change
as cnn flashed on their fancy lcd screen their prediction that barack obama is now the president-elect, i suddenly shed tears of joy. now, some might say that that was an overreaction, knowing that i'm not an american and america is miles away from the philippines. i understand those kind of reactions but let me explain.
back in 2000 when i was in high school, i ardently supported the democratic candidate al gore. i understand now that i might have been over my head then, not knowing the issues that surround the us election that year. however, as impressionable as i was then, i knew that george w bush would be a terrible president. i just didn't trust the guy.
fast forward to a few years ago, i was excited when news came out of a black senator possibly running for president. barack obama was not a household name then, but just the idea of an african american president, and a democrat at that, gave me hope, due to the utter failure of the bush administration.
and slowly that dream took shape into its full fruition today.
now, to say that i may have overreacted today is the proof that political apathy is the root of all the problems in the philippines. it may sound bad for decentralists, but the fact is, the world is affected in america's decision making. when republicans let wall street run rampant, their economy collapsed, dragging most countries with it. you could also think about this, obama's foreign policy may lead to the replacement of kristie kenney, the us ambassador here.
one thing that saddens me throughout this us election madness is that it revealed the way of thinking of some filipinos in america who voted.
in an interview in anc, one filipino in california said he was for mccain because of his experience with african-americans employees when he was, apparently, a manager for a soft drink factory. i could not believe what i heard, a filipino racist. a filipino who still puts the white man in the pedestal. someone who just because he lives in the us, thinks he's white too.
obama did win, but this kind of opinion coming from filipinos, a minority group in the states, should not be ignored. i hope some education can be done to them there.
but finally, change is coming...
back in 2000 when i was in high school, i ardently supported the democratic candidate al gore. i understand now that i might have been over my head then, not knowing the issues that surround the us election that year. however, as impressionable as i was then, i knew that george w bush would be a terrible president. i just didn't trust the guy.
fast forward to a few years ago, i was excited when news came out of a black senator possibly running for president. barack obama was not a household name then, but just the idea of an african american president, and a democrat at that, gave me hope, due to the utter failure of the bush administration.
and slowly that dream took shape into its full fruition today.
now, to say that i may have overreacted today is the proof that political apathy is the root of all the problems in the philippines. it may sound bad for decentralists, but the fact is, the world is affected in america's decision making. when republicans let wall street run rampant, their economy collapsed, dragging most countries with it. you could also think about this, obama's foreign policy may lead to the replacement of kristie kenney, the us ambassador here.
one thing that saddens me throughout this us election madness is that it revealed the way of thinking of some filipinos in america who voted.
in an interview in anc, one filipino in california said he was for mccain because of his experience with african-americans employees when he was, apparently, a manager for a soft drink factory. i could not believe what i heard, a filipino racist. a filipino who still puts the white man in the pedestal. someone who just because he lives in the us, thinks he's white too.
obama did win, but this kind of opinion coming from filipinos, a minority group in the states, should not be ignored. i hope some education can be done to them there.
but finally, change is coming...