2008-05-01 | Thursday

Yo LOS ANGELES!

MANOJ is making its LA Premiere this Sunday, May 4th at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival!

Here are the details:

PEOPLE POWER TOUR 2008

For those wondering, I am currently not, nor will I be, endorsing any of the presidential candidates in this year's elections. And I will articulate those reasons at another time. Today, however, I feel obliged to share my thoughts on Barack Obama's recent speech on... (drum roll) RACISM!

I can't front. I am impressed with Barack Obama. As a performer. Under intense scrutiny and in the face of blatant and subtle racism he has remained composed, confident and is killing the game and all doubters (so far). Among all the available viable presidential candidates, he's been the most adept at appealing to America's growing stream of "progressives." But he's also played it safe and said all the right (white?) things. Yes We Can. The Audacity of Hope. The Need for Change (yeah, but what kind of change? Remember, Bush campaigned for "change" too).

As much as Obama talks a good game about "change," I can't see how any true progressive can defend his sideways comments on Fidel Castro's resignation, his switch to a pro-Israel stance, and most of all... the fact that a presidential candidate of color has not, until now, said nary a word about racism.

Despite the obvious fact of his skin color, he's done it all without ever truly addressing racism as a problem, much less the topic of race itself. And it's worked to his advantage. White America loves nothing more than a person of color who doesn't talk about race. It validates their feeling that while racism has been a problem in the past, it isn't such a big deal now. Ultimately, the fullest realization of this new type of racism would be to have a non-threatening, race-downplaying Black president to show the world that America has finally graduated from the University of Race Relations and is ready to continue leading the free (capitalist) world!

But before committing to such a "radical" change from tradition, White America wanted to be absolutely sure Obama was their man. His relationship to black nationalist Pastor Jeremiah Wright and his church became an issue... again (mainstream media has attempted many times to derail the campaign with this story as early as last summer - i.e. New York Times). So, acting more so in defense than in action, Obama was finally forced to make a decision: keep ignoring the big-ass pink elephant in the room or finally acknowledge it. He chose the latter - and keeping in step with his campaign so far, he delivered some (relatively) real shit. He was eloquent and focused.

Whether you care about the electoral process or not, it's undeniable - Obama's candidacy has sparked many necessary dialogues that would be absent if we had the same Ol' Boys running for the high office. Some people point to Obama's successes as a sure sign that America has taken many steps forward in resolving its racial contradictions. But isn't the fact that Obama gets singled out for his views on race a big red flag? Where do Clinton and McCain stand on this issue, and why haven't they weighed in? Why is nobody asking them what they think about racism?

Beyond the undeniable social and economic privileges that whites possess in this country is perhaps the most powerful privilege of all: denial. That if racism is a problem, it's ours, not theirs. It reminds me of the many mostly-white classrooms I've sat in - when its time to discuss race, I or another person of color would get singled out and asked to share our views for the rest of the class to digest. But racism isn't just "our" problem, it's everyone's problem - and while I can not lend my support to Obama (or any presidential candidate), I applaud him for finally bringing this issue to the forefront and forcing people to reassess their own views on the subject and take a break from the bullshit to engage in real talk.

But let's be really real - change can only occur from the bottom, up. Not from the top, down. Ever. And while Obama delivered a memorable speech, let's not forget that it was not until it became an issue in the media that could no longer be ignored (and could possibly derail his campaign) that he finally addressed it. AND that he made every point to distance himself from his dude. As manong Philip Vera Cruz said: a movement must go beyond its leaders. I can't help but wonder what it would be like to have Obama lend his charisma and leadership to a revolutionary cause instead of a reformist one. I'll be watching closely between now and the Democratic National Convention in August. If Obama is America's great (black) hope, he may very well be it's last.

originally posted by Geologic at prometheusbrown.wordpress.com