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From The Asian Reporter, V18, #21 (May 27, 2008), page 7.
Politics is important, but not all that
Whew. Oregon’s primary election’s over. All that shoving, all that shouting’s done. I mean our shoving and shouting. Among us.
Sure, it’s exciting. Of course I get a chance to feel empowered. To get to think big. To act ideological and all. Pero, please — let’s try and try and try to keep a lit-tle of our Old World perspective on this new world privilege.
And let’s not leave any bruises. Not on each other. No broken bones either. Because a couple days from now we’ll all still have to go to mosque, to temple, to church. Together. Next Saturday morning I’ll still have to sit across a northeast Portland noodleshop counter from you. Sunday afternoon, you’ll still have to sit around a Salem kitchen table with our big family. We best beware of what too much America can do to us.
Here’s what I mean.
The other day I was in a middle loop of a long snaking Nordstrom Rack checkout line. Eight out of 10 extreme shoppers were Asian ladies. Elbows everywhere. I listened to two sisters, one elegant Indo and one fine Thai, making sharp words and stink-eye over whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama must be our next President.
"It’s high time for a woman to be in charge," snapped the first, the one clutching a tropical Tommy Bahama as if it were at risk.
"This is not about being a woman or a man," hissed the other, the one holding her prize: a daring little Liz Claiborne sundress. "It’s about who’s got the best policies."
The first said her candidate’s healthcare programs are tops. The second said her man’s plans are better. The first said the second’s guy knows nutting (nothing) about foreign policy. The second said he knows more than her. He grew up on Djakarta streets, and she ducked no Kosovo bullets. The first said he was just a kid, while she actually lived in the White House.
Why we need to watch it
Politics is important. Democracy is cool. Even fun. Sport. But these American artifacts are not everything.
If you hear yourself getting ugly with those you love, just stop. If you notice familia getting stupid over gender, over race, over shrill national policy arguments, over all those thrilling pronouncements that are really only sporting promises — promises. Sit down. Shut up.
Take a breath. It may be time for a little perspective.
Barack and his political apparatus, Hillary and her Democratic Party machine, are engaged in a nearly half-billion-dollar public relations brawl to be boss. Both, I’m pretty sure, are nice people. Good parents. Smart managers.
And that’s plenty.
Senator Clinton rising determinedly above her humiliation as Mrs. Clinton cannot soothe a nation of women’s disappointments over their men. Senator Obama cannot give white folks back their soul and he cannot keep us from losing our brown ones. It’s better we not project our deep-deep human needs onto political leaders.
Save that. Maybe we best save our existential longings for leaders of another kind. Look around. Look near. These folks don’t wait for adoring thousands to settle down before they talk. They don’t use mics. They don’t mind if you sit near at mosque or temple or church. They like it when we settle close, at little northeast noodleshops or around elder aunties’ kitchen tables.
It’s best if we don’t confuse different kinds of leadership. It’s bad to try to get Confucius and gorgeous George Clooney and the Best of Elvis into one guy. Or girl.
They will fail. They will stumble as people because we want them to be supermen. Or women.
Whew, our primary election’s over. Time for a little Oregon summer. Morning birdies singing their little hearts out. Evening’s breeze smells like heaven.
And about democracy, don’t worry. Autumn is soon enough. November’s only five months away. NFL and NBA will be full-tilt boogie by then, again. And so will America’s general elections.