**I wrote this email to the members of my family who are staunch republicans, after receiving a few disparaging emails from an aunt about president-elect obama. many of my aunts and uncles have served in the US military, since at the time joining the US military was a guaranteed way to a better life, especially for people of the Philippines who wanted to move to the US for more opportunities for their families. As a result though, many members of my family have stayed strictly aligned to the conservative party. I debated whether or not I should say anything, but in the end I can't keep my big mouth shut =)
This is an email regarding the attached forward I received recently, the other one about Barack Obama attending flag-burning ceremonies I received pre-election day, and any other opposition emails I may receive regarding the new president-elect.I realize that by responding like this, I may be stepping on a few toes. I've debated not saying anything, but something compels me to put myself out there and say something about the nature of these attacks on Obama. And I preface this email by saying that I am not claiming to be an expert; this is simply the opinion of one American citizen.We have all heard the criticisms: he’s too young and inexperienced, he will be soft on our so-called enemies and terrorists around the world, and he is an idealist, just a good orator who promises extreme change during his campaign, but won’t be able to deliver it to the millions of people who gained his trust and his vote. These criticisms were the ones that fell on the side of valid fears, but there have also been critiques such as he is (gasp!) a socialist, he isn’t Christian enough, and with a name that sounds too foreign he must be a Muslim (which became a crime since, when exactly?). The Grand Old Party, instead of focusing on supporting their own presidential candidate, tried their old tactic of stirring up the old “us vs. them” mentality, a departure from the “good ol’ boys,” running a campaign against Obama that took advantage of people’s fears based on narrow-minded prejudice.
The two emails I received (albeit, the one attached seeming to be more in jest) are prime examples of the unfounded fears being spread. My favorite was the flag-burning one, which said Obama and his wife did attend several flag-burning ceremonies in the past, and that he would like to perhaps change the American flag and national anthem. The author of the article from which the email was quoted from was astounded at this, while not even considering Obama’s reasons. Obama stated that “There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression…we should consider to reinvent our National Anthem as well as to redesign our Flag to better offer our enemies hope and love…when I become President, I will seek a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity, and a freedom from disquieting oppressive thoughts…of course now, I have found myself about to become the President of the United States and I have put aside my hatred. I will use my power to bring CHANGE to this Nation, and offer the people a new path of hope.” The author of the article did not even comment on this alternative viewpoint of American oppression, something typical of the right-wing party: it chooses what it wants to hear and ignores the rest. This is how the unilateral Bush administration ran our country and you can now see the effects of carelessly doing so.
I have grown up with a privileged life. My parents were able to provide for both me and my brother in many ways, financially and emotionally. I was free to pursue a quality education and to vote for our elected leaders, regardless of my gender or the color of my skin. I’ve lived in a time of economic prosperity and abundance, secure in my own homeland. I have had access to different avenues of thought and have been able to speak my mind, demonstrate, and protest without fear. I grew up with constant hope, nurtured by a society that believes in “the American Dream,” that here in this country there is a way to have the life we’ve always dreamed we could have. And I have been able to lead this life because of the many sacrifices people have made before me, both in my family and in my greater nation, and I am always appreciative of that.
Hope. It has been used so relentlessly these past few months that some may feel it is losing its credence, that the value and weight of those four letters strung together will diminish one day into simply a slogan for the best-run campaign in our nation’s history. As US Americans, though, sometimes we can take hope for granted. I have been living here in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the past few months, teaching English to business professionals and even to some people in the government. The general consensus here that people feel about their government is that it is completely corrupt, run by a hated president, and debilitated by their own financial crisis six years ago and the current global one. When I ask if there is any hope, for a better government, for the country’s unity, or if there is any transformational figure in the making who can be a symbol for their hope in the future, the answer is always “no.”
Until this moment, I myself have taken hope for granted, when it is, in fact, the most important driving force behind the actions and mindset of the American people. It is our asset, which we all have access to, regardless of race, class, gender, etc, regardless of what laws or propositions are passed in the moment, regardless of who was president before and how much he royally screwed us all presently, and regardless of who the new president will be. There is always hope, and I never knew the true value of it until I saw the complete lack of it in other people, in other countries.
From his speech in New Hampshire, which will probably go down in history as one of the greatest American speeches, Barrack Hussein Obama said, “We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change. We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we've been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with asimple creed that sums up the spirit of a people. Yes we can.”
Obama and his team were smart on making hope the center of his campaign. If nothing else comes from this other than a historical election, the first African-American president of the United States, historical voting, grassroots movement and community organizing at its best, and general excitement in politics again, then I will be satisfied. Of course, I do hope Obama prevails with what he had set out to do, and for once, I have complete faith in who we, the American people, have elected into the most powerful position in the world, that he will indeed bring “change.” He was already successful in becoming someone we could all believe in, regardless of partisanship, race, gender, religion, and age. And no matter what type of rumors of characteristics and values some may try to superimpose on him, he has proven to be of strong, thoughtful, intelligent, and humble character; his strategy of diplomacy rather than violence and brute military force a welcome change for all citizens of the world. He is received well the world over and he is our new posterboy for leading this country back into greatness. He may have his flaws, he may not be perfect, but in the end I am glad I chose a candidate who promoted hope and progress rather than one that promoted fear and the status quo.
I am too young to have witnessed the days of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., and too far removed to be present during the proud moments of South Africa and Nelson Mandela, but I can say that I have witnessed the transformational figure of my country and my generation, who inspired not just the American people but the whole world, whose story growing up seems to reflect the story of so many I know who still reach for that “American Dream.” He is the one we have been waiting for, and when we say this he humbly responds by saying, “WE are the ones we have been waiting for.”
The people have cast their ballots, donated money, time, and effort, and the overwhelming response of our nation has called upon this man to be our president. When I travel, I usually am reluctant to admit that I am a US American, because I know I will have to brace myself for the ensuing remarks which are not always kind. But when I woke up November 5th and went about my day here in Buenos Aires, I can honestly say that there was never a moment in my life that I was prouder to be an American.
“And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.” –President-elect Barack Hussein Obama, 5 November 2008
