Embracing What is Right?

The Rev. Joseph Lowery gave his benediction, and afterward, much was made over one particular line he dropped:

"Lord... help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right."

This has generated a lot of controversy, little of it deserved. If you want to see a bit of the controversy for yourself, check out the thousands of comments on the benediction's Youtube video. Some white people have gone on the offensive, smearing Lowery's comments as racist; I wouldn't go that far, but I still was a bit disappointed to hear them. On January 20th, we inaugurated a black man as president, a man who reminded us of how his father would not have been served in DC restaurants 60 years ago. And white people certainly helped, voting for Obama more than any other democratic candidate since Carter. Can't we acknowledge that, at least some of the time, white has already embraced what is right?

Of course, some whites continue not to embrace what is right. And I think that the accusation that Lowery was wrong because he "played the race card" rings hollow. These "race card" accusations are a mistake because they stifle necessary dialogue. But generalizing whites as monochromatic oppressors is not the way forward. How about we recognize that white can be all right?

The Day After

I woke up surprisingly early Wednesday morning, but my associate and I didn't leave until around noon since we spent some time gathering our things and chatting with our gracious hosts. We had no major plans after the inauguration, other than to eventually rendezvous with our family in Massachusetts in a couple of days. With a bit of extra time on our hands, we decided to head back to DC and check out the inaugural aftermath. We stopped for gas at a station just outside Bethesda; as I went in to pay I overheard some of the mechanics, an otherwise lowbrow looking group, bragging about all of the inaugural balls they had gone to the night before. My associate later overheard them talking about how angry they were at the possibility of one of their nephews being sent to Iraq.

We stopped off at the National Cathedral, which earlier that day had been the site of a prayer session which Obama had attended. The Cathedral itself was quite impressive, clearly having been designed by someone who was afraid of God. We snapped a few pictures of the impressive exterior, then went in. My first stop was the bathroom, which was inconveniently located at the end of a hall and down a flight of stairs. On my way down, I noticed one of the bricks in the wall was inscribed with the word "Gitmo", which made me think for a second that this cathedral might have its own torture facility - hey, with some churches, you never know.




Heading back up to the main level, we entered the main cathedral hall. A prominent sign suggested we donate $5, but being short for cash, we decided not to give money and keep our visit short. This may have offended God, but thankfully he decided not to smite us. The church was relatively empty, but I talked with a woman who had been outside the church earlier and she said the whole area was completely packed. Obama had apparently been whisked in and out through a secret side entrance so as to be minimally exposed to the proletariat. Oh well. At least his presidency is a bit holier now. LCD screens lining the aisles still displayed a "message of hope" for all to read. However, the woman I was talking with, a filmmaker from New York, actually recognized me from the blog. Hot damn, I'm famous!




We left the church after taking a photo for a young couple visiting the church. Afterward, we drove south to the center of town, which gave us a good reminder of why we don't usually drive through the center of town in DC. It took nearly half an hour to get from Thomas Circle to the south side of the Mall, a distance of roughly 10 blocks. At least that gave us a good look at the parade route and the mall. Many of the metal barriers and parade seats were still up, though much of the trash had miraculously been collected. The best part was that while we were doing this, we were also listening to news about Obama's first day on the radio. Not being political insiders, it was the best we could do.






And so we left the noble capitol city, taking the not-so-noble Baltimore Expressway out of town. On our way our, we caught one last glimpse of the Capitol Dome, silhouetted against the reddening dusk sky. While it would have been nice to stick around longer, we had our own lives to continue with, and we were reassured by the knowledge that that dome had a new employee who would do things differently, and better.

Zeus, Superman, and the American Way

On Tuesday, we visited the giant superman statue in Metropolis, IL. Later that day, we visited Nashville's replica of the Greek Parthenon. While this is a noteworthy pair in part because the two are both shining examples of cheesy middle-American pop architecture, it speaks to something deeper within the American Psyche. Both Superman the Greek Gods celebrated in a roundabout way by Nashville's Parthenon derive significance from their superior abilities. But why do Americans see the worship of these super-figures as desirable?

The term "Superman" can be traced back to Friedrich Nietzsche (incidentally, an admirer of Emerson) who advocated that the worship of the "Übermensch" was man's end in life: "I love those... who sacrifice themselves to the earth, that the earth may one day belong to the übermensch". In the early 20th century, English editions of Nietzsche's writing translated übermensch into English as "Superman". By the time Nietzsche wrote this, the United States had already built a culture around what would later be termed "rugged individualism", celebrating their anti-authoritarian government and praising individualist writers like Horatio Alger. While Nietzsche's pronouncement that "God is dead" didn't sit well with American's tendency toward religion, his message of individualism resonated here, first exerting an influence on playwright Eugene O'Neill, then figuring more heavily into the writings of Russian immigrant Ayn Rand. Though it was later argued that "overman" was a better translation of "übermensch", the Superman comics were created while "superman" was still the most current translation of the term. Whether or not the creation of the "Man of Steel" was in fact influenced by Nietzsche is debatable, however, Metropolis's shrine to him is an eerie fulfillment of superman worship.

But this shrine, along with its Tennessee companion which celebrates superhuman Greek Gods, raises a problem. The two monuments aim to incite worship to individuality, the highest American ideal. But on further reflection, the very act of worship is contradictory to individuality. It's true that Zeus or Superman have superior strength, and the logic goes that as paragons of individuality, we are sworn not to make laws or create societies which would restrict their awesome power. As the "untermench" - the subhumans - we must emulate these figures, for there is no other path in life than to follow in the footsteps of Superman, which is especially difficult since Superman flies everywhere.

As someone who has flirted with Libertarianism in the past, the idea of individualism is something I take seriously. Hero worship degrades our individualism by imposing orthodoxy and discouraging diversity of thought. It creates an implied collective, in this case, those who would be just like Superman if they could. Real individualism is doing what you want with due respect to others in society, not accepting an ideal as dictated to you by an external source. Real world "heroes" may exist, and they deserve our respect, not our worship.

But as I witnessed today, the Superman ideal (or the Zeus ideal) is alive and well in the American heartland. While I hope Middle America can be weaned off the worship of Supermen, I do appreciate the fact that Superman and Zeus have great entertainment value. Maybe we should give these shrines the benefit of the doubt, and assume that they are merely recognitions of the fact that those who created these fictional characters know how to tell a good story.

And yet, the superman

Speechifizing

Tis the night before Christmas, and the biggest news is that some paparazzo took pictures of Obama strutting around without a shirt. But of greater concern to Obamathon Man is the latest archival project from the Library of Congress, who are seeking

"Audio and video recordings of sermons and orations that comment on the significance of the inauguration of 2009. It is expected that such sermons and orations will be delivered at churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship, as well as before humanist congregations and other secular gatherings."

While I can appreciate the preservationist urge many of us feel, it seems a bit unfair of the LoC to limit their search just to sermons. If they really are looking for all types of orations, why don't they also look to the libraries, universities, parks, and other places where noteworthy observations are being made. Hell, why not look to the comedy clubs or the concert venues? While I respect the services offered by churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and humanist congregations (however that works), I think that significant orations about the inauguration (inauguorations!) are happening everywhere, and it would be unfair to limit the search for them. High minded things can be said in low places.

So Merry Christmas to all, and make sure you stuff the LoC's stockings with anything you view to be a significant inauguoration, no matter who gave it or where it was given.

Merry Christmas, Jerry Brown

The big news today is that Rick Warren was invited to the inauguration, to shed a little holiness on DC and to balance out the marching heathens who will also be in town. Many Obama supporters aren't particularly pleased with Warren officating at the ceremony, present company included. But we must keep in mind that His Holiness Reverend Warren has nothing against gay people. He loves them so much, he gives water and doughnuts to gay marriage supporters. Praise the lard!

In more California-centric news, we are bracing to hear from a less holy but equally controversial figure tomorrow regarding the California Supreme Court's upcoming hearing on the constitutionality of Proposition 8. Jerry Brown, California's Attorney General, will reveal his official position on proposition 8. Although he has opposed the prop before the election, he is duty-bound to argue based on whether or not it is a big enough change to the state constitution to count as a "revision". In Obamathon Man's not-so-humble opinion, he would still be correct in arguing against the proposition, since not doing so would set a precedent for discriminatory constitutional measures. However, Obamathon Man is not exactly a great legal scholar since he plays by his own rules.

Of course, this is a sensitive issue for both sides - no, not those sides. What I find most interesting about the aftermath of prop 8 is the ensuing war for the sympathy of the public. The anti-gay marriage side's primary tactic is to make themselves seem even more discriminated against than the pro marriage side, both during and after the campaign. While I may not agree with their methods, I deeply respect their desire to do good. However, the reason why dealing with religious discrimination is so very difficult is that the most faithful believe that their faith is never wrong. Thus, whatever can be shown to them as their true religion is no longer subject to earthly reasoning or laws. What this means is, if God's will is discriminatory, the faithful will follow it anyway. Try to stop them, and you are discriminating against religion. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't, as it were.

Religious freedom is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. But just as with freedom of speech, there are limits to freedom of religion. When religious doctrine becomes destructive of the rights of others, it no longer deserves protection from the law, or sympathy from the general public. I really hope the righteous, like those of Warren's flock, will allow gays the dignity to choose their own courses of action. Other peoples' actions will have no effect on whether or not you get salvation. That's between you and God. And God, if you're reading this blog, I hope you can coax Jerry Brown into seeing Prop 8 for what it is, a revision of the California constitution. Oh, and Merry Christmas to everyone, even Rick Warren.