When we examine the election of 2008 and the makeup of government across the nation today, it seems that a few previously-uncomfortable questions have finally been answered. We have elected a black man as president. His chief rival in the primary was a woman who many analysts and poll results estimate would have beaten John McCain by an even wider margin. A gentleman of Hispanic descent is the Governor of New Mexico, was a serious contender for the White House and is widely being hailed as a highly qualified candidate to be Secretary of State. In 2000 we saw a Jewish man in the VP slot on the Democratic ticket which won the popular vote across the nation. In this environment are there any serious thinkers left who find the idea of an Asian candidate for President out of the question?
The point of all this is not the questions we’re asking, but the questions we are no longer asking. Are these people equal? Do they have the same rights and opportunities as “the rest of us?” In almost every case the good news is not that the answer is “yes,” but that we’re no longer even asking the question. These things are accepted as a given. No, I’m not so foolish as to think that racism and intolerance have completely disappeared from our shores. But at this point it is at least increasingly-restricted to some backward holdouts in comparatively small numbers who are primarily engaged in developing a time machine so they can go back and take one more crack at Pickett’s Charge or rescue some of Hitler’s DNA to be stored until cloning techniques improve. Given this heartening news, though, I find myself wondering whether anyone was left behind in these advances? I’m afraid that the answer is still yes.
The current spate of demonstrations against California’s decision on Proposition Eight should be the first indicator of Something Being Rotten in Denmark. Allow me to tie this point in with the two preceding paragraphs. We aren’t asking a question along the lines of whether or not a gay or lesbian American could be elected as president here. We’re holding an allegedly serious national debate as to whether or not gays and lesbians even have the same basic rights as everyone else, or whether it is proper for the majority to pass legislation limiting their rights based solely on their sexual orientation. Opponents – primarily found in the so called “social conservative” band of the political spectrum – are quick to point out that of course they aren’t homophobic, and of course gays have the same rights as anyone else. That’s why we’re going to provide them with these shiny new civil contracts which are pretty much just as good as a marriage, see? (Astute readers who have studied the civil rights movement in America should, at this point, be nodding their heads and reminding us of exactly how well “separate but equal” worked out for black Americans.) It is not the struggle for “marriage rights” which should capture our attention, but the fact that we are even debating the question at all which should sadden us.
The second group of Americans who seem to have missed the Hope and Change Bus are Muslims. For evidence of this, one need look no further than the campaign of our President-Elect. Right wing supporters were running around the nation making hay out of Obama’s middle name, Hussein. His supporters on the left were equally involved in accentuating the divide. While loudly proclaiming that all religions are equally welcome here, they were quick and vocal in attacking those who invoked the H word when speaking of Barack. If the fact of being a practitioner of the Muslim faith were really not an issue, why would you work so hard to establish Obama’s Christian bona-fides? It’s something that everyone knows, but nobody wants to talk about.
The election of Keith Ellison, a Muslim, to Congress sent shockwaves through the Right wing. CNN’s Glenn Beck went so far as to show up on national television and challenge Mr. Ellison, saying, “Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.” What should be automatically shunned in a real nation of religious freedom is still taken as a matter of fact. Today you can be an atheist, a Jew, a Hindu, Buddhist, Wiccan or any species of Christian and get by just fine. Others may raise an eyebrow at you or smugly mutter about how you will get your “reward” when you wind up roasting in hell, but you’re still part of America’s tattered religious tapestry. Muslims, however, are seen by too many has having “something to prove” by default, even if they were born and bred in the U.S.A.
These are the questions we are left with, representing the rotten dregs of sour grapes at the bottom of a rancid barrel. In the America most of us envision – that shining beacon of hope, opportunity and equality standing out on the hill – we shouldn’t be looking for answers to these questions. We need to be examining why anyone is still asking them at all. Should we ever reach the point where such queries are no longer taken seriously, then we may finally be getting close to the finish line. Until then, roll up your sleeves. The election of Obama sends a fine message to everyone, but there’s still plenty of work left to be done.