Roundtable
Obama
The Roundtable Open Forum XXV - Apr 21-27
EDITOR
The Rules of the forum are posted here on the right, and need to be followed strictly by all participants.
The following is this week's (April 21 - 27) topic for discussion, which should focus on the questions posed therein:
OBAMA
1 Not since the election of John F. Kennedy to the Presidency of the United States has there been so much excitement and hope, enthusiasm and goodwill - around the world - as was generated by the campaign and election of Barack Hussain Obama. Back in the U.S., however, the response was divided along party, racial and other lines.
2 Sikhs across the globe, not just Sikh-Americans, have also been infected by the energy unleashed by his arrival on the world scene, regardless of whether they agree with American policies, and regardless of whether they gravitate towards Democrat or Republican leanings.
3 Our reasons, conscious and otherwise, are many. Our DNA, for example, automatically puts on the side of the underdog: the incredible injustices meted out on Blacks in America for centuries naturally put our sympathies on their side. George W. Bush and his cronies saw themselves as Christian crusaders. Being terribly flawed as such, they did not endear themselves to us. The wide swath that they carved across the world with their bullying swagger did not turn us into diehard supporters of their heirs. And the devastation caused by America to itself and the world in the eight years preceding Obama gave the latter a natural advantage. And so on ...
4 Moreover, Obama has broken the mold. It is now possible for our sons and daughters to dream - realistically - of one day becoming the President of the United States, or be and do anything else, for that matter. In a single swoop - not unlike Man's first landing on the Moon four decades ago - Obama's Presidency too has suddenly made anything and everything POSSIBLE!
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
- Now, 15 months after Obama's swearing-in as the 44th President of the Unites States of America, what are your personal thoughts - not political views! - about the election of the Black President?
- Do you think it has changed anything for Sikh-Americans? For Sikhs around the world? For our children?
- How?
- Without getting into an assessment of his presidency to date - that is not the purpose of this exercise - do you think America is any better because of this momentous change in the American psyche? Is the world any better off?
- Are Sikhs in any better position than they were pre-Obama? Sikh-Americans?
- Has it changed the forseeable future? How?
- Responses from our readers from all corners of the globe will be most helpful ... especially from our youth!
Conversation about this article
1: Harmeet Kaur (Ajax, Ontario, Canada), April 21, 2010, 12:38 PM.
Barack Obama has, through this single achievement, changed the world for the better. Anything less than what he has achieved in becoming the President of the United States would not have even come close to the impact this event has had. It has made it possible for, inter alia, a woman to become President. The reverberations will be felt in every corner of the globe for a long, long time. Let me be clear: I'm not suggesting it has solved our problems ... but it certainly has opened doors, and provided minorities of every ilk with much-needed ammunition.
2: Karam Singh (Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.), April 21, 2010, 1:28 PM.
Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld damaged the American social fabric and, understandably, the world started to panic. I can't think of any other man ... or woman ... who could have reversed the process or damage. I'm not sure Obama has yet done so, but he has certainly started the process. Confidence within the U.S. - and, as a result, outside the U.S. - is gradually returning. I'm sure many Sikhs too have had a deep sigh of relief, seeing the last of the goofballs who had hijacked this nation and much of the world. I tell you, I sleep better!
3: Kiran Kaur (New York, U.S.A.), April 21, 2010, 2:08 PM.
We'll particularly benefit from Obama if we learn from him. We need to focus on being Sikh-Americans - we are not Asians, we're not Indians, we're not South Asians. Until and unless we carve out for ourselves a clear identity and constituency, all we'll end up doing is help some desis get elected - who will then turn around and work against us, as sure as night follows day!
4: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), April 21, 2010, 6:02 PM.
Obama shall be remembered with Lincoln as among the greatest Presidents. For the first time in a long time here is a man who has kinship with the common man and thus rekindles faith in mankind. Manmohan Singh too shall be remembered as such a humble and an efficacious man.
5: Sanmeet Kaur (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), April 27, 2010, 3:51 PM.
Personally, I feel much is expected from Obama, perhaps more than he can deliver. Also, Barrack H. Obama may look different but if one only heard him talk, he sounds like any other upper-crust white ex-President of U.S.A., except, of course, Bush Jr. (who remains in a league of his own). Given that, it is heartening that Americans could overcome their stubborn prejudices to elect a 'different' President. In October 2009, a video clip of President Obama wishing Indians a Happy Diwali was making the rounds via email and on Facebook. In that clip, Obama explained why Sikh-Americans and Hindus both celebrate the same festival for different reasons. It was a simple gesture that probably didn't take much time and went a long, long way. I'm not much for politics but it seems to me a good time to get out and tell Americans about Sikhs and Sikhi. They seem to be in the mood for listening and learning about 'new' faiths and people.