Day 3: The Fear of the Unknown

I intern at a GLBT health center three days per week in Manhattan. On my lunch break, I usually grab a slice of pizza and sit on my favorite bench in a park on 9th Avenue. For some reason, today I couldn't sit still. I wandered around, running a few errands and window shopping at Brooklyn Industries (my new weakness). I walked past a bar on 9th & 19th that was showing Obama's first press conference. Naturally, I went inside and sat down. I watched proudly as he gave a speech and answered questions with poise.

There were only a few other people in the bar, and they were also watching intently. A man walked in, looked at the TV and said, "What's happening? Did he get shot already?" and laughed. While his (ill-humored) comment was meant to be a joke, it struck a nerve inside of me.

Our country is full of such an incredible amound of imbedded racism, as evident by the pre-election foiled assassination plan by two skin-heads. According to an international media report, "Obama assassination" is the most searched phrase on Google.com. In addition, the KKK has declared a race war, although they do not necessarily want Obama dead because they claim that would make him a martyr.

Honestly, this all gives me chills. I don't even want to think about it or I might cry.

Obama Wins - Emotional Edition

Almost a year ago, I went to an Obama rally in Hawaii. My uncle is the head of the Obama campaign out there, so he told us to come visit. Obama's sister, Maya, spoke at the rally and was simply fantastic.
Afterwards, she casually walked around the small elementary school auditorium and talked to everyone.
She came up to my aunt and gave her a hug. I figured they knew each other--Oahu is a very small island and my aunt seems to know everyone on it.
Maya then turned to me, hugged me, and said, "Thanks for coming out." I smiled, and she walked away.
My aunt leaned over and said, "She makes you feel like you've known her forever." She had never met Maya before.
Outside, Maya's four year old daughter was picking flowers in a field for her father. For some reason, that's when I subconsciously knew everything would be okay.
Now people are asking, "Where were you when Obama became the next President?"
Well...
I was in Hawaii, a long time ago, hugging his sister and watching his niece pick flowers.
I was there in the beginning, when the odds were against him and he had yet to win over the Democratic party.
I was in the voting booth twelve hours earlier, making sure my voice was heard.
I was smiling as I walked around New York and heard countless people yelling his name as they paraded down 14th street cloaked by the American flag.
I was in a bar full of fabulous gay men when he won Ohio and everyone freaked out.
I was united with my friends and family when my mother called, screaming, "HE WON!" and hung up the phone.
I was crying as he gave his acceptance speech, wowing the nation with his humble demeanor.
I was pinching myself the following morning to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
I was right there, filled with hope for the future, finally proud to call myself an American, and more than happy to call Barack Obama my President.

Al Smith Memorial Dinner

My mother just called to inform me of this highly entertaining event.

In the spirit of comedy, both candidates mocked the catch phrases and controversy surrounding their campaigns. I can't wait to get the transcript online, but some of the highlights from Obama included:

"You may know that I got my name, Barack, from my father. What you may not know is Barack is Swahili for 'That One.'"
"Not once have I ever put lipstick on a pig... or myself."
"My middle name is actually Steve... that's right Barack Steve Obama."
"Fox News actually accused me of fathering two African American children in wedlock. By the way John, im curious, is Fox News actually included in the media?!"
"At the campaign rallies, someone started yelling 'NOBAMA'.... I wish Joe Biden wouldn't have done that."

[more to come]

Post Debate: Kitty Edition

My kitties, Tiger and Rascal, enjoyed watching last night's debate while live blog chatting at http://feministing.com/. After finishing the rest of the beer in the house, Rascal woke up with a terrible hang over inside of the beer box. As usual, Tiger just looked on in disgust.

Racism on the Campaign Trail

"Off with his head."

"Kill him."

"He's a terrorist."

I think anyone could have predicted this time would come. A time when McCain falls so far down in the polls that his supporters start to, well, freak out. Now we're starting to see the true colors of Republicans around the country as they shout terribly racist things and make posters about asphyxiating Obama with a noose.

Wow.

It's hard to believe people like that actually exist in this world. ::sigh::

My Friends, Don't Vote For "That One"

Now, I understand that John McCain has a temper. And I'm well aware that he has very little patience (and tolerance). But he said something during last night's debate that didn't sit well with me. He knows he's behind in the polls, and he's starting to pull out the "last resort" stuff, so it's no surprise his feathers got a little ruffled during the town-hall style debate. While discussing energy policies, he turned and pointed at Obama, referring to him as "that one." The two words may seem insignificant, and used together they don't often convey a deeper meaning or a hidden message. However, McCain's comment was inherently racist, belittling Senator Obama as an African-American and as a person. In a time when public school teachers are equating Obama to the N word in their 7th grade classrooms, and people are shouting "kill him" at Palin campaign rallies, we can't afford to see such an ignorant display of racism coming from a Presidential candidate.

At least someone had the creative genious to turn his words into an empowering campaign slogan. I think I just might buy that t-shirt.

And who, exactly, is John McCain really friends with? Hmmm....

Spice Up Your Night w/ Palin Bingo!

Tonight's debate is going to be highly entertaining. It will most likely turn out to be the most watched vice presidential debate in history. I know I'll be watching.

And I'll also be paying very close attention to the many popular Palin catch phrases because I want to win.

BINGO!

You can play along too! It will definitely enhance your debate watching experience.

http://www.palinbingo.com/

Gwen Ifill - Too "Write" to be "Moderator"

I must admit, I'm additcted to Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow. I'm not going to lie.

Moving on... Surprise, surprise! There are hints that Good Ol' Party wants to *gasp* postpone the vice presidential debate! A-maz-ing.

Turns out, they had "no idea" Gwen Ifill, the debate's moderator, wrote a book about black politicians, even though the book was revealed in July, and was available for pre-order in August. Stop the press! The McCain camp/conservatives across the land had no idea about this book until they received an email late last night informing them about it. Uh oh.

Greta claims Ifill will sell more books if Obama wins in November, and that makes her a partisan moderator, going against the rules of the debates. Isn't that stretching things, Fox News? If she wrote a book on women in politics, would that suddenly make her incapable of moderating a debate between the VP candidates because one of them happens to be a woman?

Well, at least McCain said she'll be fair and unbiased in her moderator position. So that means the debate is officially on. And it'll be "kinda like the superbowl," according to one Alaskian friend of Sarah Palin. Yeah, girl. And I'll only be watching for the commercials.

>>Side note on Sarah Palin: She can't even name one single newspaper that she reads. What is up with that?? [I can't even comment on the Katie Couric interviews. It pains me.]

Country First? I think not.

Ms. Couric asked, “Have you ever been involved in any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?”
“We have trade missions back and forth,” said Ms. Palin. “We do. It’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia. As Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America, where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to our state.”


It is frightening and insulting that John McCain would put his own selfish agenda before the people of this country. "Country First" is a crock of sh*t. If he truly ascribed to that mantra, he would have never chosen such an unqualifited, unprepared, and ill-informed person to be his vice presidential candidate. As each day goes by, it becomes increasingly aggrivating. Her awful politics aside, Governor Palin is proving in interview after interview that she is simply not up to par.

I hope Biden blows her out of the water on Thursday. Although, given McCain's "hail mary" attempt at postponing the first presidential debate, I would not be surprised if their campaign tries to pull some show-stopping excuse out of obscurity. We'll just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, head over to VPilfDaily for your daily dose of fake and real Sarah Palin pictures and news stories. That is, of course, after you check out the world's 2nd hottest policitican, decided by Maxim magazine (where men learn how to objectify women cleverly). "Is it hot in here, or is it just global warming?" Oh, yes.

Obama Waffles: Are You Serious?

I like breakfast. Not my favorite meal of the day, but it's grown on me in the past few years. I like omlets, scrambled eggs, pancakes and even waffles.

But I don't like racist caricatures that create and perpetuate stereotypes that are harmful and hurtful. And I don't like them on a box of waffles.

Admittingly inspired by other food products featuring racist depictions of African Americans, the creators see no problem with their attempt at political satire.

It's not surprising that their bright idea sparked so much controversy that they were banned from selling Obama Waffles at the Values Voter Summit by organizers (after the product had been on sale for three days). Even the girls over at The View all agreed that this time, the joke went too far.

There is just nothing funny about

depicting Obama, a Catholic, in traditional Muslim headdress. There is also nothing funny about the recipe for "Open Border Fiesta Waffles" on the back, which can feed "up to 4 illegal aliens."

In fact, the whole thing is disgusting and I am, for once, speechless.

Fox News Watch: Terror Threat

Yes, for a whole hour this afternoon, Fox News Channel featured a segment called "America's Future: The Terror Threat." They interviewed a lot of random people, mostly McCain campaign advisors, and tried to paint a picture of each presidential candidate's readiness to fight the "war on terror" which we're apparently still fighting, according to Fox. (Last I checked, we were occupying a country which had nothing to do with 9/11, and still making a mess in Afghanistan--if that's a justifyable war, then I'm a flying squirrel.) It shouldn't be a surprise that Fox thinks McCain is ready and willing to continue the "war on terror," and that he's the guy who will keep America safe from future attacks. Obama believes racially profiling Muslims in America is unfair and blatantly racist, but McCain camp sees nothing wrong with it. In fact, his advisor said it is necessary because you have to "go where the problem is." (Then maybe we should start profiling evangelists for running child porn rings out of their compounds since that's where the problem is. I swear, look it up.)

The second half of the segment features stories of foiled attacks here in the US since 9/11. Full of sketches of traditional looking Islamic men and women in jails and courtrooms, the show tries to remind us that we are still not safe from terror attacks from the "scary" middle east. "While there hasn't been an attack on America since 9/11, it is important to remember that they've tried, there have been dozens of busted plots on US soil." Throughout the show, Fox flashes images of nuclear power plants, tall buildings, national landmarks intertwined with clips of terrorist training camps and Islamic radicals toting machine guns running up sandy hills. The intentions here are blatantly obvious.

The point of this show is to keep America afraid. The "fear" tactic worked for nearly 8 years, why not try it again? If we're still living in fear of another attack, then naturally we need to elect the guy who will keep us the safest. Before every commercial break, the segment features polls that ask questions like, "Which candidate do you trust to keep America safe?" and "Which candidate would you rather have as the president if America is attacked again?" The breakdown always looks something like this: Obama 35%, McCain 55%. And the number of each sequential poll seemed to lean increasingly toward McCain. Magic? Something like that. Perhaps the 10% unaccounted for think Governor Palin would be best suited for the job. Yikes.

And saving the best for last, the show rounds out the hour with a spotlight on Iran. The narrator tells us Iran now contains and supports terrorists and training camps, and has plans to create nuclear weapons in the near future. According to Fox, Iran is a big threat, and they essentially tell us that Iran will continue to be a threat until we take care of the problem. We know Iran has been on the minds of those oil thirsty Republicans for a long time now. I think there was a famous senator who recently sang, "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran." Hmm...

While the whole show is completely transparent to me (and hopefully you), a scary number of Americans watch and believe Fox's rhetoric and twisted reporting. So, make sure you still have your terror attack kits in your closets, and plently of canned foods and bottled water just in case. Be afraid, people. Be very afraid.

Let's talk about feminism.

You can pick a woman for your VP candidate, but that doesn't make her a feminist. You can toss around words, like "glass ceiling," and post Palin's face on Rose the Riveter buttons, but you cannot call her a feminist.

A feminist is someone who's beliefs and behaviors are based in feminism. The dictionary defines feminism as "the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men." Now, can you assert or assume that any person, man or woman, is a feminist simply based on their job title?

Governor Palin is being painted as a "feminist" by the Republican Party (and the media) in an obvious attempt to pick up those Hillary supporters who they believe would elect any candidate, as long as the ticket includes a woman. It seems they failed to think of the oceans of difference between Hillary and Palin on every single issue. Palin is not, by any means, a suitable "replacement" for Hillary in the November election. She does not stand for any of the same platforms and quite frankly, it is disgusting that she is even being compared to Hillary--a woman who actually stood for feminist ideology. The only similarity between Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin is they're both women.

Now, why exactly can't we call Sarah Palin a feminist? The truth is, Palin is as anti-woman as the Bush administration. She believes the government should control a woman's body completely. In a case of rape or incest, she believes abortion is never the solution, and would work to make sure Roe vs Wade is overturned. She is a threat to women's autonomy and safety. In addition, she does not advocate for equality in any sense of the word. She is anti-human rights, anti-birth control, and believes in abstinence-only sex education (which turned out well in her own household). She stands for everything feminism works against, she just happens to be a woman.

Is Sarah Palin empowering women? Some, sure. Is she showing the country that a woman can do a man's job? Not quite. She's a yet another Republican pawn used to perpetuate right-wing religious ideals. She's only allowed to deliver her stump speech, written by the campaign coordinators, and unscripted interviews are off the table, unless it is a very special circumstance (take the one and only interview she has done for example--certainly showed how uninformed and ill-prepared she is). She's just another right-wing, gun slinging radical who is using cute slogans to lure voters to the McCain ticket.

So let's set the record straight: Sarah Palin is not a feminist.

Where are the cheerleaders?!

Wait, is this a rally on a campaign trail, or a college football game? I'm not quite sure.....

During the morning news coverage of the McCain campaign trail from Monday, September 15th, I couldn't help but notice a large group of young men in the front row with painted chests that read, "McCain * Palin." Is this where this election is going? Should the upcoming election be treated like an unpredictable college football season, full of painted chests, devoted and loyal fans, season tickets and tailgating? Perhaps, that whole idea trivializes the incredible importance of the upcoming election. The focus should be on the issues, like the current state of our economy, and not on "You Go Girl" buttons, and "Read My Lipstick: Vote for McCain/Palin" signs. It is frustrating to watch the majority of Americans buy into this seemingly obious form of viral marketing, as the McCain/Palin brand (and they have certainly turned into a sellable, marketable product very quickly, and more than willingly) is shoved into our faces constantly.

Of course, I did just purchase a shirt from Urban Outfitters with Obama's face on it, but hey, at least he's cool. And that's proof, at least, that both sides of the proverbial fence are guilty of this "celebritization" of the candidates. (Yes, I did just make up a new word. It'll catch on, you'll see.) I know McCain's camp spent the summer throwing around terms like "celebrity" and "inexperienced," but now they have a truly inexperienced celebrity of their own, AND they've jumped on Obama's "Change" train.

Clearly at this point, it's anybody's game. I'll bring the hot wings and the beer.

The Start of Something New

I will be turning this blog into something amazing. I have to do a project for my Gender and Pop Culture class, and decided to create a blog dedicated to expressing my views on Political Pop Culture. Specifically, I will be analyzing the use of popular media for political purposes, focusing on representations of gender, race, class, sexuality, etc. In the past decade, Presidential and local elections have permeated social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace. Politics have taken a front seat on websites such as YouTube, and all across the blog world. This media spotlight on politics and politicians in every aspect of popular culture has profound effects on the presentation of political issues, and most importantly, on the many representations of political candidates, from local government to Presidential candidates. It is extremely important to take a closer look at these representations and challenge their existence, in order to understand their purpose in perpetuating racial, sexual, and gender stereotypes.