I’m Proud Of My Country
May 21, 2008 by Tracee Sioux
Filed under Parenting
I’m proud of my country because we can admit that we were tragically WRONG for participating in slavery and bigotry and that it still carries consequences to this day.
I’m proud of my country because this year we’re deciding we’re done with our long history of racism and sexism.
I’m proud of my country because this year we’re determined that in the richest nation in the world we can afford healthcare for all of our people.
I’m proud of my country because this is the year that we’re going to pass a Family Leave Insurance Act< /em>, allowing the time families need to deal with birth and illness without nosediving into poverty.
I’m most proud of white men because this year I know they are going to realize that there is enough power, respect and money to go around and there’s no need to hoard it.
Or maybe I’m most proud of women who are going to prove that they are sophisticated enough to vote in their own self-interest (really, it’s not selfish).
But, you know who I’m ashamed of? Misogynists. Sexists. Racists. Bigots. The Religiously Intolerant. Homophobics.
They’re Americans too. And I want all the above mentioned things for them as well. But, I’m not very proud of them either Michelle.
I totally agree with Tracee that there are many reasons to be proud of our country. I am also proud of Michelle Obama for standing up for what is in her heart. I am not African American and I cannot begin to fathom what it would be like to watch strictly white men elected President year after year after year during over the course of her adult lifetime as an African American. As a woman, I can appreciate the fact that before this election there have not been any female contenders to get this close to a nomination. The piece I think many people are missing when they hear that brief sound bite of Michelle Obama is that it sounds very clear to me that she’s trying to express her gratitude that FINALLY, in this historic election, the “white men’s club only” barrier is being broken. THAT IS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF. I have nothing against white men. I’m married to one.
However, I certainly think that there are candidates OTHER THAN white men who would make fantastic Presidents. That is my perception of why she is proud… barriers are coming down. Progress is being made. Diversity is increasing. It sounds to me like she is proud of the strides that have been made. My guess is she is proud that the civil rights movement paved the way for the events culminating today. She was not, in my estimation, saying she ISN’T/WASN’T proud of “America the nation”. She attended Princeton and Harvard. Having attended these Ivy League schools, she has to have seen much of what makes America great.
Having been interviewed on TV myself, I know that a 2 hour interview can be edited into sound bites almost unrecognizable when compared to the 2 hour raw footage. When I saw the tiny part of my interview that was spliced together with others interviewed that day, I was amazed. They took the least important, least significant, and easiest part to misunderstand and that’s what they broadcast. The part they picked was me answering a direct question of theirs but quickly adding that it didn’t have to do with the topic of the interview. That’s the part they aired. I wasn’t there for Michelle Obama’s speech in person. I don’t know the context.
I do know from a variety of experiences (close friendships with African American friends who have shared with me the indignities and disgusting racism they have faced, having lived in Detroit and been the only white face in the room many, many times and getting just a tiny glimmer of a hint of what it feels like to be in the minority, studying history far beyond what I learned in school and getting a better understanding of the devastating effects of slavery and segregation that do still have effects to this day, etc.) that being African American in America is STILL challenging. Racism STILL exists. Is America making progress? Yes! Should the Democratic Party be proud that this historic election boasts a woman and an African American as the two remaining candidates for the Democratic nomination? Yes!!!
The video clip above bothers me for several reasons. First, I don’t like the way the sound bite of Michelle Obama gets looped repeatedly with comments from others interspersed in between. Second, I noticed that with the exception of the Latino police officer, all of the comment-makers on this clip were white. I think whoever put that clip together made an interesting choice not including any African Americans to comment. (Maybe they couldn’t find any African Americans, regardless of the political inclinations, willing to attack Michelle Obama for speaking her truth. Perhaps living in the United States as an African American would make speaking against her sound bite tough to do). Third, I didn’t care for Mr. Smug/Vanderbilt University student smirking at the end of the video clip when talking about how one can always walk out on a pastor. I won’t drain my energy dredging up any Reverend Wright sagas but I will say that this topic has been dissected ad nauseum in the media and if we should fear anyone’s ties to pastors, we should examine who Senator McCain keeps company with… However, religion (even frightening figures like those McCain associates with) shouldn’t be the focus. This election is too important to get sidetracked.
We have lots more work to do for equity between all people. Sexism is alive and well. Racism is alive and well. Homophobia is alive and well. Economically, as John Edwards like to put it, “we have two Americas”. There are all sorts of forms of oppression going on every day in this country. Has our country made great progress that we should be proud of? Certainly!
However, there is much more work to be done. If this doesn’t ring true for you, you may be in the small percentage of Americans who feels no oppression in any of the following areas (there are many more areas too): sexism, racism, socio-economic stagnation/oppression, homophobia, job discrimination, housing discrimination…
So, yes, we do have lots to be proud of. We also have work to be done. The thing is that our nation is sometimes “made up as if for a photo shoot”: airbrushed to perfection, perfect lighting, “moral superiority”, etc. What on earth do I mean? I mean that FROM THE DAY THE WHITE MAN STOLE THE LAND THAT IS NOW THE UNITED STATES away from the Native Americans… there have been terrible mistakes made. Slavery, internment camps for persons of Japanese descent during the war, segregation/apartheid for so many years, etc. Our politicians like to incessantly refer to the U.S. as a leader, a moral authority, a world leader, a peacekeeper, a “Superpower”, etc. There is no doubt our nation has had an important leadership role in the world. Clearly we do have freedoms here that people do not have the luxury of having elsewhere. HOWEVER, NO PERSON IS ANY “BETTER” THAN ANY OTHER!!
Our forefathers said “all men are created equal”. Back then, the word “men” was used but we now mentally include “women” in that statement. OK. Let’s take it a step further. All people IN THE WORLD are created equal! There seems to be this misconception that if you are American you are “better”. Gee, it’s no wonder Americans traveling abroad often get the cold shoulder from people where they are traveling! America has sometimes been a bully in the world. America isn’t perfect. No person is perfect. Certainly no nation is. However you would never know that, sometimes, the way America is “airbrushed”. Sometimes it seems like many Americans are brainwashed. If you do some research on your own, you’ll see that America hasn’t always been the perfect, innocent nation. It hasn’t always been the one to “save the day”.
I’m white and when I first heard Michele Obama’s sound bite (played in the clip above) I understood what she meant right away. Maybe it’s because I’ve heard about the disparities, the blatant racism, and the stomach-churning treatment that African American friends of mine have endured. Maybe it’s because I lived in Detroit for awhile and got to see things I’d never seen before. All I know is her comments made perfect sense to me.
As far as the healthcare issues Tracee mentioned, I would vote for a purple-skinned dragon if that’s what would get us the best universal healthcare. Seriously, universal healthcare is available in so many countries. We are the laughingstock of the world for not having it. (I realize the healthcare technology/equipment here is good… but what good is it if you can’t pay for it)?? Just watch Sicko – and make sure to watch the special features. That lays out just how sick our healthcare system is.
I am very proud to be an American! We certainly have many wonderful freedoms and rights that I am extremely grateful for! I do not mean to sound ungrateful for the freedom, the plenty, and the opportunity of America.
I am thrilled to see a woman (Hillary Clinton) and an African American (Barack Obama) breaking down the barriers. I would be thrilled to see a person of any race run for President. Candidates should be chosen based on whether they are the best candidate for the job. That could be a person of any race. There is absolutely no reason a woman or non-Caucasian can’t be just as good (or perhaps better!) of a President as opposed to the usual white male that we have always had. Also, let me be very clear. When I cast my vote, I will not be voting based on gender or skin color. I’ll be voting based on who I believe will make the best President!
The video clip above is divisive, in my opinion. With the exception of the Latino police officer, the people commenting were all white. The one man was posed in front of his guns. The gun control policies of any of the 3 remaining candidates are one issue; Michelle Obama’s pride that the U.S. is finally breaking down barriers like race and gender in this Presidential primary race is another. I fully understand that many gun owners are adamant about their right to bear arms. I know how powerful the NRA is. I get that. I just think having that man with all the guns displayed prominently in the video clip was inflammatory and not particularly pertinent.
People can try to run smear campaigns all they want. I heard a quote the other day and I really liked it. It was about Barack Obama asking the media to “lay off” his wife. Good for him! People should lay off Michelle Obama. Her perception, her lifetime experience so far, and her views are just as valid as anyone else’s.
If anyone out there has the privilege of never having faced racism, consider yourself lucky! I don’t pretend to “get it”. I’m white. I do know what close friends have shared with me, I do know what it was like living in Detroit, and I did read a book in high school called “Black Like Me”. I don’t remember a lot of detail to the book but I do remember it opening my eyes. I also recommend reading some of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s writings.
I think many problems in this world happen because of miscommunications, misunderstandings, and outright injustices. We ALL need to work together to make this planet HEALTHY and to bring PEACE to the world! So much war out there, so much loss. What is it accomplishing??
Exactly.
I’m proud because we are free to experess our opinions publicly.
Regardless of how you feel about any candidite, we should be proud that we have a choice of several.
I’m proud of that too. Which is why I just did.
Exactly.