My first round of mid terms have been put to rest. I have a few weeks of test freedom until the next round comes crashing in. I will be taking this time to write a couple of papers (writing this is a warm up). While I could disgust any possible readers of this blog with the exciting tales of pathology, genetics, immunology, and anatomy, I'm sure everyone is more focused on a little upcoming election.
A bit of personal history first...I was raised in two locations: Texas and rural Colorado. My father is from the panhandle of Texas; he is as white and conservative as they come. My mom is of Mexican decent and was born and raised in a border town. Our interal family dinamics, looking back on them now, are phenomonally strange. When visiting my father's side of the family it is not rare to hear blatantly racist garbage, sometimes even directed against the very race that myself and mother constitute. These events aren't offensive to me, I understand that they do not see me as a member of the groups they attack. They see me as grandson, nephew, cousin; not mexican, spic, ditch digger. I don't know how these these conflicting ideas present in their minds. For me, forgiveness and an understanding that they lack the experience with culture to understand the harm they cause rule out any anger or grudge I may harbour. I was raised primarily with these Christian, conservative ideals when it came to my politics. As I matured and explored ideas/perspectives outside of these boundries my own belief systems formed.
And this is the part where I gush about Obama. I doubt that I will ever relate to another political figure as I do to Barack Obama. I understand that this could be construed as being not different from the people who vote for a candidate on the basis of "I could sit and drink a beer with that guy", but I can't help it. Barack's speach on race after the Rev. Wright fiasco hit so close to home for me. Growing up in primarily white America, I struggled with identity. To this day, I am forced to adjust and often ignore ideas that Mexican's come in certain boxes. As though pursuing academics or not knowing how to salsa dance exclude me from my racial background. That, to me, is the most damaging feature of race. Those not in the racial majority are expected to follow cultural roles that the minority is seen to reflect. Growing up white means that you have a cultural get out of jail free card, you can pursue what interests you and what you relate to. Being a racial minority in the United States means that you are expected to be deeply anchored in that culture, work with that culture, enjoy only those cultural activities. If you do not, than you are an Oreo or worse. I am non of these things, I enjoy Spanish language and Mexican food, but I am not Catholic, I do not go out of my way to find hispanic areas of the city. I understand and empathize with the plight of immigrant and Mexican issues, but science and medicine are of much greater interest to me than those social issues. Barack explains these ideals and perspectives. I truly believe he understands the ethnic components of America. He doesn't come from a background of white and black; he sees communities in constant modes of balancing race, family, and work. He understands that we are all in this together.
In addition to this more personal reason for supporting Barack Obama, his policies are absolutely needed. Our current economic situation and the immense gap between the super rich and poor in this country should absolutely put the Republican "trickle down" economics completely to bed. The idea simply does not work and has caused a horrific amount of damage to so many Americans. Barack Obama is not an elitis, but he certainly has an elite mind. His campaign has been focused and really transcedant in these bleak political times. His health care plan is light years better than anything coming from the other side and I think he will more capably drive us away from our dependence on oil. On social issues (abortion, same-sex marriage, gun control) I will always lean to the left. I believe that the past few decades the conservative movement drove policy drastically to the right. While the free market is most certainly the best economic system, there obsolutely must exist balances in the form of regulation to keep middle and lower class Americans from slipping to the bleak level they are at right now. Ok, I have been on my soap box enough this morning. Time to get back to medicine. Get out and vote!
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