'Cos some of you asked.
Nov. 6th, 2008 10:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jhameiaHere's my full response to the AP reporter. You can find the article here.
The reporter was initially attracted to my blog by way of this post.
How does it affect your perception of the U.S. that a black man has become president?
Obama has won, that's one step closer to true democracy within the U.S., although it also depends on a wide variety of factors: voter turnout, statistics on who turned out to vote (race/gender-wise), and the response to Obama becoming president. Obama becoming president would mean the collective teaspons (as Melissa McEwan of Shakesville would say) to combat oppression is working, slowly but surely.
Obama being so positively received as a candidate for the presidency already affected my perceptions of the U.S., which, hitherto, was a fairly negative impression (They voted Bush in for a second time? WTF?) - seeing people work so hard, rallying and websites setting up watches to call out instances of racism (and in Palin and Clinton's case, sexism), has been thus far inspiring. Peoples of all colour were voting, and all ages, too, which is important to take note of.
For him to become president would be an exhilarating moment because it would be an utterly historical moment, and also a tense moment for me, while I hold my breath and watch how the world either moves or stands still as a result. However, so many other things are also hanging in the balance (I am particularly interested in SD's Measure 11 and California's Proposition 8). For my perception of the U.S. to truly shift, other things would have to happen first, and it would be nice if Obama, for example, pulled troops out of Iraq within his presidency, legalized gay marriage, championed for reproductive rights, and all sorts of other things.
Do you feel it could become inspirational for other countries, including Malaysia?
Yes. People can call themselves colour-blind all they like, especially in Malaysia, but we cannot deny that a racial majority will very well call the shots and keep itself in power - Obama will prove that a person can be a visual minority and still run successfully despite the historical odds (slavery, black voter suppression within the U.S.).
Should Malaysians take this as a lesson in racial acceptance when it comes to our own politics?
Of course, although I think it will be easier for Malaysians to get to this stage. We already have "racial minorities" in positions of leadership. For example, when I first heard that Hannah Yeoh won the Subang Jaya constituency (where I am from), I felt extremely pleased, because she's a Chinese woman not much older than I am (i.e., someone like me in office? Yay!). Before her, Lee Hwa Beng was in charge of the SJ constituency for what feels like forever. It's only in the upper-tiers of government that appears to keep minorities locked out.
It is, unfortunately, not so simple as Obama winning the presidency and inspiring the world. Racial acceptance in Malaysia is politicized, and minorities are disallowed from speaking about race relations (under the guise of fostering harmony, as if ignoring the problems make them go away) - here in the U.S., blogs on racial (and sexist) discrimination proliferate, making it easier to become informed on the true issues.
So it's a much more complicated issue when we talk about "racial acceptance" within Malaysia. So many things are happening on macro- and micro-levels that it's going to take more than a black American president to truly inspire our politics and attitudes. (Not to mention, one can imagine that somewhere some Malaysian is dismissing this as 'they're Americans, their politics are not applicable to ours'.)
You wrote about how it would seem impossible for most Malaysians to imagine a non-Malay prime minister. Does Obama's win make it easier to imagine that, and should it?
Yes, it really does, to be honest. I don't know if it *should*, but for me, if America can get a black man in that high a leadership position - and keep in mind the racial discrimination black Americans constantly face, despite "I don't see colour" attitudes (which are, at best, ridiculous) - then there is no reason left for Malaysia to hold attitudes like the one I faced as a child. The chant has been "Yes We Can" for the Obama campaign, and if they can, Malaysia can, too.
However, Obama was not the perfect candidate, and there are so many issues Malaysia hasn't even touched that is being discussed in North America at this time.
Thoughts, criticisms, comments?
The reporter was initially attracted to my blog by way of this post.
How does it affect your perception of the U.S. that a black man has become president?
Obama has won, that's one step closer to true democracy within the U.S., although it also depends on a wide variety of factors: voter turnout, statistics on who turned out to vote (race/gender-wise), and the response to Obama becoming president. Obama becoming president would mean the collective teaspons (as Melissa McEwan of Shakesville would say) to combat oppression is working, slowly but surely.
Obama being so positively received as a candidate for the presidency already affected my perceptions of the U.S., which, hitherto, was a fairly negative impression (They voted Bush in for a second time? WTF?) - seeing people work so hard, rallying and websites setting up watches to call out instances of racism (and in Palin and Clinton's case, sexism), has been thus far inspiring. Peoples of all colour were voting, and all ages, too, which is important to take note of.
For him to become president would be an exhilarating moment because it would be an utterly historical moment, and also a tense moment for me, while I hold my breath and watch how the world either moves or stands still as a result. However, so many other things are also hanging in the balance (I am particularly interested in SD's Measure 11 and California's Proposition 8). For my perception of the U.S. to truly shift, other things would have to happen first, and it would be nice if Obama, for example, pulled troops out of Iraq within his presidency, legalized gay marriage, championed for reproductive rights, and all sorts of other things.
Do you feel it could become inspirational for other countries, including Malaysia?
Yes. People can call themselves colour-blind all they like, especially in Malaysia, but we cannot deny that a racial majority will very well call the shots and keep itself in power - Obama will prove that a person can be a visual minority and still run successfully despite the historical odds (slavery, black voter suppression within the U.S.).
Should Malaysians take this as a lesson in racial acceptance when it comes to our own politics?
Of course, although I think it will be easier for Malaysians to get to this stage. We already have "racial minorities" in positions of leadership. For example, when I first heard that Hannah Yeoh won the Subang Jaya constituency (where I am from), I felt extremely pleased, because she's a Chinese woman not much older than I am (i.e., someone like me in office? Yay!). Before her, Lee Hwa Beng was in charge of the SJ constituency for what feels like forever. It's only in the upper-tiers of government that appears to keep minorities locked out.
It is, unfortunately, not so simple as Obama winning the presidency and inspiring the world. Racial acceptance in Malaysia is politicized, and minorities are disallowed from speaking about race relations (under the guise of fostering harmony, as if ignoring the problems make them go away) - here in the U.S., blogs on racial (and sexist) discrimination proliferate, making it easier to become informed on the true issues.
So it's a much more complicated issue when we talk about "racial acceptance" within Malaysia. So many things are happening on macro- and micro-levels that it's going to take more than a black American president to truly inspire our politics and attitudes. (Not to mention, one can imagine that somewhere some Malaysian is dismissing this as 'they're Americans, their politics are not applicable to ours'.)
You wrote about how it would seem impossible for most Malaysians to imagine a non-Malay prime minister. Does Obama's win make it easier to imagine that, and should it?
Yes, it really does, to be honest. I don't know if it *should*, but for me, if America can get a black man in that high a leadership position - and keep in mind the racial discrimination black Americans constantly face, despite "I don't see colour" attitudes (which are, at best, ridiculous) - then there is no reason left for Malaysia to hold attitudes like the one I faced as a child. The chant has been "Yes We Can" for the Obama campaign, and if they can, Malaysia can, too.
However, Obama was not the perfect candidate, and there are so many issues Malaysia hasn't even touched that is being discussed in North America at this time.
Thoughts, criticisms, comments?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-07 03:10 am (UTC)Of course, this is tinged with the fact that, well, for one, he's not yet in office, and already we can see the Bush Administration up to its usual dickery again (http://www.boingboing.net/2008/11/06/so-much-time-so-litt.html).
And then there's Proposition 8 and 11 in California and South Dakota, as well as many other indications that despite coming this far, there's still plenty of work for progressives to do.
But when you get down to it, really, Obama's win doesn't change much for, say, Malaysians, in the short-to-mid-term: like I said, rather facetiously: "Black man or old man, tomorrow there will still be the Great Satan".
Or, more seriously: the superpower will still be there, tomorrow, and we'll still have to deal with that fact. It's just that they're getting a new captain who might steer it in a more beneficial course. Maybe. We hope.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-07 03:47 am (UTC)I think this captain will be too busy filling up the holes that the Bush administration scuttled into the ship, heh.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-07 03:51 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-07 03:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-07 03:55 am (UTC)Damn, this metaphor is inconvenient.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-07 03:59 am (UTC)I got that from David Eddings. I just wanted to say that.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-07 06:45 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-07 06:47 am (UTC)