Pride and Prejudice (Patriotism)

Member Name: thedevilinme

Product:	Patriotism
Date:	08/11/08 (213 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The American Civl War is over

Disadvantages: Race over your country?

Remember Remember the 4th of November...

Wow, who would have though it, a Blackman in the Whitehouse. Even I had a tear over that speech. There was a superb picture on the front of The Times the day before the vote of both candidates silhouetted, as black as the night, wearily walking up to the lectern one last time to implore votes from frazzled voice boxes, at least equal in print for that one small moment. That picture told so many stories. Not only was this presidential election about race but it was about patriotism, what's best for your country over your politics, enough of the race hate put aside so America can move forward once again.
That one dimensional newspaper image is the approach many commentators thought voters would go in this election, black voting black, white voting white. But patriotism won the day and although pretty much all the black folks voted for Obama enough white folks crossed the Rubicon (mainly women who though he was cute) and voted with their hearts for their country, a little flag in one hand and common sense in the other. It was a beautiful thing to see and even I stayed up all night to see it.

Oh say can you see by the dawns early light....

For me the American Civil War finally ended on the 4th of November 2008. The world changed again on another momentous crisp autumn day, although '411' doesn't quite have the same ring as 911, 'ring' being the operative word, 411 the number used for directory enquiries in Canada if you're interested. America really did heel itself on Tuesday, record numbers of all colors and creeds storming the polling booths and doing the unthinkable. Now that is black power! Sadly one-in-seven of the black vote where in jail and so couldn't vote - the jailer unable to shout 'free at last'. Let's hope that incarcerated number falls now that black America has been empowered by this stunning piece of patriotic democracy. White America has done their bit now you do your bit.

You guys have probably seen the viral e-mail quote that's doing the rounds but here it is again in case you haven't. Its poetry and already the front runner for the quote of the year...

'Rosa sat so Martin Luther could walk. Martin walked so Barak could run. Barak is running so our children can fly".

Admittedly his hopeless opponent had no chance, the stock market collapse the final nail in the coffin of McCain (that's being ordered right now), his party the cause of the stockmarket crash, the funny little war hero who finished 884 out of 889 in Naval class, the coat hanger still in his jacket not helped by the ridiculous Sarah Palin.
Appearing outside her local polling station in Wasilla, Alaska (conveniently as far a way as Washington DC as possible), Mrs palin was traditionally asked who she voted for. And I quote:

"I don't have to tell anybody who I vote for. Nobody does. That's really cool about America".

The Republicans see themselves as the true American patriots, older by age (and sadly wrinkled by prejudice), the bastions of the countries flag. These guys were bought up on pledging allegiance to it every morning, in school, church and the work place, the proud Stars n Stripes planted in the back garden of Republicans as it was the Moon itself. The bulk of the Democratic voters are anti war and fresher faced, more tolerant and college educated, 50% ethnic minority to the Republicans 15%, listening to unpatriotic songs like Hail to the Thief. As Neil Young said:' Keep on rocking in the free world...But what will Michael Moore do with himself now, apart from counting his money and hamburgers...

Obamas victory is all the proof you need that if you want something hard enough and get up off your ass then you can get it, what ever color or social class you are, be it for you or in spite of your country. All those black Americans out there that have been using that excuse not to try have one less excuse today. All those black people held back by their parents disconnection can now take it all. A black man has the keys to the planet so let's see your game guys. Lewis Hamilton and Tiger Woods did it in their worlds. The first steps on a long journey are the biggest and bravest. Just think of the effect a black American shaking world leaders of all colors hands is going to have on the dynamics of this war torn planet. Exciting times indeed. Will we see a Jive handshake style from Barak! The satirists are going to love it. I can't wait to see Rory Bremner's impression. LoL. Dare he?

Ok, fair enough, the mobilization of the black vote-some three million new ones registered this time-and accompanying donations over the internet swung the election, 97% of black voters voting for their man. Some people wouldn't call that patriotic whilst others would call it racist. I would call it payback time! Of the twenty million blacks that voted, its calculated that 19.6 million or more went with Barak, and with the Democratic margin of winning the national poll just 7 million votes its clear that campaign for 'Change', a word as ambiguous as its rhetorical on the stump, was decisive. He was talking to black people for the last week of the campaign and it worked. Amongst white male voters it was a 46/54 split against Barak, but so inspirational was Obama to all he even picked up one million Latino votes on his campaign, like many things in this election, unheard of in America history. Enough hard working white folks thought he was brown enough and so not black enough to earn their squiggle, all seduced by the whole celebrity of the Obama hysteria, sending him off to the now ironically named 'Whitehouse'. I wonder if Lenry Henry shouted 'Change' every third word he could usurp Gordon (not so) Brown? I don't fancy Dawn French as the first lady though. They will need more than a bullet proof glass booth to stop that particular stage collapsing! And didn't our PM looked even duller the next morning, and if he hadn't of one in Scotland in the bye-election it could have been McCain (having your chips!) time! Lets hope he doesn't start high-fiving and wearing Bob Marley T-Shirts for the kids now!

I think we agree that Black American has earned the right, and indeed the hypocrisy, of that luxury of that block vote on skin color over policy after 200 years of hate and division. The guilt over the bad old days has been lifted some of white Americans and the light of hope is streaming in. For many Republicans this vote was a simple confession that the warmongering Bush really did f**k up the world over his cronies greed for oil and the privatization of the third world.

You will never change those polarized views on race, of course, but now Obama will be able to further shrink that racist majority with solid policies and by being a black guy doing a patriotic job. Now is the time for a black guy at the helm. In fact by 2050 half of the US population will be non white, further eroding that white supremacy/patriotism. I'm surprised the Latinos didn't get in first with a candidate. One suspects that's already on the Republicans playbook for 2012. Vote for Sanchez! Some say Baraks not black enough to be black but racist only judge skin color and so he's black to them.

John Stewart, Americas top satirical talk show host, made a telling joke when Barak was on his show. He asked Barak that when he got to vote... 'Would his white half tell him not top vote for the black half...?"

Poor old Ophra Winfrey didn't fair so well when she turned down the chance to interview Sarah Palin the week before the election, the white supremacist hammering her switchboards with all manner of 'N' word abuse, proving the maggots are still out there and white patriotism rages.

Sadly British patriotism is seriously under fire right now, anyone displaying of the 'Flag-of St George' viewed as if they have a swash sticker on their foreheads! The allotment near the council estate I walk past on the way home from work has the English flag raging from nearly all the sheds and greenhouses, the right wing hurricane or vile abuse blowing out of the tower blocks making them flap with an intimidating whip at people of color walking past. You just didn't see those flags ten years ago. I thing the English flag is dull looking and so much prefer the Union Jack.

I think its social class in England that is the pointer to how patriotic you are likely to be, the poorer and whiter you are the more likely to love the idea of a Britain as it was. There is a lot of racism in working class communities, just as there is silent mumbles of it behind net curtains in the middle-classes, but it's often the case that the white working class bigotry is picked on by those same silent and bigoted middle-classes voices in the media and so made an example of, passing the blame and guilt if you like. Working class patriotism generally ends up on the subject of immigration because they are rightfully angry about seeing this country exploited by foreign nationals and the high crime that often follows it, unemployment and a distinct lack of family planning also in the mix. I don't think the working man is patriotic to his white ancestors more than his new ethnic citizens because of skin color but the stereotypes and negatives each race ha sin the U.K. I think it's intriguing that the races that have assimilated and are accepted the most in the U.K are the ones that work the hardest-Indians, Chinese and the Poles topping the list.

The immaculate work ethic of the Poles and some Eastern Europeans here has not gone unnoticed by those Brits not prepared to work hard for a living. Now the economy has turned the Polish patriotism to the British work ethic has turned too, ferries, buses and flights roaring back to Warsaw. I'm hearing that through a European Union loop-hole, the now unemployed Polish people returning from GB to sign on are being 'encouraging' by Polish Job Center staff to sign on for GB dole, which is £260 to their £120a month. The E.U. loophole allows that to happen. If we are being undercut in our workplace and on the dole by foreign workers to drive down wages then it's hard to be loyal to the government of the day who are pushing that ethos. To be loyal to your country requires them to want you. It doesn't feel like New Labour wants us around.

I have been watching John Prescott's series about his journey through the class system, which was basically him getting very upset about rich people having brains and degrees. In fact the chip was so big on his shoulder throughout the two hours he started eating it! As I'm in the quoting mood he asked these unemployed chavs in a tower block what social class they thought they were. The school leavers replied they thought they were probably middle-class, 'init', because their parents had jobs and they had some money. John, taken aback, immediately wanted to label them working class, of which they took equal offence, replying: we aint working class cause we aint working!

We will leave the final word to Obama, who when leaving the stage for the final time of the campaign, grabbed a TV producers clipboard and signed it with a dazzling smile and a rapier hand with the words-it's a wrap folks! What a guy...

Summary: Pledge allegiance to de man!