By Oh Young-jin
Assistant Managing Editor
Tears of joy, fist bumps for a union saved and high fives for a job well done … The election of Barack Hussein Obama as 44th president of the United States is inspiring to all. As Obama said at Grand Park in Chicago a few days ago, his victory belongs as much to him as to ``you'' ― Americans.
Congratulations to Americans for setting another outstanding precedent. It is a remarkable achievement for a nation that 230 years ago was founded on a slave economy, and which Africans like Obama's ancestors, were kidnapped from their land and forced to work against their will.
The American history is one that tries ceaselessly to perfect itself. Its Founding Fathers disenfranchised women and blacks ― blacks worth only three fifths of a person. It was in the 1960s and through JFK and LBJ that blacks began to gain full rights.
For what purpose is a reminder of this unhappy chapter of American history when Obama's victory has healed the wounds?
Some elated Americans argue that Obama's victory has brought closure to a proposition made by Lincoln at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, about the advancement of the ``unfinished work'' by the Union's victory over the Confederates. Others claim that Obama represents the consummation of Rev. King's dream for equality for black Americans.
This festive mood is understandable, considering the current plight America faces. It has driven the global economy into the ground, waged two wars ― one justified and the other based on a personal vendetta ― and acted as if it were a chosen people by divine oracle. Obama may be an outlet for Americans' frustration, helping them feel good about themselves once again.
Bring a cool head to this elation, however, and it is plain to see that Obama's victory is not wholesome and accounts for three fifths of the whole, two fifths short. Out of the remaining two fifths, one is for Americans to fulfill and the other for Obama.
It is up to Americans to make Obama's election the greatest example of affirmative action or use it for the purpose of rejuvenating a declining American power.
In late 1970s when Alex Haley's Roots ― the Saga of an American family ― was rendered into a television miniseries, I was told by my Korean language teacher about Americans' stereotypical reactions about race.
``Americans are crying their eyeballs out about how their ancestors treated Kunta Kinte, the African slave and protagonist, watching Roots on TV,'' I remember my teacher saying. ``When they are interrupted by a ring at the door and find a black salesperson standing there, they bang the door shut without saying a word, go back to the TV and cry again.''
My teacher's narrative carried more than a tinge of hyperbole, considering the complexities of racial issues in the U.S. But this generalization represents a choice Americans can make. By electing a black man to the highest office of the nation, they can feel good about themselves and go back about their business, believing that their old debts are finally settled. Or they can stand by the president of their choosing, giving him support and care they failed to provide for the black salesperson in my teacher's story.
That sustainable support and care is pivotal not just to a successful Obama presidency but to the renaissance of America as well. Euphoria is bound to die down with a sense of reality to kick in. It is still possible for Americans to go back to their old bad habits and be quick to criticize their president at the first sign of a misstep, thinking to themselves, ``I knew it.''
It is a matter of course that Americans shouldn't give Obama or any other a blank check, but it is important to be patient with him because he represents the first-ever experiment and any experimentation is bound to have a period of trial and error together with a fair chance of failure. Simply put, with a right dose of the American spirit of enterprise, the Obama experiment can succeed.
For blacks, it is time to get color-blind. Obama is black by race but by occupation represents America ― a mosaic of races ― black, white, Asian and Native American. Their complaint about a racially tinted glass ceiling is no longer persuasive. The message for them is loud and clear ― the barrier is being beaten down, if not already shattered, so it is left to their ability and discretion to tear down the racial stereotypes by dint of their virtues.
Obama has acquired a big political capital not just from American voters but also from the world.
First, Obama should remain on his message of hope and change. This means a resistance to the old politics. As with any successful candidate for an important public office, he owes his election to a lot of people ― people who have sacrificed their time, energy and donated a great deal of money. But redeeming their IOUs with jobs in influential government posts is fatal to his presidency. Obama is no longer a candidate for the Democratic Party or his supporters but a President-elect who in two months will take office as leader of the United States of America. His supporters can continue to support him but expecting dividends (God forbid) from their effort is a sure way to dash their Great Hope.
Second, Obama has two immediate missions. One is leading a rescue effort of the global economy that is swooning in the aftermath of the subprime crisis and is comparable to the 1929 Great Crash. During the monumental failure and the following decade of depression eighty years ago, the U.S. government cowered itself and took a protectionist approach on international trade, which exacerbated the U.S. economy and spread ills by contagion to the world. Being myopic and going after a narrow self-interest is a tempting proposition, but in today's globalized world however, making the same mistake would prove even more costly.
So my message to the U.S. President-elect is this ``Be a great President for the United States but be an equally great leader of the world at the same time.'' We are watching you with a hope for a change for the better and the world needs it more than ever.