October 15, 2008

While in the post office this week, I observed two young boys (nine years old at best) sporting black Obama T-shirts. The shirts were blinding with huge, florescent words and graphics, and the boys were obtrusive and rowdy, as if they had just come from a rock concert and wanted everyone there to know it. But, these were not concert T-shirts, and the boys, clearly too young for heavy metal. Rather, it was obvious they were showing off their “coolness” because they wore Obama T-shirts and the rest of the people there did not, and somehow, this gave them a special right…a power to act out. These are children who do not know the first thing about politics and this election. Yet they, along with many other young people, have somehow been taught it is hip to like Obama and passé if you do not. As far as presidential elections go, this is a first, but it wasn’t the first time I have seen this out in public and surely won’t be the last.

Another first: Has anyone in Atlanta noticed the massive amount of Obama signs and stickers around town and the measly handful out there promoting McCain? If you have wondered why that is so, let me tell you what people are saying. After asking around, the verdict:  many people (in cities especially) are afraid to put McCain signs in their yards and stickers on their cars. Why? They told me they don’t want to instigate a potential problem, in their words, a robbery, vandalism, carjacking, etc. That is certainly unjust —people should feel comfortable about supporting their candidate without worry of dire situations.

This is not written to promote one side or another, rather, to put something out there that should be talked about. We all know what this means, and if it isn’t a prime example of a racial race for president, I don’t know what is. And frankly, it isn’t fair to those who wish to proudly endorse their candidate, as the Obama voters are doing in an exceptional fashion without much worry of possible danger or repercussion from their actions.

In the end, I call this “unpresidented,” pun intended.