A Dream not Deferred

While the camera panned over the crowd for reactions after Obama's speech, I saw the one woman, an African American woman, whose facial expression just said it all for me. Obviously most of the faces that the camera allowed us to see during Obama's speech were white ones. Their expressions ranged from beaming and proud to teary eyed, amazed and moved. But I have no personal reference point to the connection of white voters to the spirit of Barack Obama. I only know they like him essentially because he speaks well and supports many of their ideals and he's non threatening and makes them feel good. Though they were clearly moved by Obama, they did not move me. This woman's face for the brief instant that she was on camera, completely captured me. She was out of body! Her hands on her mouth and her eyes wide with wonder and realization, she looked as she had just seen a vision! Her eyes reflected back something akin to a miracle. As a person of color, watching another person of color react to Obama is very different than watching a Caucasian react to him.

In the entire history of America THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED! And people of color have been here since the beginning of time! We brought about civilization! Still, only now for the first time ever in America do we have the opportunity to be represented by someone who looks like us! It is a gargantuan moment. So seeing what I saw in that woman's face, I'd finally seen all that I needed to see tonight. No matter what happens that's what counts. That's real to me.

Imagine That!

So I was watching GMA (Good Morning America) this morning. They were interviewing some of the people who were nearest in proximity to Martin Luther King while he made his Famous “I have a dream” speech at Lincoln Memorial. One of the men who I think was on the speech writing staff said that the “I have a dream” theme was not even supposed to be in that speech. They said they had decisively cut that part out! Apparently he had made this same speech several times on the road and they felt that it had become “hackneyed and trite.” So King had started out not even intending to say those words. He was inspired though to revive it when he looked out at the people. The man on his speech writing staff said he cursed to himself when King started in on “I have a dream.” But when he saw how people responded he realized that they had been wrong and he said “It just goes to show how much we didn’t know.” Can you even begin to imagine that speech with out “I have a dream?” We still don’t know as much as we think we do. Experts always fall short.

I have heard people make general statements about predictions they’ve have about this presidential campaign from the beginning based on campaigns from the past and experiences from the past and numbers and polls and social demographics and likelihoods and more. But the thing is you don’t really know anything until it happens. There is so much more involved in this process than we can possibly know about. We listen to the media and our friends, family co-workers and peers spout endless speculations about all matter of things, based on social trends, past experiences and all sorts of external factors. But there are other factors which we cannot always accurately figure into our assumptions. Factors like the power of hope, the desire for change, stubbornness, ignorance, the desire for power, the power of fear, and the degree to which they affect a people’s evolution, unity and growth or lack thereof. These factors have the power to sway the direction of a country to its highest potential and its darkest lows.

What I do these days is mostly listen to people and if I hear something like “This will never happen” or “That person will never make it” or “You can’t beat the system.” I don’t waste my time trying to challenge them. I just listen, stay quiet and watch what happens. No one person knows everything. People will give advice, opinions ad predictions until the end of time. The answers come only in the moment. Expertise helps to guide us but information is so biased these days that it’s hard to find a network that will tell you only the truth. You have to find that out for yourself. In the end we all stand still to witness the moment of truth. When those people at the Lincoln Memorial who were lucky enough to witness King speak watched what happened, they were indelibly marked by history. And that speech wasn’t even supposed to take place! Watch what happens.

Facebook Masturbaters

That's us!


Latest Poll Reveals 430 New Demographics That Will Decide Election

Lake Sebabo

The first thing we after we unpacked, settled in and pushed cots together in our two separate rooms and checked out the restrooms and grilled dinner outside our cabin was walk a mile out to Sebago beach in the dark along the highway with lanterns. That may sound a little crazy but I think it was just what we needed to unplug our brains a bit and be present in nature. When we got there we lay down on the asphalt instead of walking to the water and looked up at the stars and talked for almost an hour I guess. Those stars were amazing. We looked up at the them whole time we were walking there, every once in a while looking out for cars and turning our lanterns on and off. We even saw a few shooting stars.

Walking several rocky yards from our cabin to use the restroom took a little getting used to but I have to be honest, I really liked it a lot. We got amazingly perfect weather, never too cool or humid. I loved hearing the crickets and cicadas sing at night. I mean it’s like this natural sedative. And I love eating outside. It really enhances the whole experience. Drinking and watching a big old campfire while listening to music (Vernon and I thankfully both brought our laptops) is just heavenly. And Jeanette literally thought of everything. She is a camping pro. She had the place fully functional in minutes!

I never get stressed out when I go to the woods or anywhere rural. I breath better. I let go easier. Sebago Lake was just what I needed. I guess it’s also really lucky that Fran and I get along so well with J and V. We really have fun together. It never feels like we’re trying. And I am so comfortable around them, I can just be ugly you know. I didn’t worry about my make-up (I wore none) or hair the whole time. It was just too good a time to worry about that superficial crap. Because the truth is I get so sick and tired of thinking about it all the time even when I have to because essentially it means nothing.

I had such an amazing time emptying out just staring at the lake, there was no room for that part me that obsesses over minutiae constantly. It was such a relief! I know it will all come back when I go back to the city and to work but it really helps to know it’s possible to let it all wash away for a few days and feel almost finally that whatever is left is what’s real and what really matters. That’s all I really want.

Biden VP Text beaten to the punch by leak

Personally I didn't sign on to receive the text. I get all the updates on the Obama campaign via email anyway. I thought the text idea was cute but slightly overly ambitious. I think it was a great option for those who really do feel the need to know everything right away and to share info as soon as it breaks. But the only thing faster than digital technology is the grapevine. : )
Thanks guys.

Broho?

So American Apparel has opened it's doors in Harlem. American Apparel! That's pretty much the end isn't it? I mean who the fuck in Harlem shops there? I only know this because whenever I ride into the city with Francis I see all the new stores popping up on 125th street. When I saw the signs for A.A. I was like "Really?" A.A. is a store I've only seen in Chelsea and the Lower East Side. They sell 50 dollar fake eyeglasses. Pardon my controversy but it's a very white store. However I thought the same thing about the MAC store and it seems to be thriving. Maybe one day, if I have some excuse to walk up 125 (I try to avoid crowds whenever possible) I'll go in and take a peek. My guess is that they've shipped both inventory and clientele from the same place.

Though All The World is Broken

Chris Martin of Coldplay and Tom Chaplin of Keane are two of my favorite singer/songwriters. They both tend towards a similarly deep, oceanic reverberation in many of their songs which has quite a visceral affect on me. At it’s best music I like has very literal transcendent qualities, but this one song by Keane, “Atlantic” really takes me away. When I listen to it, I start to leave my body. No joke. Obviously there is a great degree of personal sentiment involved on my part, too lengthy and unexplainable for me to go into detail about here.
Tom Chaplin’s lyrics strike a raw and sympathetic cord in me each time I listen. Depending on where I am (I try to listen to it only when I’m alone) I have to bite my lip to fight back the tears. It’s more than just the lyrics. It’s the entire composition of the lyrics with the music that transforms into something utterly alive, emotional and visual in my heart and mind. All, he’s saying essentially is that he doesn’t want to be alone, but the echoing and the sounds of underwater movement really get under my skin and conclusively communicate something much deeper than can ever be expressed except in any way except through the human heart. I’m always amazed at how difficult it is for me to distance myself for from the fact that “Atlantic” is just a song and not a time machine or astral travel device. Obviously, the song has a specific affect on me for personal reasons. Other people are affected similarly by different songs. What kind of music lifts you?