Obama, Faith, Alcohol, and the Future of the Planet
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If the next 24 hours don’t see an African American elected President of the United States, I hereby declare my intention to turn to religion, drink, or both.
Why? Because a failure by America’s electorate to give Obama a clear mandate will, once and for all, end any vestige of hope that a democratic system is a pathway to responsible governance.
The choice couldn’t have been made any simpler if the voters had been asked to choose between ketchup and mayo with their fries. It is, for want of a better phrase, a black and white issue.
That’s not to say that one option is right and the other wrong, rather that two is the smallest number in any process that confers choice on the participant and that the alternatives offered on this occasion are so different as to represent something of binary state.
Furthermore, turnout is expected to do justice to a system that gives a country’s citizens the right to vote for their leader. Perhaps this point explains the apathy and general ignorance concerning the election I’ve been encountering among my students in China. Conservatively, 80% of my students had no idea that today was the big day and half of that number thought Barack Obama was either a Japanese card game or the starting forward for the Miami Heat. Their lack of awareness, at least in part attributable to the media policies of an unelected one-party government, is one of the reasons why this one matters a great deal.
America, despite its many imperfections and the transgressions foreign and domestic of the Bush era, remains the only unified counterweight of any substance to China’s ever increasing global influence. The world needs America to begin recovering some disillusioned allies and to acquire (as opposed to regain) the status of ‘responsible stakeholder’ in world affairs. The reason for this is, much to CCP’s glee, eight years of Bush blundering around the globe has seen US respect and clout shoved out the back door of many countries, while at the same time China has jammed an enticing and persistent foot in the same nations’ front doors, not to mention half a dozen despotic regimes that nobody else will do business with.
Democratically elected leaders are not always morally upstanding folk, but they are ultimately accountable to the electorate who help to keep them on a straight path through freedom of expression and the right to vote, two pillars of civilisation that lend themselves to moral responsibility even if they can’t guarantee it. What is certain, however, is that the leaders of any country lacking these two pillars will remain incapable of supporting any moral initiative that doesn’t include obvious financial benefit or geopolitical advantage.
This is the main reason that today’s unfolding election is of such great importance to all of us: like it or not, American standing in the world, and more importantly its relationship with a powerful and resource-hungry China, is going to define the world of the coming decades. This relationship, and the path of humanity, can only be steered in a positive direction by an American president of exceptional intelligence, gravitas, and moral courage who can draw a clear distinction between himself and the last incumbent. Obama is the only candidate who gets a tick in every box.
Should Obama fail to ride the wave of hope all the way to the Oval Office I’ll be looking for consolation from a bottle of brandy and a preacher. Fortunately, I have every confidence that such desperate measures will prove unnecessary. Obama won’t find all the answers - the Bush administration has screwed up too badly to allow speedy, across the board solutions. But he can deliver one thing that the whole world badly needs: a presidency that doesn’t look, feel, sound, or act like his predecessor.
Let’s all drink to that.
Update
Well, he did it and he did it in style. And when the job was done he delivered arguably the greatest victory speech of all time. Watch it if you haven’t already. My faith in America and its people is restored. If my students don’t know Obama’s name tomorrow…
November 8th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Howdy Stu,
Just got booted off Peking Duck by your mate Richard - read the thread - I was 200% right - he couldn’t handle it so booted me off (although I admit I did have something to say about his sexuality haha)
Fact is America is stuffed. China is on the rise and out of all major countries America, Russia, UK, France is the only truly moral power in the world today. Out of all major powers she has not invaded any land or currently occupies any land that is not recognized by all nations, Western included, to be part of China. This is unlike the US and UK especially.
China is a force for good in the world.
Obama’s election only happened because whites love to feel good about themselves. They love to feel non-racist, they think the US is ennobled by electing a black man as president. But this is just symbols - shiny symbols that mean naught. Black society is as fucked up, dysfunctional as any on earth. About 1/3 of black men are either in jail or currently going through the legal process that will eventually send them there. America’s incarceration rate is the highest in the world - about 6 times that of China’s. Having Obama up there actually fucks things up more because people think everything is fine now - its all post-racial now when that is nowhere close to the truth. But now it will simply be a heck of a lot harder to convince anyone otherwise.
America is playing games with itself. It is an incredibly divided nation -whereas China is united. Furthermore Chinese IQ is about 106, 107 on average - although the mean is 1/3 standard deviation above the white norm - the proportion of Chinese with IQs over 120 over 130 is about 2 or 3 times that of whites - forgot the exact figures - just get a normal distribution table and figure it out if you don’t believe me. But worse for America is blacks with IQs of about 85 and Hispanics with IQs little over 90. Whether these differences are genetic or not it doesn’t matter - the problem is not going to disappear overnight. America has to look after these sorts of people who walk round in baggy trousers, listen to gangster rap and carry out car-jackings - only in America as Spike Lee said.
China simply does not have a seething, angry, underclass with little interest in education and self-imporvement - which the US has. This will prove to be hugely significant over the next decade or two.
November 8th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
MW,
I didn’t see the comment that got you booted over at PD, but I’m sure it was justified. Sometimes you really are your own worst enemy - Richard will tolerate a lot of crap before he bans anyone. Me too.
There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind where your loyalties lie, and that’s fine. And you usually back up your views with the well-articulated arguments of a knowledgeable individual. But every now and again you lose the plot and go for the cheap insult.
The most confusing thing about this is that you don’t need to reduce your responses to this level. For someone capable of really intelligent debate I simply don’t get it.
We rarely agree about various China-related issues, that’s clear. I’m perfectly comfortable with that and occasionally you say something that challenges a currently held viewpoint of mine.
And therein lies your real value in these online discussions. But you can’t get your point across if your excluded from the debate.
As for America being stuffed, you could be right, although I believe this would be bad for the planet.
Yes, China is enjoying a period of ascendancy - but a China left unchecked through American weakness is less likely to behave responsibly in my opinion.
She could be a force of good for the world, and I think Africa is going to be the litmus test for that theory. The jury is still out right now.
I voice my concerns about China’s increasing influence in the world because I’m not yet convinced.
I’m always happy to hear your rebuttals, MW, so long as you steer clear of the insults.
November 12th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
America is by no means stuffed. Anyone who claims such a thing doesn’t understand the country at all - or is simply engaging in wishful thinking. What country can do what America just did - reinvent itself in a few years? How long will it be before China elects a Uighur as its president?
November 13th, 2008 at 12:55 am
“How long will it be before China elects a Uighur as its president?”
Exactly, Jay. Thanks for visiting.
December 16th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
You are truly sick, stuart.
“America, despite its many imperfections and the transgressions foreign and domestic of the Bush era, remains the only unified counterweight of any substance to China’s ever increasing global influence.”
Of everything you are worried about China’s influence and you need America to counter balance it?
I wonder how you could still live in China. I wonder how your students could stand you.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Pffefer,
Two visits in one day. My cup runneth over!
Why do you always insist on beginning with an insult? Is it a Chinese custom that I’ve failed to notice over the years?
I’m not at all sick. Picture of health, old chap.
You might fancy the notion of a globally dominant China, Pffefer, but for all our sakes we’d better hope that the world stays multi-polar. A strong China is good, but not so strong that it can do as it pleases unchecked.
There is simply no evidence to suggest that the Chinese government would behave responsibly were it to acquire unbridled power. None.
December 17th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Stuart,
What’s wrong with calling a spade a spade? If you think America’s hegemony or grip of power is solely justified by keeping China in check, then you are truly sick. What am I supposed to say, that you are soooo damn smart and correct?
I don’t fancy a globally dominant China, it is neither possible nor practical. Plus it is not good for China. Have you not heard “??????????????????????????” etc.? At least on the world being “multi-polar” the Chinese government agrees with you.
Tschuess, stuart. May you find a better place to live.
December 17th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Apparently your blog does not support Chinese characters. Oh well, forget it.
December 18th, 2008 at 12:38 am
“Tschuess, stuart. May you find a better place to live.”
Just like you did
December 18th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Me? Not at all!
December 22nd, 2008 at 9:03 am
What’s wrong with living in a country without liking its government? That’s only bad if you have to. Stuart lives in China and learns to appreciate what he has at home. Many Overseas Chinese live abroad and learn to appreciate what they have at home. I cautiously agree with Jay Casey, comment #3 (but let’s bear in mind that the movie hasn’t started yet).