Two matters requiring analysis emerged from the NBC Nightly News tonight. The first concerns FEMA’s “scorecard” for its response to the damage in Florida, after last week’s fiercesome tornadoes.
According to NBC’s Brian Williams, the prompt actions of FEMA have more than satisfied the Floridians filing claims for property damage following the storms that tore through their homes. Although one homeowner expressed frustration, all others interviewed praised FEMA for its prompt response and fast settlement of claims.
NBC’s conclusion: FEMA is doing better.
Only last week, Brian Williams reported from New Orleans, where much of the population still awaits settlements from FEMA eighteen months after Katrina ruined both their property and their lives.
It begs the question: has FEMA truly improved its efficiency in the wake of Katrina, or is it simply that the good people of Florida are middle-class white Americans – unlike the good people of New Orleans, who are poverty-stricken and black?
“Is Barak Obama Not Black Enough” hails the headline that preceded a report concluding that Obama’s race for the presidency is going down better with white Americans, than their black counterparts. Apparently, Barak Obama has no problem raising support among the white community, but black Americans are more likely to vote for Hilary Clinton.
NBC blamed this on Obama’s mixed parentage. The offspring of a black Kenyan father and white Kansas mother, Obama is certainly lacking in the prerequisites for full black lineage, but is this the true reason why African Americans are shunning his quest for the White House?
NBC thinks so; I do not.
Obama is no Martin Luther King. He fails to rouse the martyrdom syndrome so necessary to the black culture in America. By aiming for the presidency, Barak Obama is stating his equality with all Americans. He is an ideal candidate. A product of mixed race, he should unite both black and white America in its support of him – the perfect symbol of an America united and equal; black and white working together for the ultimate good of both.
The reality is that black Americans prefer to be the underdogs. It gives them something to fight for. Black culture is enveloped in the martyrdom of slavery. The fight for freedom from that bondage is the ‘dream’ personified by Martin Luther King. If Barak Obama becomes President Obama, the dream is over – finished.
There is a story about a monk who devoted himself to seeking God. He prayed and meditated for long hours every day, learned sacred texts by heart, starved himself, became a hermit – he tried everything. One day, while he was walking in the woods, he came across a hut. An inner voice told him that God was in the hut. All he needed to do was walk in, and his search would be over. The monk stood outside the hut for a very long time – deliberating. Then he turned – and tiptoed away…….
Black Americans will quietly tiptoe away from Barak Obama.
Filed under: Face values
