Ruler for Color

Anyone that has been following U.S. politics lately cannot escape the coverage of the upcoming Presidential race. In particular, the coverage given to the Democratic frontrunners Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama. One of the “stories” being covered is the question of whether or not Sen. Obama is “black enough” to court the black vote in 2008. But I wonder; how do you measure the color of someone? I know in this instance the black community’s measuring stick is that Sen. Obama is not of direct lineage of slaves that were brought to this country and that he may not sympathize with the issues concerning the black community. But are those the prerequisites to be “black enough”. I just don’t know how you measure color based on that prerequisite. I am not in direct lineage of Indian slaves taken to Africa or the Caribbean does that make me less brown? I can remember thinking the same thing when my ex-girlfriend told me she was “more Indian than I was”, which kind of baffled me b/c I was not sure how you quantify something like that. Or when one of my aunts a couple years ago, told me that I had become “Indianized” because I had a shirt on with the image of Gandhi and could carry a conversation w/ her in my native Indian language, Malayalam, to her surprise! So when I heard about this story it made me wonder about the measurement of color again.

I read an interesting article in the February 3^rd edition of The Economist by Lexington regarding this story. Lexington looked at the larger issue of black power in this upcoming election. The conclusion of the article was that blacks in the U.S. should stop acting like a “racial pressure group” (i.e. focusing on economic aid of the U.S. underclass because they will disproportionately benefit as they as make up a disproportionate amount of the U.S. underclass). Rather they should focus on thinking in terms of class which is a rapidly growing problem. I have to agree with this conclusion. There is emerging today a black middle class which in my estimation, from what I have read, is going to shift the plight of the community politically. In other words, holding blacks to the same standard as everyone else. This is not to trivialize the role that race plays in the policies of our country. It is deeply in entrenched in the form of institutionalized racism. But will progress come from redress? I don’t think so.

This article made me think about the issue of Affirmative Action as well. Specifically, at which point does a policy become a crutch rather than an aid. I think the policy itself is necessary, but solely as a tool to redistribute power to minorities and women. But at what point do minorities want that sense of personal fulfillment that achievement renders. When do we take personal responsibility and stop blaming our environment? Bill Cosby got denounced for voicing this sentiment. But he’s right, just because he has been selling Pudding Pops for the last 20 years, does not mean he does not knows what he is talking about. I concede that in being Indian, Affirmative Action is not a primary issue I am concerned with, however being a minority it does affect me. With this idea of redistribution of power and the upcoming election with a possible female or African American Democratic nominee, the black community has notable leverage. Their vote will be vital in the success of the nominees for either party. For example, Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton’s appearance in Alabama this past weekend to court the black community speaks to this leverage they hold. While polls are inconsequential, it shouldn’t be surprising that Sen. Clinton tapped the “First Black President” to accompany her to Alabama to help improve her poll numbers in the black community. I find an interesting point to note in all of this that the African American community would question the empathy of Sen. Obama to their plight b/c of the lack of direct lineage and as a result be more apt to vote for a white woman who has NO lineage at all. So the idea of Sen. Obama not being “black enough” is puzzling to me. Perhaps these news organizations and the black community should look deeper into the grassroots organizing he did on the Southside of Chicago before they question his empathy.

I believe Sen. Obama would be an invigorating Presidential candidate, I do concede that his foreign policy platform will need some work. However, the lack of tenure he has had in the District I believe will be an advantage. It will have been 20 years when the 2008 race comes around that a Bush or a Clinton will have occupied the white house. Do we really want to continue this rite of passage of the Oval Office or is it time for a change in the form of a nominee who is representative of the populous he would serve via his ethnicity and life experiences?

So, Are YOU Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Last night I was talking to my 12 year old nephew on my way home from class as I do most nights and was asking him about what he was up to, what he is learning in school, and if he finished his homework. Which, I suppose is to be expected from a 5^th grader, not much elaboration on his answers. But he was telling me how well he did on his report card and that he made sure he got his homework done b/c one of his favorite shows was on television. That show would be Fox’s Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader?. I immediately thought to myself “Wow this is what this country has come too”. I’d never heard of this show prior to this, so I had my nephew explain the premise of the show to me. Basically, the adult contestant has to answers questions ranging from 1^st to 5^th grade and moves up the “money ladder” which tops out at $1 million. They have a “classroom” of 5^th graders (I suppose they are all in 5^th grade) and they help the contest if need be (the contest has 3 various ways to request help). The show is a varied form of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, but in an elementary school setting.

I decided to watch this show when I got home just to see how atrocious it would be. The questions were not as hard as I thought they would be (i.e. how many sides does a trapezoid have; how many decades are in two millennia). The young lady that was on the program last night got to the $175,000 question and decided to stop, so she left with $100,000 and she had to proclaim “I am not as smart as a 5^th grader”. The latter of the above two questions was the $175,000 question. As the show ended I was thinking a couple things. First, I don’t what to think about someone who is “not as smart as a 5^th grader” running around w/ $100K. I wouldn’t want my nephew to have possession of $100,000. This sentiment was especially bothersome since I am a grad student who is grinding and pursuing a Masters in part to better my future financial standing and this woman is celebrating her ignorance and won $100K w/ the help of 5^th graders. The other thing I was thinking was what does a show like this say about American culture and society? How self-absorbed, short-sighted, and gluttonous a people have we become? I understand it is entertainment and Im sure the producers of the show weed out any intelligent people so they can create that entertainment. But at what cost? Furthermore, has education come to the point where we need shows like this to teach our children something? There is a genocide going on in the Sudan, a war in the Middle East, a majority of the world lives below the poverty line, and we in the U.S. are being entertained by people who are “not as smart as a 5^th grader” winning money. It might just be me, but I see a disconnect. A disconnect between us and pretty much the rest of the world. It’s a disconnect that frustrates me. We are supposed to be the leaders of the free world and in that we are to set an example. I know that there are no answers b/c quite frankly we have become victims of our own success. We have more or less (speaking on which make sure you check out the new Talib Kweli song More/Less) become a country in which one-size-fits-all. And provocative and thought-provoking discourse has taken a back seat to primetime television. And like it or not television programming is telling the rest of the world about the U.S. Now it may not be this show, but certainly others. The one that specifically comes to mind is Baywatch, I can remember being in India during multiple summers and episodes being played at nauseum. And that sets an example. I don’t think you can blame people abroad that they don’t know that this is not reality in the U.S. In a country where people are concerned about Brittney Spears shaving her head and the custody battle over Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, I don’t think we can stand on the soapbox anymore and critique societies of developing countries as being beneath us.