Dear America,
...I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.
I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I've not seen any two
who really were the same....
pieces of the late Maya Angelou's poem, Human Family
oh my, this morning finds me wishing for a do-over with regards to how we treated President Obama, as in the first African-American president of the United States of America; how I wish we could go back and do it all over again (not really...but stay with me, if you will, until we meander all together into my point).
but let me also add this -- it's probably not for the reasons running wild in your pretty little heads right about now; no -- it's probably for the exact opposite reason.
This girl wishes for a do-over, for reasons quite contrary to the way we actually treated this president. For we -- and when I say WE, I mean both the we from the right and the left, and even those "wees" in the smack dab center -- treated Barack Hussein Obama with kid gloves. No question about it; he was treated with care, respect, a chance to be everyone's president (even in the midst of many of us wishing madly, deeply, unceasingly for his policies to fail, and fail big).
He has been treated this way because how dare we actually have the freedom to criticize him, right; for to muster the courage to say anything against this president, his policies, his administration, would surely be revealing something more, something deplorable -- whether it be labeled the voice of a mild prejudice or full-on bigotry, the message was clear. There was simply no room for anything but a full bending-over to the progressive path of this leftist presidency at work; for in every fault spoken aloud, the immediate blame would point to racism. That was easy, the left would say...
Any conservative opposition was not only shut down, it was ridiculed, sent to pasture, actively targeted by the I.R.S., and given names like fringe, alt-right, tea party extremists, deplorable and irredeemable and on and on. The tactics of radicals came home to roost and did they ever.
If only the RIGHT rose up and fought back like the Left -- if only! If only the Right would one day get it...and grow just as mighty as the community on the Left, which has surely organized and benefited brilliantly, as a whole.
But oh how strong the force of the common man, able to move mountains and scale valleys with the winds of a mighty faith.
Speaking of common man --
it was only 2008 when a rather inexperienced, lowly, first term Senator, somehow rose to the top (albeit an orchestrated ascension, and it came fast.... so swift nobody bothered to vet him about anything, but I digress). But there he was -- a brand spanking new Senator, with "no history" "no record, to speak of" ...no foreign policy experience, no economic/finance experience, and certainly no building experience -- unless, of course, you count the building of leftist armies organizing in the streets, lobbying fundamental change everywhere and often, from sea to shining sea.
But he could speak articulately, right Joe? As in Biden. As in click here.
President Obama will go down as one of the most leftist presidents America has ever had.
And apparently, he's not even willing to go down without a fight:
And Obama seems to have support,
as the little army of leftists
want to go even MORE LEFT.
and soft rooms
just to cope with the idea
of a Trump presidency.
Oh the hypocrisy -- how the left is allowed to protest and whine and cry and make a scene....but if the right speaks up -- as in holding a few tea party rallies, or writing their congressman, or writing an op-ed in protest of Obama's policies -- suddenly, free speech be damned, you are labeled racist and returned to center with the whole world knowing how closed-minded and bigoted and intolerant you are. There is no room for opposing views, unless those views are Left...and yadi yadi yadda
What this girl is looking forward to is watching President Obama move, come January 21, 2017; for he is already showing his true colors. What? Can I not say that without you thinking I'm a racist? Pull leeze. I am just as much a part of the human family as everybody else, and if Obama can criticize me for the way I think, I can criticize him.
This might be the time to bring in the Maya Angelou poem...
Apple is using her poem for profit -- trying to pull in a wide swath of humans, to join in the Apple revolution. It's smart, wonderful, remarkable advertising at its best, and surely as expected from a company like Apple! I love Apple... and I love Maya; no question, the world must be missing such a beautiful human in Maya. Here is a great post from Open Culture, highlighting the match up,
What needs to be talked about is this little, teeny tiny dig she makes, expressing..
"I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man..."
My criticism, now at the cusp of effervescence, comes from a deeper place than simply one of 140 characters or less and punched out on Twitter without thinking twice; it comes from my love of country and it's founders, and the express misunderstanding of so much, by so many, and even all at once. It's like a flood of emotion just takes me over, in the sense that we know not what we do or why anymore, making me just wanna yell across the table at my human family...
And sure, she is making a fabulous point that not one of us are the same...and then proceeds to go on to say we are much more alike...Here's the whole of it, HUMAN FAMILY.
But that's just it, Maya! You agree with this idea of the common man!
How subtle, though; how clever she is to poke fun at this idea of not yet one common man, ever so brief -- as if describing an era without merit, as if just the idea of the common man itself doesn't speak of the world of differences in mankind and what that offers to humanity in return; as if the founders were a group of old white men just wishing to protect other old white men and be done with it. It's almost as if, she, being a black woman, doesn't realize she has more in common with these founders than she wants to believe.
Unfortunately, Maya's belief system is more real to the reader than anything else. What she seems to cling to is a certain age -- perhaps a time of colonialism -- and, hand in hand, disparages the common man of that day, as if turning it into something we should all be ashamed of somehow. Which is ironic, given how splendid the amount of time she takes in the portrayal of what we all have in common...
What was and continues to be brilliant, about THE COMMON MAN, is just that -- we have more in common, than not -- no matter the color of our skin, no matter our religion, no matter if rich or poor. It worked then, way back when, just as it works today!
The common man really IS about all men, all women, all humans of every kind.
Bear in mind, what was UNcommon of the times -- prompting a revolution and a government that was the exception, and not the rule -- was that up until America, the common man had no hope for elevating his station in life. Up until America, the common man, in general, was at the mercy of a king -- or dictator. Up until the making of America, the common man was placed under the rule of a governing body, and from there, the common man would sit and stay.
America -- as exceptional as it is -- created an atmosphere where the government was limited, while the common man was elevated to a position of prominence, whether by representation, or by the express freedom to grow wealth, build things, and for the most part, be left alone and with UNLIMITED potential. The intention was to keep government SMALL and the common man LARGER than life. Independence was IN, while dependence, was out.
Now look at us...
What has happened over time, is the exact opposite -- man's true nature is revealing itself within the halls of government and it's not good.
Hence, the rise of Trump and Pence and fence and tense.
In a clear about-face from the olden days, what has become more common is the explicit irreverence to the common man -- allowing for the growth of the establishment, the globalists, the elitists who only wish to make ALL of the decisions on behalf of the common man, mocking America's foundation, its principles and values, every step of the way.
Oh my dear Maya -- we have more in common than not, more to agree upon than disagree; and this idea of THE COMMON MAN is at the very center of it all! Don't you see? Your jaded belief system against "the common man" is built upon such a deceit -- of who's fault, I do not know...but I adore you just the same.
It is interesting how such a simple phrase of the common man can be interpreted differently, ending up to be of two contrary things, a negative or a positive.
Which is fascinating, especially if we were to jump back up to the start and take a look at the origins of an idiom: "kid gloves." On the one hand, it is all about being treated with care, gentle...as in reference to the fine leather they are made of, the skin of a baby lamb or goat. But adorned on the other hand is something quite different -- over time, the kid gloves get a re-do, evolving into describing a situation where "the gloves come off," in a 'let's get at it' sort of way. And for more on that, go here, to get The Straight Dope.
So here we are @the end, at the end of a day -- a day spinning a tale of two worlds within the same universe. All of a sudden, it seems perfectly acceptable to take the gloves off. If the plans of an Obama post presidency include it, then who dare stop the likes of the rest of us, the common man that we are, right? If silence is not golden, then let the common man loose thy lips.
And in the end then -- this bitter, bitter end of an eight year reign under President Obama, an end to what appears to be a situation where the president has decided not to walk away and into the sunset in silence, without incidence -- let this be a reminder of who this president truly is...a radical.
He tried to hide it -- the radical inside (and considering the boundaries in place, within the confines of the Oval Office, he has done a stellar job at it, too). But the truth is, we can only get the common man out of the common man for so long before its true identity comes into his own, befitting his true calling. The authentic self must come to life, for that is the true destiny of each and every one of us....and it cannot be silenced.
March on then, Mr. President, march on.
Gloves on; gloves off.
Let the protests begin, human family.
Let the people speak, human family.
Let this new administration have it's day, human family.
From one town common to another, let America restore herself, returning to the reign of The Common Man, the citizens of the United States of America, as one big happy human family...
for the general welfare of every American,
under God,
the Creator of this beautiful, organic, human family that we are --
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Amen.
Hallelujah.
Pass the gravy.
Make it a Good Day, G
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment