Culturist Election Results
John Press
November 06, 2008
Barrack Obama will be our next President. In some ways this bodes very well for our culture. As culturists his election also takes some wind out of our sails. There are real reasons for concern with the Obama Presidency. We must productively address those concerns, work to maintain our point of view and wish him the best of luck as the next American President.
First the good news. We have a black President. Hopefully this will help America shake its self-image as a hopelessly racist nation. This seems to be irrefutable evidence that we have moved beyond racism. It will also provide a sense of optimism to minorities. Rather than hating or resenting America for being racist, having a black President allows them to understand that America is amongst the least racist nations on earth. This may lead Americans to realize that differences in achievement have more to do with culture than race. Thus having a black President could make us both proud and reflective.
While celebrating the cultural impact of Obama's being black, it would have been preferable for culturists if he did not have e Muslim name. Our leader having such a name normalizes an Islamic presence in our nation. It implicitly teaches us to consider cultural differences irrelevant. And while his color may help us to identify the Enlightenment roots of our Western culture, his name subtly undermines our having a traditional majority culture to protect and promote.
As such Obama's election boosts the multicultural outlook which undermines our promulgating of values. We have to still be able to say we believe that certain cultures have ideals inimical to Western democracy and progressive striving. To maintain this culturist perspective we have to continue to bring attention to the fact that his election indicates that racism does not successfully account for different levels of achievement. We must also remind people that he is not a Muslim, but as most Americans, he is an avowed Christian.
Obama's election creates some very real concerns. His having chosen a Muslim names and his affiliation with some strong Muslim leaders indicates that he will not recognize that Western cultural is under siege. This will at very least lead to lackadaisical security. His affiliation with the racist Reverend Wright raises concerns that he may describe ours as a racist nation. Even more than other Presidents, he may label efforts to protect ourselves as concerns about race rather than culture. Both concerns point to our needing to continue to teach people to distinguish the important variable of culture from the irrelevant one of race.
The biggest danger of Obama's Presidency comes from the power it could give to one lone nut who wishes to hurt him. Due to people's hopes, if he gets hurt there will be hell to pay. The West is great because of democracy and democracy is great because it makes for stable, flexible and peaceful governments. As with all Presidents - and perhaps more so due to his cultural baggage and association with the racist Reverend Wright - we must watch him. But we must sternly argue against anyone who is not clear that being a good American means using ballots and words, not bullets. Obama's getting through office safely will help us showcase the greatness of America and democracy. As Americans and culturists we should all wish Obama the best of success.
First the good news. We have a black President. Hopefully this will help America shake its self-image as a hopelessly racist nation. This seems to be irrefutable evidence that we have moved beyond racism. It will also provide a sense of optimism to minorities. Rather than hating or resenting America for being racist, having a black President allows them to understand that America is amongst the least racist nations on earth. This may lead Americans to realize that differences in achievement have more to do with culture than race. Thus having a black President could make us both proud and reflective.
While celebrating the cultural impact of Obama's being black, it would have been preferable for culturists if he did not have e Muslim name. Our leader having such a name normalizes an Islamic presence in our nation. It implicitly teaches us to consider cultural differences irrelevant. And while his color may help us to identify the Enlightenment roots of our Western culture, his name subtly undermines our having a traditional majority culture to protect and promote.
As such Obama's election boosts the multicultural outlook which undermines our promulgating of values. We have to still be able to say we believe that certain cultures have ideals inimical to Western democracy and progressive striving. To maintain this culturist perspective we have to continue to bring attention to the fact that his election indicates that racism does not successfully account for different levels of achievement. We must also remind people that he is not a Muslim, but as most Americans, he is an avowed Christian.
Obama's election creates some very real concerns. His having chosen a Muslim names and his affiliation with some strong Muslim leaders indicates that he will not recognize that Western cultural is under siege. This will at very least lead to lackadaisical security. His affiliation with the racist Reverend Wright raises concerns that he may describe ours as a racist nation. Even more than other Presidents, he may label efforts to protect ourselves as concerns about race rather than culture. Both concerns point to our needing to continue to teach people to distinguish the important variable of culture from the irrelevant one of race.
The biggest danger of Obama's Presidency comes from the power it could give to one lone nut who wishes to hurt him. Due to people's hopes, if he gets hurt there will be hell to pay. The West is great because of democracy and democracy is great because it makes for stable, flexible and peaceful governments. As with all Presidents - and perhaps more so due to his cultural baggage and association with the racist Reverend Wright - we must watch him. But we must sternly argue against anyone who is not clear that being a good American means using ballots and words, not bullets. Obama's getting through office safely will help us showcase the greatness of America and democracy. As Americans and culturists we should all wish Obama the best of success.
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