Obama, First Black President Of The Usa! Is It Really So Shocking?

By Author: Gianni Truvianni
Total Articles: 32
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It happened last year, during the month of December in the city of Warsaw, Poland which has been my adopted home town since 1994 and though the precise day escapes my memory the conversation never will. I had just been introduced to a well known stage actor from Congo in Poland by the name of Christian Emany, who though perhaps not a household name in most countries is not a complete unknown as far as the theatre stages of Warsaw are concerned. He after all has been in many a play with some of Poland's top theatre actors and actress such as my personal friend Ewa Kaspzyk. This the lady for whom I translated Almodovar's Patty Diphusa, for her to perform on stage in English.

Christian and I spoke about many a topic, naturally in French given that Congo (previously Zaire) is a French speaking nation though in all frankness the two of us could have also had our conversation in English or Polish. This due to the two of us being fluent speakers of these languages. Christian told me he was born in Zaire (in the days when it was still referred to as such) but as child had spent time in many countries, given his father was a ...
... diplomat, whose job of representing Zaire abroad kept his family moving from country to country.

Christian and I after having gone over a list of many topics from football, to films, to music eventually made our way to politics and Barack Obama, whom Christian had heard was running for the presidency of the United States. I found it strange that Christian, a black man from Africa felt that Obama had no chances of winning. A reaction which made me wonder why someone would think so, which prompted me to ask why he doubted not that a black man would become president of the United States but that a black man even stood any chances of doing so. His answer was not far from what I expected that it would be difficult for a black man to become the president of the United States as Caucasians in America; who number more then Negroes would for the most part vote for those of their own race.

It was then that my response came, which was that I felt it was possible for Obama to win, which of course did not necessarily mean he would but there was a chance after all if he could enter the race then it was just a matter of him convincing enough voters that he was the right man for the job. Christian of course was aware that blacks could run for president in the United States as Jesse Jackson had done back in the 80s and there had even been a black candidate among the republicans in 2000. A man whose name I can not remember though I can not forget something interesting he said regarding abortion. It being that he would not vote for anybody who supported abortion and he did not a see any difference between somebody who supported it and someone who said he did not but felt it was OK if the woman having the abortion was his daughter. As to him it amounted to the same because if one thinks of it from a purely logical point of view, every woman is somebody's daughter, meaning why should that person's daughter be the exception. This African American who had served as American ambassador to Japan seemed like an intelligent man and one who also had a certain sense of humor when speaking which showed when he answered a question on campaign reform which he did so by saying in every election candidates put millions of dollars in to their campaign funds and then act surprised when it is discovered that the money is there.

Christian was aware that blacks in America could run but felt that being able to present one's candidacy and win, were to different things which of course they are but then I asked the following question with a certain bit of frustration after seeing how little faith he had that it could even happen. If the United States has black senators, mayors, governors, judges on the supreme court (notably Marshal), and at present an attractive Secretary of State by the name of Rice, who in fact is the second African American to serve in the post why would it be impossible for it to have a black president?. Christian then started thinking that at least in theory it could be but most likely it would not be and to this I said that I as a Republican would not want it to be unless he were a Republican.

It, I must admit was an interesting conversation and as we talked more and more; we got to know each other better and I got to see for the first time (though this I had known) how black people from diverse countries are different from each other much in the way whites are. Christian also got to see how Italian Americans are in a way different then Italians living in the old country as he went on to tell me that I was the first Italian American he had met who actually spoke Italian.

Well, needless to say; for it is known by most of the Earth's population that Obama came to be elected President of the United States of America which has surprised many a person not only outside the US but inside as well. This being something that the media perhaps like it does with most things has blown out of proportion, even asking how a nation that could elect George W. Bush in 2000 could elect Obama in 2008. I however ask why this seems strange; after all was it not Bush who nominated the first African American as Secretary of State when he gave the job to Collin Powel upon being elected president? In regards however to elections; Americans to a certain extent are a bit inconsistent. For instance a presidential Republican candidate has not carried the state of California in a general election since Reagan did so in 84 and yet this state at present has a Republican governor, (Schwarzenegger) who is serving his second term. All of which should lead us to the realization that American politics have their unique features with another one being Warren Buffet; who supports both Schwarzenegger, a Republican and Obama, a Democrat.

In conclusion I would say that it should not really surprise anybody that Obama won the presidential election for this was long in coming if one looks at all the high positions some African Americans were holding, not all of which were in Democratic administrations. It serving as prove to what a comedian by the name of Chris Rock said, who in all honesty I know very little about other then his being African American and his claiming that the problem in America is not that blacks do not have opportunities but they unfortunately do not always use them. I for my part believe that Obama's election should prove to African Americans that they have these opportunities, for gone surely are the days when they did not and this I made clear to Christian when after the elections I sent him an SMS saying I told you Obama could win.

My name is Gianni Truvianni, I am an author who writes with the simple aim of sharing his ideas, thoughts and so much more of what I am with those who are interested in perhaps reading something new. I also am the author of the book entitled New York's Opera Society which is now available on Amazon.