2004: The Birth of "Hope"

After Obama’s acceptance speech last two nights ago, I decided to search for Obama’s speech from the 2004 Democratic Convention and to contrast it to his more recent speech at the 2008 Democratic Convention. I heard Obama trying to figure out what has happened. While acknowledging the incorporation of additional variables into the equation (aka corporate donors) I was bewildered by what happened to Obama when it came to the issue of personal responsibility. In his 2004 speech Obama said,

“Go into any inner-city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can't teach kids to learn.They know that parents have to teach, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things. People don't expect -- people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.”

I am all for personal responsibility, but only when it applies to everyone, especially the corporate sponsors of his campaign. Over the course of the year, 9 banks have failed, the U.S. has experienced a terrible mortgage crisis, the U.S dollar is sucking, and telecommunication firms were implicated in helping the current administration violate our civil rights by spying on our phone conversations and emails. When is Obama going to point his finger of shame at these entities the way he effortlessly does at poor black people?

No revolution, but at least we have Fat Joe

This particular savage detective was inconsolably waiting for the massive worldwide upheaval that never came, until her newfound love for Fat Joe prompted her to come out of hiding.  

She believes more people should call out sellouts as Fat Joe does here, and she is looking forward to his response when he realizes Obama is not actually proposing anything near national health care. 

More detailed posts will follow.

Steve is Keepin' It Real

My favorite quote this morning comes courtesy of NPR's Morning Edition. Steve, I was thinking the same thing. Thank you for asking...


Juan: Obama struggled to get the support of blue collar workers?
Steve : When you are talking about blue collar workers, do you mean white working class workers?
Juan Williams: You put it so bluntly Steve.

Dominican FINALLY Makes Appearance on Ugly Betty

For real, ya’ll. During the season finale of Ugly Betty, the love interest of Hilda, Betty’s older sister, gave her a necklace with a pendant made of Dominican amber. It was the first time, despite the show’s setting being New York City, that there was any representation of some tangible element of something that is Caribbean Latino on the show. This isn’t to say that cultural elements of the Spanish speaking Caribbean are missing from the show; these elements that are precisely used to emphasize the family’s Latino background. For instance, reggeatón is used between scenes; and somehow, Betty can dance salsa although very few Mexicans I have met in the U.S. can; etc.

However, never in the show do we see people from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and other Caribbean portions of Latin America. If this is NYC, where are these folks? I was hoping the show would help the mainstream public understand the diversity of Latino community in the United States that are highly touted within the community and suddenly swept under the rug when not politically convenient. The fact that Betty’s family is a Mexican family in New York City is itself fodder for other important subjects such as the changing demographic trends of Latinos in NYC (although Betty’s family has been there for almost 30 years). Even in Queens, known for its high concentration of Columbians, Ecuadorians and Dominicans, we are left to search harder for these people than I ever did for Waldo. ¿Dónde está mi gente?

Then again, that may be too much to ask my favorite television. Then again, perhaps groundbreaking doesn’t exactly have the same meaning in TV land.

Popular Memory Watch

 After examining artist Lei Yixin's proposed rendering of Martin Luther King, jr. for a new DC memorial (at left), the US Commission of Fine Arts concluded that the  planned sculpture would be too "confrontational" and that it "reflects a genre of sculpture that has recently been pulled down in other countries." The commission recommended a "softening of Dr. King." 

If you aren't already shaking with rage about this shameless attempt to completely erase the legacy of the civil rights and antiwar movements, read this essay by Ibram Rogers, who was on NPR today patiently explaining Lei Yixin's choice while old white people called in and said things like, "You're too young to remember--he was never confrontational." Also, "People are never just their ideologies," and "Maybe if they raised his chin a little, he would look more peaceful." The callers also helpfully clarified the panel's comments by pointing out that the Chinese artist's sculpture reminded them of Stalin and Mao statues. 

I'm so angry, I can't write anymore.

Voting?…I Am Gonna Need To See Some ID

What the fuck? I cannot believe the Supreme Court has just ruled to uphold state laws requiring voters to provide a valid photo ID in order to be allowed to vote. According to the majority opinion (Scalia, Alito, Thomas, Stevens, Roberts, and Kennedy) making such demands on voters does not interfere with the voting process. I can imagine this “minor” detail affecting people’s ability to even register to vote. Voter registration drives will now have to concern themselves not only with registering new voters, but also with disseminating information on how folks can get a valid ID in order to vote. I did not have a valid photo ID until well into my 18th birthday and that was because I had to open up a bank account. I can tell you that it was an ordeal, which included two trips to the DMV in Harlem, waiting in line for five hours on each occasion. In addition to the elderly and poor people, whom critics of the ruling cite as being disproportionately impacting, I would like to also add geographic considerations: people living in urban areas. Growing up in NYC, there was no need to have a drivers license. Driving is only something I learned while living in Providence. I'm sure that rural voters also face similar hurdles, if not worse hurdles, considering our current lack of investment in our public transportation infrastructures. Anyway, I registered to vote on the day I turned 18. Looking back it was good to know that the process did not seem as hassle-prone as it looks like it is becoming.

Keepin’ the Capitalism Alive

Recently, this savage detective has been learning a lot about the experiences of prisoners behind bars. For instance, according to one of the inmates, prisoners usually need money after they are arrested to purchase items while behind bars. The anonymous’ source provided me with a receipt of items purchased behind bars. The shopping list reads like items advertised to college students living in college dorms: flip flops, socks, raisin bran cereal, a jar of peanut butter, instant rice, shampoo, conditioner, nail clippers, pilot pens, etc. Oh yeah, and popcorn.

Prisoners can get a pair of Nike sneakers for $59.80. One plantain cost $1.00. Damn, you can buy 8 of those for a dollar uptown!

It is good to know that inmates will still know how to participate in the mainstream economy once they get out from behind bars. But, I ask myself, why do prisoners have to buy stuff? Don’t we spend about $30,000 for every person who is locked up?

A baffled detective.