Today is not the end of racism, but yet another day of the struggle for equal rights. It is unlikely that the choosing of an African-American will alter in any major way the views of people on affirmative action. Harlem is the same today as it was 2 days ago, so is east DC.
Unfavorable political commentators like to pinpoint the mass effect of Obamamania and attribute it to this sweeping victory. No doubt the main cause of Obama’s victory was his perfectly planned political campaign. It is, however, foolish to say that all these Obama supporters crying the tears of joy have no idea about his stance on issues or that they “don’t know who Obama really is” (whatever that means). Even the less gladiatorial voters who decided to vote for Obama voted for him not because of Obama girl or because of the aggressive mass media campaign. These small-town voters, just like the ones who voted for McCain, gathered what limited knowledge of the candidates they had and cast their votes. In addition, it is aggravating to hear from cynical pundits that Obama supporters see him as a Messiah, or that they know he will heal all the plagues that roam between the marble buildings of the Mall. These people know that tough times are ahead of America and know there will be setbacks, just as Obama admitted in his first speech as president-elect. Obama’s force does not come from his nebulous message for hope, but rather from his strikingly clear honesty and moderation, qualities without which even the biggest number of leaflets would not mean anything. Hope is just a buzzword for these qualities that landed in the dirt during the last decade.
What do these elections resonate with around the world? The most remarkable feature is the elevation of an ethnic minority representative to the highest office in the land. America has proved that it stands by its ideals. Can anyone imagine an Arab as the president of France? Or, a Hindu as the PM of United Kingdom? I thought so. Here lies the the real measure of the often cited European liberalism – Europe is lagging possibly decades in such a development bringing to mind the question whether racism in Europe is not more prominent than in the States.
I do not think Europe is “racist”, but I do think that the American sense of the opposite revolves around the framework of a different semantic field. “Tolerant” in the States connotes not only “tolerance” – cohabitation, mutual respect, or judicial protection. In America, it also means shared responsibilities, working together, and, above all, being equally American – things European leaders are silent if not hostile to. European political elites have to start acknowledging that difference and looking at America as a guide. It can be said that African-Americans played an important role since day one of the Union, in a more or less favorable context, and that in Europe it was not so. Not until the 1950s and 1960s did European countries receive an influx of ethnic minorities after the respective empires shattered to pieces. That is all true, the context is different, but I do believe that in the XXI century context becomes less important to the political discourse than in the past due to the relativization of borders and regions and to the culture of information. The only way for a great paradigmatic shift to take place in Europe is to start looking at the US as a ground for not only of equal opportunity, but of cooperation in advancing the state’s interests. The stereotype of the US as a racist place is delusional at best. Sure, many Americans would not elect a president because of his race, but is that really better than the situation where ethnic minorities across the Atlantic are held under a glass ceiling to even enter the political arena of representation, even if proportionate to their numbers?
I wish Obama good luck and I am sure the American people will do everything to help him in office. As to McCain, I applaud him for the very sincere and generous post-defeat speech. McCain remains a person of great personal standards and I deeply believe that all the controversies he cause during the election were faults of his campaign managers and his not so deferential VP pick.
Binary Choice 