Without Choreography (Unfinished)

via The Beautiful Struggler - Me, Myself and Eye

Today's blog is still in progress, but as I know I won't be in front of a computer until late afternoon, I wanted to post what I had so that you wouldn't feel I neglected you. Toodles!

There have been a few moments in the early moments of Barack Obama's precedence that have made me disappointed or confused by the actions of the POTUS. Like many Liberals and Blacks, I have for the most part chosen not to say much about those perceived missteps in the interest of "giving the brother a chance". Considering that Right Wingers and racists (usually, but not always one and the same) would give him an unduly hard time, I thought I'd be better for being supportive and patient than highly critical early on.

A few things forced me to break my silence, the first being the cringe worthy "Beer Conference". Seeing Mr. Obama and a noted Harvard scholar sit down with the unrepentant asshole cop from the Hartford Police Department took me to a place I wouldn't like to see again. Then there was the Van Jones fiasco: the brother had to resign due to his interest in finding the truth about 9/11, freeing Mumia and other 'incendiary' issues that make White folks uncomfortable. The former White House Green Jobs Czar got no public support from Obama. But what REALLY sent me over the edge was Obama's disagreement with Jimmy Carter over the racist undertones in the Joe Wilson incident.

There are three attitudes I encounter most often when discussing race and the sitting president:

1) The Moronic- "The world isn't Black so we can't expect the President to just drop everything else and talk about race." Because, of course, engaging the topic of race in ANY way would requite Obama to "drop everything".

2) The Believer- "This is all part of a strategy! He is trying to get things done and he needs people to trust him." Of course! But to do so, you must throw Black people and issues firmly under the bus from time to time and completely ignore racism more often than not.

3) The Cynic- "Barack Obama ain't sh!t, he don't care about Black folks at all!" Well, these folks probably didn't vote for anyone ever anyway, so I can't really give them too much attention on this matter.

My personal attitude was somewhere between "The Believer" and the "sick of feeling like the issues of my people were worth being negated in order to appease some racist pigs I wish would fall down dead ANYWAY". Interestingly enough, as my mother got more and more passionate along the lines of the latter, I became more vocal in trying to defend Obama in her eyes. I do think that there is an inherent loyalty to our people that is born in many of us that is both respectable and dangerous when used blindly. When debating the matter of Obama and race with my mother the other day, I had the following revelation:

Being Black in America demands the ability to perform a highly complicated dance and the choreography does not always come easy. Whether you are the child of a White parent or the product of Huxtable clones or Black Panther alums, you will have to dance. Throughout our history in this country, we have had to shuck, jive and lie to White folks to secure our jobs, our safety and even our lives. We've had to perform for slave masters, teachers, police, social workers, employers and even employees. Seething with rage, we have had to grit our teeth and say "Yes'suh" in more ways than one could imagine.

Like many Black men, Barack Obama has to dance in order to protect his job and his safety. Unlike most Black men, he is doing this dance on the national stage with the entire world watching. The President of the United States is being treated like a Pullman Porter by his governmental constituents and it's very painful to watch. While Obama has unmatched class and dignity, he is undoubtedly performing the dance before our eyes and it makes me sick to my stomach. While I feel that some of the things he has done could have been avoided, ultimately, I understand that the dance itself cannot yet stop.

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