of many voters, adding her age (44) + his (72) / 2 = a reasonable balance. Qualities the McCain ticket offers are: all-white, ostensibly maverick, a bit of a change (the other 50% is represented) yet still properly medieval regarding things like abortion rights. Ms. Palin sports funky black geometric glasses, giving the same young-hip vibe as Obama. Hip as Alaska gets, and there is something quirky about Alaska, plus there is oil up there.
But if the Republican party really wanted to cover some bases, why not a black woman? While you're there, why not go whole-hog? Lay on with the niche groups: woman of color, lesbian (Cheney surely couldn't disapprove) -- the possibilities are endless. One could really pile on in the p.c. department. At 44, Palin is hardly many years Obama's junior. The republicans need something completely different.
Since matters of state importance are scuttled to the periphery, matters of no consequence become the focus. Gender, skin color and plasticity and age are the things most occupying this Nip and Tuck sort of viewing audience.
Since neither candidate has successfully brought matters of national import to front and center, pundits focus on the messenger, rather than the (absent or inadequate) message. For McCain's supporters, as with Cheney's, his hoary bearing gives him gravitas. For Obama, his alterity alone says "change". By virtue of his chromosomes he is different, right?
Then to the wives. McCain, who in choosing his current wife Cindy has done what 90% of American males would do given the chance, is branded a golddigger, an unforgivable offense in a male, especially an alpha male.
Some white liberals figure they will flatter Michelle Obama by referring to her attractiveness, or at least, acceptability. They note that "at least she is not wrinkled." Some went so far on the complimentary to scale to say things like, Obama better watch out or their white selves would give her a run for her money.
Ditto white women on Obama. Because, y'know, Obama's clean and bright, to quote running mate Biden. These are two blacks who probably do not harbor HIV, separate as they are from their brethren who accounted for 50% of new AIDS cases in 2005 (CDC Bulletin). They are not the one's at whom President Bush's "Healthy Mariage Initiative" is aimed -- the almost 70% of unwed mothers who are black. The Obama's are acceptable blacks, blacks with whom we might even have relations. Though most of us do not.
Racism is as omnipresent in 2008 as it was in 1950. That Michelle Obama is attractive is only in comparison to her nappy-headed sisters. That is why white men feel it is such an impressive compliment to say they would go for her; the implication is, she is not your run-of-the-mill ho, who they most certainly would not consider chasing.
Or at least she's not an old white woman, like Pat Nixon or Lady Bird Johnson, let's say. (It is a given that a Babs Bush of any age would not be a contender.) Crones of any color are also the butt end of jokes in this racist, ageist America.
To make such a statement belittles not only women but black women in particular. It seems the best we can say of her is that she would elicit a sexual response in members of the opposite race. She can be an unwitting receptacle for the male, not even one of her own choosing. She should be flattered.
However, this is the appropriation of the slave body in yet another guise. Reverse the claim and see how it plays: a black man says of a white woman that her husband better be on the lookout, because he's on the prowl to get some of that strange stuff. It is the reverse of the Mandingo fantasy, and we are looking to eradicate that, no?
If coveting the female body is the highest form of praise men can offer, then we are at square one the evolutionary table regarding gender relations; forget race. This isn't politics, but it is the subtext of politics. The politics of gender and race is the issue in this election, an election in which foreign affairs should be the focus.
Obama and Biden, McCain and Palin. Tokenism--no great achievement for EOE.
Labels: obama and biden, palin and mccain, racism alive and well
posted by Lisa at 5:14 PM
16 Comments:
Lisa: Andy Bachevic had a great column the other day with the title: "You're Going to be Disappointed With the Next President" where he pointed out that structural realities in 2008 America: immense deficits, a hollow economy based on consumer spending, corporate indifference, massive trade imbalance and a rapacious rentier class, piss-poor foreign policy choices in an overall climate of geopolitical cluelessness combined with an extremely powerful military-industrial-congressional axis, the social and political fragmentation of the American electorate...all these will handcuff the next President.
Leadership is crucial, but the most brilliant commander can only do so much with a bunch of clerks, cooks and bakers. Likewise the accmulated weight of the bad choices we've made since 1980 (when the GOP discovered, in Darth Cheney's term, "that deficits don't matter") have made this year's campaign a bit more deck-chair-rearranging-on-the-Titanic than usual. McCain and his bizarre Northern Exposure VP would be worse; The Great Black Hope and his man Biden a little better. But the flaw isn't in the bell; the whole tower has become unsound in many, many critical ways.
Oh, and Jim?
Your mom is off her meds. Again. She's a nice lady but we really need to do something about her butt-scooting across the carpet in front of the company. It embarasses them and scares the little kids...
Oh, well, darn, you deleted the first comment. That makes my last sentence incomprehensible.
Well, there was this wierd comment from someone called "Your momma says" and...
your mama has left a new comment on your post "Amateur Hour":
jim, have you been touching yourself again? you'll go insane if you do that. think how far you could go in business if you would only stop being such a dirty boy.
jim, please stop polluting yourself with those dirty television channels. or at least stop watching the war footage while you do that thing i told you never to do.
ever since you came home from being a park ranger in vietnam you have been acting like a crazy person. did the other park rangers teach you how to do that thing? what kind of dirty park were you working in?
now get cleaned up because daddy is coming home soon, and you know how he is when he's been drinking.
Chief,
I think what Bacevich says is clearly correct. "(T)he most brilliant commander can only do so much with a bunch of clerks, cooks and bakers" -- you forgot the candlestick makers. The cluelessness on the diplomacy front is the thing that most confuses and frustrates me.
(I had to put the deranged "yo mama" quote back, though out of line in the queue, just to honor your fine effort.)
things we could talk about other than race and gender.
for the last sixty days in the "surge is working" "safe and secure" iraq, there have been an average of 4 deaths a day due to suicide bombings.
afghanistan is experiencing unprecidented unrest. not just from taliban, but also from local/tribal warlords who have lost patience with seven years of foriegn occupation. in the afghan tradition of shifting alliances, look for marriages of convenience to last long enough to rout the foreigners, then back to the bloodbaths as usual.
russia has demonstrated its ability to act with impunity along the black/caspian area, and in the 'stans. our hands are supremely tied.
nobody knows who is going to end up in charge of pakistan and its nukes. the folks in the waziri are standing up to all comers. look for them to remain ungovernable, and harboring bin laden.
nope, we'd rather talk about how mcCain's vp pick is "hot."
personally, i don't put much stock in the corruption or abuse of power storyline about the brother-in-law she tried to get fired. after all, what fucking use is the power of an office like governor if you can't use it to fuck with your in-laws.
i would.
MB,
But. . .you're talking about things that matter, here. But thank God, they don't clutter many U.S. papers.
Our own Tallahassee rag has been reconfigured as "Your Hometown Paper," as have most local papers, in an effort not to go down the drain. Because people only care about their neighborhood. So if the local paper is your only news, as for most people, you get the idea the world is 99% your County, 1% Elsewhere. Period.
Our paper is even organized on a neighborhood basis, that is how finely the gerrymandering is drawn. And American Idol is on soon, dontcha know?
And I do love your observations on gubernatorial power ;)
Palin schmalin - got nothing to DO with the right thing to do. McCain is a fukken dink. I am fukken amazed at how many people are going all a-twitter over this extreme right wing not too bright bitch.
Hoping you and yours have a safe place to ride out this storm, Ranger!
Lisa: I have too noticed the sexist slant to the media handling of mrs. Palin. I think the Obama campaign has handled it pretty decently, though, with Obama clearly toning down the initial rhetoric. I think you are wrong that Obama offers nothing, though: He offers rationality. Because lets face it, irrespective of gender and age, McCain/Palin is the rapturist ticket, the Hagee ticket, the bomb Iran ticket. McCain made that very clear in his defence of Palins experience: "She, unlike Obama, doesnt see Iran as just a minor problem". Wich means she is a fullbore wacko frigging insane religious nut, just like McCain.
So its a choice between a middle of the road liberalist with an ability of cool thinking and a insane prince of darkness aching to do the Judas thing and bring Jesus back by playing Satan. Do I agree with Obama on most points? Hell no, he would be too far right to fit into the Norwegian conservative party. But does he offer real Change? Hell yes, after these last eight years he offers a hope of a restoration of logical rational decisionmaking.
With all due respect.
fnord,
Palin most definitely seems a right wing nut job.
As for Obama doing better "than the last eight years," well, yes, but even Mickey Mouse would be a positive choice in light of that! We all hope for a return to the years pre-2000. Progress seems too grand of a goal considering the manifold burdens this country has brought upon itself.
There will be a lot of work to do to even return there.
Getting back to where we were before 9/11 would be like an earthly version of the Rapture.
fnord,
I agree with your analysis. It's a given.
But I differ on Obama. He is a cipher, a question, an unknown quantity, a bloviator with a grand flourish. I feel uncomfortable with him for that reason. So while I do not like McCain, at least we know where he stands.
We do not know where the democrats stand as they equivocate and obfuscate. What have the Democrats done since 2006? They deliver words but no actions. I remain unconvinced.
A suggestion: Let's get off the racism, sexiam, ageism, all of the rest of the liberal claptrap. You well-meaning people bring this shit up, and the criminals in the Republican Party ram it rightn down your throats.
Think about the nation for a change. Stop wringing your hands and cut to the chase: black, white, male, female, alien, dyke on bike, whatever. Which of these all too-imperfect bozos will do the least damage to the nation? That's all you should care about. Leave the rest of the shit for college professors.
Will Obama be subjected to racism? Sure. Will McCain be subjected to "ageism"? You bet. Will Palin be subjected to sexism? Of course. Who gives a shit? These people are presuming to have greater influence on your lives than anyone you've ever known. And you'll never meet them. They don't want to meet you; they just want your vote, following which they will take extreme liberties with your freedoms and your beliefs.
And you worry about them being subjected to "isms"? Better you should worry about what they will do to you, to those you care about, and your nation. Fuck them. They can take care of themselves. If you haven't noticed, taking care of themselves is what they do. And they do a splendid job at that.
Publius,
We appreciate your attempt your attempt to censor this site, but it is above your pay grade, and we believe you are too old, and we don't listen to white guys since we have a new presumptive black leader, who is also censoring us and telling us who we may and may not talk about.
The personal is the political.
ranger: Agreed that Obama is a unknown quantity. But, two rays of hope: One is that he has founded his whole pitch on the core truth that something is rotten in the heart of the system. Not just cosmeticaly wrong, but seriously wrong, fundamentally wrong. And he has a whole lot of the new generation behind him, the ones who became politicaly awake in 2004 are now getting to be political operators. Par example, Phil Carter from Intel-Dump.com is his veteran-policy advisor. For good and for bad, he represents my generation. Its about time.
Second, he comes from the real world, not the überclass of the insanely rich. McCain has spent most of his life in the circles of the powerful and wealthy, he does not have a clue what its like outside the bubble. Obama does. Wich will hopefully lead to a humanization of the politics, both abroad (my primary concern) and at home. He is talking about the UN! He is interested in engaging China in broad global initiatives! Those are enough for me. And as a constituional lawyer, it is to be hoped that he can provide rollback for the republic as well)
I dont think he will be the new Jefferson, that is hoping for Jesus. But I think he will provide damage assessment and damage-reduction for the last 8 long long years. His new gunfighter stance has heartened me immensely, in his last appearances he has looked more like he likes the fight and less like a scared sissy. Those combined with a serious IQ are weapons that will stand him well against Putin. Ill still demonstrate when he comes to Oslo, but just ask yourself: Who would you prefer in the next Cuba crisis?
Drive carefully and good hunting..
Oh, PS: Did you catch that the US just invaded Pakistan? http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/03/pakistan.afghanistan1
I think you misunderstood me here, Ranger. Censorship is not in my toolkit. In fact, what I'm suggesting is that too many are too concerned about hurting the feelings of those who, given a chance, would gladly put them into Gitmo. So what I'm really talking about is self-censorship and the deleterious effect that can have on speaking essential truth about politicians.
Have a good trip.
publius, i'm amazed that you'd use the word truth in the same sentence as politician.
The last few weeks has shown that politics has become entertainment and issues are less important than personalities. jim
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