I’m Not The Only One

Daniel Cuevas

Prof. Kirkham

WRIT 301 HJ

21/9/07

Research Assignment: Written Assignment

“Here’s To The Skinny Kid With the Funny Name” focuses on Barack Obama’s Senate campaign as George Vradenburg examines many of the Senator’s characteristics which today set him apart from most other American politicians, regardless of race. Unlike other politicians who may suggest an “us vs. them” perspective of American society, Senator Obama’s multiracial and global background allows him to proclaim that he is both “us” and “them”. The article draws much of its knowledge of Obama’s character from his famous keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, where he was quoted as not speaking of “a liberal America and a conservative America”, but of a “United States of America.” Ironically, (with no way of knowing that Obama would one day run for President) Vradenburg compares Obama to another Senator, then-Presidential candidate John Kerry. The author criticizes Senator Kerry for conveying a message of inclusiveness but embracing policies that contradict that message. Vradenburg writes of the 2004 Presidential candidates, “So, our candidates, once again, will base their strategies on narrow appeals to what it perceived to be in our particular ‘interest,’ failing to recognize that all Americans have a general interest in the well-being of all Americans.

I chose this article because I found it to be both interesting as well as relevant to Obama’s current Presidential campaign, even though it was written two years ago. I feel it calls attention to an interesting issue in American politics as well as the country’s ever-evolving perspective of race relations. Some research questions that could emerge from this article could ask whether multiracial and worldly politicians could serve as the new face of the national political scene. With America’s ethnic, racial and international diversity, could a candidate who personally represents the perspectives of so many different groups be an appropriate choice for head of state? Vradenburg suggests that such a globe-trotting childhood and a diverse heritage allows for a far more inclusive perspective than that of other American politicians who may only represent one group and may have spent most of their lives in the United States.

In “Obama: Black Like Me”, Gary Younge refers to Obama as a black man who does not scare white people. The author, an Englishman of African descent, examines the state of race relations in America by visiting one of South Carolina’s more polarized and racially segregated communities. Younge not only examines the Presidential candidate’s genetic differences from other candidates but also how he differs from them ideologically, charismatically and academically, writing, “In an age when America’s political class lacks character and intelligence, he stands out.” The article also examines not just how different Obama is from other Americans but also from the African-American community with whom he is most often associated. Unlike most African-American leaders whose roots are found in the church, Obama’s academic roots, his multiethnic family and his multinational upbringing provide him with views and experiences that almost no African-American can claim to parallel.

This article appealed to me because it addresses the cultural and political paradox which is Barack Obama. As the author has so eloquently stated, he is black by genetic technicality, but not black in the American political and cultural context. Neither Obama nor his ancestors experienced slavery, Jim Crow or the Civil Rights movement, but benefited from the struggles and tribulations of other people of color, as do many modern-day immigrants of color. Younge’s article also addresses an aspect of American culture (particularly white American culture) that few are eager to admit: that white Americans in general feel uncomfortable around blacks, and that outside of music, entertainment and sports, black people are socially acceptable in America so long as they are not too black, that is, as long as they do not embrace or resemble too closely what white Americans depict and view African-Americans to embody. Some research questions that this article could raise are, can a non-African-American of African descent rally the support of the African-American community, and can a black man who does not scare white people make enough white voters to elect him President of the United States? Another interesting research question from this article could ask just how much of a challenge is Barack Obama to the nationwide concept of what an American leader should be.