Brother's Gonna Work it Out

FUCK. YES.







As most of you know, I for the most part avoid blogging about politics other than the minor jabs here and there, and issues that affect me on a fundamental, personal level. There's no denying that last night was an historic moment, and as a result, it's worth noting here and elsewhere. It was strangely anticlimactic in a way - I watched the results from the comfort of my house, either on the couch in the earlier hours, or tucked into bed later on. But it was a moving and affecting night. Oddly, it wasn't until this morning, when I heard Obama's speech in full, that it truly hit me, andI found myself sitting in traffic on I-93, with tears on my face.



This wasn't only an election about race - in fact, the issues at hand were far more wide-ranging and critical in some ways. It was about the economy and war and the way things were and the way things should be. It was about all of those things. But, that said, to disregard the momentousness of a black man becoming president is disingenuous and even ignorant.

It may come as a surprise to many, but I truly didn't think it would happen in my lifetime. My father, who I routinely discuss politics with, felt the same. It's odd - we're probably the two most radical, leftist people we know, and yet that has also created a deeply ingrained cynicism that is hard to move past. Given the history of our homeland of South Africa, both where it's been and where it's going, as well as the blunders made in the U.S., it's hard to face the future with anything but skepticism, if not an outright pessimistic fatalism. And while I certainly don't believe that everything is going to be alright now, that our problems will be solved and the world is on the path to righteousness and harmony and that birds will sing and people will dance in the streets, I suppose I can't but help feel that at least now, finally, for the first time in a long time, we are on the right path.

The election of Barack Obama as the 44th President is truly an incredible moment in my life, and hopefully yours. I can now proudly say that there are two clear, shining moments that show that there is hope for the future of race relations, and that there is just hope, period. The release, and subsequent election, of Nelson Mandela was the first. And now, the election of Barack Hussein Obama.

That's all I've got.

Thanks for reading.

-TK

One last thing - no day like this is complete without the requisite soundtrack. So please, please, click HERE.

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Listening to: Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Amazing Grace / Nearer My God to Thee
via FoxyTunes