"True Believers?" Ifemelu on President Obama and Race
After watching President Barak Obama's speech on race and reading Chapter 40 of Americanah, some of us would like to share our thoughts on Ifemelu's reaction to Obama and race (and her boyfriend Blaine's):
Just to clarify, I’ll be talking about the speech itself first; and then the book chapter. I absorbed them in that order and it only makes sense to do just that when writing about them.
Truth be told, I found the speech to be extremely shallow and as reluctant as it gets to actually go into depth at any point. Not that I’m surprised, considering it’s a political maneuver more than anything, but I am somewhat saddened by the opportunity missed. On the other hand, the language used was indeed very moving –in the same way that a well-made movie is moving.
Another thing that I’ve noticed, and this is a criticism of the larger picture that is American politics, is the frequency of the mentioning of religion and faith. I see the connection of it to the issue at hand but not how it brings anything new to the table. It really is just weird to mention faith every 2 minutes.
In any case, render unto Caesar what is his, I really enjoyed the parts of the speech in which he talks about his past. To give one example that I found very to be very interesting from his very recent experiences, take the statement that at times he was just too black or simply not black enough. Where do you even draw the damn line?
Again, the language was really masterful and I’d like to share a few small components of it that I think are important:
o “Race is an issue that this nation cannot afford to ignore” o “Your dreams come in my expense” o “The nation is more than the sum of its parts”
Just some food for thought.
The book chapter on the other hand, was simply mind blowing. I have no idea how, but Chimamanda managed to get me excited on an event that took place more than 10 years ago, at least 5000 miles and an ocean away.
It’s really intriguing how much of a personalized experience the elections are in the US, especially when you compare it to Turkey. The last two times I voted, it was nothing more than a “meh, might as well…” sort of thing. This is perhaps for the better though; the thought of a couple making love over Erdoğan made me laugh for quite a while. “And they made love (…) and Erdoğan was there with them.”
…what.
Jokes aside, it’s an experience that I just cannot comprehend.
As you can guess, I really agree with Grace on the point that the speech “was not done to open up a conversation about race but actually to close it.” But at the same time, I also get the necessity of such an approach, another point I agree with Grace on.
Thanks for that image of Erdogan, Murat... Yes, most of us involved in racial/social justice had high hopes for the speech and felt underwhelmed by it. In general, I wish Obama would speak more personally of his racialized experiences, but for obvious political reasons, he tends to keep those in the background. There is a great clip on YouTube of Obama voting on Nov 4 in the last round of national elections (not presidential) in the USA, where you see him "acting black" as he goes to his local precinct to vote:
http://youtu.be/F6wLdwjnRf8
I think this is the Obama that we want to see more of, but, of course, this Obama is one that fits certain stereotypes we have about how black people talk and interact with each other.
Nonetheless, I find Ifemelu's analysis of Obama as an outsider and as an African (remember Obama is black because his father is Kenyan, NOT because his family were brought to the USA from West Africa as slaves) absolutely fascinating and forced me to confront my own biases and hopes (and failed hopes) about my president.
Six years ago from now, in 2008 that I had nothing to do with America and American cultural studies, when Obama became president of U.S, me and my family, my friends and many Turkish people were exited about America has black President. I am talking about people including myself who have very little knowledge about U.S racial history and live far away from the America yet can understand importance of Obama's presidency and for American history. So, I could understand Ifemelu and her boyfriend' excitement. I think for them Obama meant crucial change for America, the end of some unfinished stories, the happy ending for so long "black" history, light at the end of the tunnel, peace, democracy and may be the hope for dream future that blacks and whites live as whole, the future that many people could not even imagine to have. However, for some white people Obama meant fear, the fear for history would reverse. So, I understand Obama's speech was dissapointment for black people. It sounds shallow, not enough to give what black people expected to hear. But, I agree with what Grace said in the book, "This speech was not done to open up a conversation about race but actually to close it. He can win only if he avoids race.” At that time I think he had to be "raceless" in order to be elected from the both side white and black. And I think that is why he gave unify speech instead of race.
Overall, I think Chimamanda did great job to express atmosphere of that time.
Yes, you are right Berivan that we didn't get the "black president" we all wanted: we got a man who usually has to avoid or cover up or hide or assimilate his racial identity in the name of politics. It makes me sad everyday.
Ifemelu feels like she will be better, in the sense that represented in the parliment and she wanted a black president at the begining, She was obviously a fan of Hillary Clinton and she was of course tough candidate at the time, nontheless Ifemelu does not believe a man like Obama can effect the society to be choosen. He was "slight,skinny and easy to manipulate" for ifemelu. Her thoughts eventually changed when she found the book of Blaine, who is a supporter and provider to the campaign. "Dreams from My Father" book by Obama. She tried and read the book, and turns her stand, starting to support Obama because he was intelligent, educated, kind and humane person.
Through the last pages of the chapter, she talked with Blaine about Obama, it was suprising for her and Blaine. So she feared that something would happen to Obama, it also reminds me the Kennedy assasination somehow. Then Ifemelu talks about the anti-black propagandas on the web, like "how can a monkey be president?". Ifemelu oftenly talks about Micheal Obama who wears Hillary Clinton badges, supports her. That feels like she hate Micheal because she was not supporting her husband.
This change actually the part that I dont understand.Because she thinks a Black President would do good, but she does not like Obama, likewise she see's and reads about him and convinced that he is a right man for the job.What I understand from the chapter, and the reality I know, Obama plays some sort of old cards in a different manner, like all the politicians does through time. Race is a big thing in United States, ok it is, but how you can change it? how you can manage it, or how you can make a better plan to distrubute it. Also there is a fact that, his theather for me is, he went to a place that populated highly Black, than he says, race is a big issue. He turns to white population and say, we cannot ignore the race issue. Than he turns back to the politicians says, United states should stay together rather than being apart. That is a confusing man for me, I dont understand it, whats his platform? what is his belief ? What does he do ?
The thing I am trying to say is, the issue about Obama is, he is black in white society. It is not he is being president. Expected move might be he is doing something about race, but is he doing something about race? Obamacare, some healing to the tax wounds; I cannot see the rest. What I get is, he basically say "race is important" end of discussion, thats all.
The Obama in Dreams of My Father is such an interesting, complex man, full of stories of his struggle with race and fitting in in American society and, later, politics. I understand why Ifemelu felt how she did when she read that book. If we had more time, we would read part of it. I highly highly recommend it.
Obama is the first black leader (a black president) in the history of America. At the beginning of the Chapter 40, we have learned that Ifemelu’s favorite president is Clinton. After reading the book which is called Dreams from My Father, she says that the writer of this book should be the president of the United States of America. Her boyfriend Blaine and Ifemelu is very excited about Obama because they cannot imagine a black president in the White House. They think that a black president like Obama may solve at least some of the problems about racism.
However, Obama’s race speech is very different than what they expected. He is speaks like he was not a black person. He talks very general about racism, he embrace everyone. Ifemelu and Blaine do not satisfy with the speech however, they know that he has to do so in order to be elected. This reminds me the speech of Prof. Reimer in the class. She said that Obama uses the pick and choose tactic during his campaign. When he gives a speech to white people, he emphasizes his whiteness, he says that I am not full black and I am raised in white culture. While he gives a speech to black people, he uses his black identity. As he was elected as a president of the United States, we can say that his campaign tactic was useful. He knows that the votes of (only) black people would not be enough to make him president therefore he kept a foot in both camps to get what he wants.
And by neither fully affirming his identity, either way, he seems to have lost his way politically and the American people have a hard time identifying with him as a person and as a politician. I feel for the guy--we have a saying in English: "caught between a rock and a hard place." It means that no matter what you choose, you're fckd. I think this happened to Obama, but he has certainly not handled it well.
Just to clarify, I’ll be talking about the speech itself first; and then the book chapter. I absorbed them in that order and it only makes sense to do just that when writing about them.
ReplyDeleteTruth be told, I found the speech to be extremely shallow and as reluctant as it gets to actually go into depth at any point. Not that I’m surprised, considering it’s a political maneuver more than anything, but I am somewhat saddened by the opportunity missed. On the other hand, the language used was indeed very moving –in the same way that a well-made movie is moving.
Another thing that I’ve noticed, and this is a criticism of the larger picture that is American politics, is the frequency of the mentioning of religion and faith. I see the connection of it to the issue at hand but not how it brings anything new to the table. It really is just weird to mention faith every 2 minutes.
In any case, render unto Caesar what is his, I really enjoyed the parts of the speech in which he talks about his past. To give one example that I found very to be very interesting from his very recent experiences, take the statement that at times he was just too black or simply not black enough. Where do you even draw the damn line?
Again, the language was really masterful and I’d like to share a few small components of it that I think are important:
o “Race is an issue that this nation cannot afford to ignore”
o “Your dreams come in my expense”
o “The nation is more than the sum of its parts”
Just some food for thought.
The book chapter on the other hand, was simply mind blowing. I have no idea how, but Chimamanda managed to get me excited on an event that took place more than 10 years ago, at least 5000 miles and an ocean away.
It’s really intriguing how much of a personalized experience the elections are in the US, especially when you compare it to Turkey. The last two times I voted, it was nothing more than a “meh, might as well…” sort of thing. This is perhaps for the better though; the thought of a couple making love over Erdoğan made me laugh for quite a while. “And they made love (…) and Erdoğan was there with them.”
…what.
Jokes aside, it’s an experience that I just cannot comprehend.
As you can guess, I really agree with Grace on the point that the speech “was not done to open up a conversation about race but actually to close it.” But at the same time, I also get the necessity of such an approach, another point I agree with Grace on.
Interesting stuff, all of it.
-Murat A.
Thanks for that image of Erdogan, Murat... Yes, most of us involved in racial/social justice had high hopes for the speech and felt underwhelmed by it. In general, I wish Obama would speak more personally of his racialized experiences, but for obvious political reasons, he tends to keep those in the background. There is a great clip on YouTube of Obama voting on Nov 4 in the last round of national elections (not presidential) in the USA, where you see him "acting black" as he goes to his local precinct to vote:
Deletehttp://youtu.be/F6wLdwjnRf8
I think this is the Obama that we want to see more of, but, of course, this Obama is one that fits certain stereotypes we have about how black people talk and interact with each other.
Nonetheless, I find Ifemelu's analysis of Obama as an outsider and as an African (remember Obama is black because his father is Kenyan, NOT because his family were brought to the USA from West Africa as slaves) absolutely fascinating and forced me to confront my own biases and hopes (and failed hopes) about my president.
Six years ago from now, in 2008 that I had nothing to do with America and American cultural studies, when Obama became president of U.S, me and my family, my friends and many Turkish people were exited about America has black President. I am talking about people including myself who have very little knowledge about U.S racial history and live far away from the America yet can understand importance of Obama's presidency and for American history. So, I could understand Ifemelu and her boyfriend' excitement. I think for them Obama meant crucial change for America, the end of some unfinished stories, the happy ending for so long "black" history, light at the end of the tunnel, peace, democracy and may be the hope for dream future that blacks and whites live as whole, the future that many people could not even imagine to have. However, for some white people Obama meant fear, the fear for history would reverse.
ReplyDeleteSo, I understand Obama's speech was dissapointment for black people. It sounds shallow, not enough to give what black people expected to hear. But, I agree with what Grace said in the book, "This speech was not done to open up a conversation about race but actually to close it. He can win only if he avoids race.” At that time I think he had to be "raceless" in order to be elected from the both side white and black. And I think that is why he gave unify speech instead of race.
Overall, I think Chimamanda did great job to express atmosphere of that time.
Yes, you are right Berivan that we didn't get the "black president" we all wanted: we got a man who usually has to avoid or cover up or hide or assimilate his racial identity in the name of politics. It makes me sad everyday.
DeleteIfemelu feels like she will be better, in the sense that represented in the parliment and she wanted a black president at the begining, She was obviously a fan of Hillary Clinton and she was of course tough candidate at the time, nontheless Ifemelu does not believe a man like Obama can effect the society to be choosen. He was "slight,skinny and easy to manipulate" for ifemelu. Her thoughts eventually changed when she found the book of Blaine, who is a supporter and provider to the campaign. "Dreams from My Father" book by Obama. She tried and read the book, and turns her stand, starting to support Obama because he was intelligent, educated, kind and humane person.
ReplyDeleteThrough the last pages of the chapter, she talked with Blaine about Obama, it was suprising for her and Blaine. So she feared that something would happen to Obama, it also reminds me the Kennedy assasination somehow. Then Ifemelu talks about the anti-black propagandas on the web, like "how can a monkey be president?". Ifemelu oftenly talks about Micheal Obama who wears Hillary Clinton badges, supports her. That feels like she hate Micheal because she was not supporting her husband.
This change actually the part that I dont understand.Because she thinks a Black President would do good, but she does not like Obama, likewise she see's and reads about him and convinced that he is a right man for the job.What I understand from the chapter, and the reality I know, Obama plays some sort of old cards in a different manner, like all the politicians does through time. Race is a big thing in United States, ok it is, but how you can change it? how you can manage it, or how you can make a better plan to distrubute it. Also there is a fact that, his theather for me is, he went to a place that populated highly Black, than he says, race is a big issue. He turns to white population and say, we cannot ignore the race issue. Than he turns back to the politicians says, United states should stay together rather than being apart. That is a confusing man for me, I dont understand it, whats his platform? what is his belief ? What does he do ?
The thing I am trying to say is, the issue about Obama is, he is black in white society. It is not he is being president. Expected move might be he is doing something about race, but is he doing something about race? Obamacare, some healing to the tax wounds; I cannot see the rest. What I get is, he basically say "race is important" end of discussion, thats all.
Serhat BAŞAK
The Obama in Dreams of My Father is such an interesting, complex man, full of stories of his struggle with race and fitting in in American society and, later, politics. I understand why Ifemelu felt how she did when she read that book. If we had more time, we would read part of it. I highly highly recommend it.
DeleteObama is the first black leader (a black president) in the history of America. At the beginning of the Chapter 40, we have learned that Ifemelu’s favorite president is Clinton. After reading the book which is called Dreams from My Father, she says that the writer of this book should be the president of the United States of America. Her boyfriend Blaine and Ifemelu is very excited about Obama because they cannot imagine a black president in the White House. They think that a black president like Obama may solve at least some of the problems about racism.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Obama’s race speech is very different than what they expected. He is speaks like he was not a black person. He talks very general about racism, he embrace everyone. Ifemelu and Blaine do not satisfy with the speech however, they know that he has to do so in order to be elected. This reminds me the speech of Prof. Reimer in the class. She said that Obama uses the pick and choose tactic during his campaign. When he gives a speech to white people, he emphasizes his whiteness, he says that I am not full black and I am raised in white culture. While he gives a speech to black people, he uses his black identity. As he was elected as a president of the United States, we can say that his campaign tactic was useful. He knows that the votes of (only) black people would not be enough to make him president therefore he kept a foot in both camps to get what he wants.
Pınar ILGAR
And by neither fully affirming his identity, either way, he seems to have lost his way politically and the American people have a hard time identifying with him as a person and as a politician. I feel for the guy--we have a saying in English: "caught between a rock and a hard place." It means that no matter what you choose, you're fckd. I think this happened to Obama, but he has certainly not handled it well.
Delete