Dawn of a New Era, End of an Error

I never thought I'd live to see the day where someone other than an old, rich white man would be President of the United States. I mean, seriously.

When I was in the third grade, I remember seeing a picture of all the Presidents side to side. It ended with Reagan because it wasn't updated just yet from George H.W. Bush being elected, but I looked at it and asked my teacher, Mr. Bowes, why they're all white men only.

"Because only they know how to run a country", he said boldly and with a how-dare-you-ask sort of tone. I was only 8 years old, but I remember curling my eye brows and looking over to one of my classmates, Genevieve Easley, who was the smartest person in the class. She heard what my teacher said, she rolled her eyes, smirked, and sat down shaking her head. I thought to myself that she should be President someday just to prove him wrong. She's black and a female.

I don't remember if it was that same day or a few days later, but I asked my Mom the same question: why are all the Presidents white men only? In retrospect, I can still see her face, and it went a little long, and she began to ponder. She smiled at me and said, "I don't know exactly why, but that only means you have a better chance at being President in the future." (My Mom always said great things like this to me growing up!)

I wanted to be an astronaut, and I had a crush on Joey from New Kids on the Block, but having an aspiration to be President wasn't one of them. Plus, all I knew of President Bush at the time, is that Saddam Hussein called him the Devil of the White House, and I didn't want to be a devil.

I just wanted to be me... I helped my sister with her Easy Bake Oven, and watch Jem with her, but I also played street hockey and football with the guys - she did too! Looking back, I was pretty much one of the girls, too, while she was always one of the boys as well. She and I both got into fist-fights with boys and girls alike. Holly threw down as if she were one of the guys, and I threw down with girls that wanted to fight like one of the guys. No one was safe with us. All of this is how we developed a stronger bond as teenagers and into our current early adult lives.

Anyway, I digress a bit to get back tot he purpose and theme of this post: change on a broad level and for the best.

It was right around this time in my childhood that I realized I was different. I wasn't the typical boy, and my peers picked up on it. The boys would make fun of me, but then became confused when I'd brutally tackle them playing football at recess. One time during Field Day in the Spring my 5th Grade year, I was tennis partners with a boy that made great efforts to make fun of me on a daily basis for "acting like a girl". Well, he was "in my way" during a tennis game and I left a huge welt on his back from whacking him with the tennis racket. He quit making fun of me after that.

The 6th Grade came about, and President Clinton was elected. My teacher, Mrs. Johnson, had us pick a candidate (Bush, Perot, and Clinton), and write about their platforms. I told my teacher that I didn't like any of the candidates because, again, I was ruffled by the fact they were all white men. I told her that I wanted Bill Cosby or Madonna to be President. She laughed at me, and said, "unfortunately, our country will always be far too racist and sexist to elect anyone like them." She said this in a comical, pragmatic tone. Then it became clear to me: she's probably right, but I still hoped that some day, I'd see one or the other.

All I really recall from the Clinton era is that people had jobs and the economy was booming. People were happy, some of the BEST music came out (Nirvana, Bush, Soundgarden, et al.) and then President Clinton got a blowjob, but he was nice and didn't make her swallow.

I do remember thinking that Hilary would make a good President someday, but the fact she stayed with him after all that hulabaloo made me wonder of her true intentions. However, over the next several years, I began to like her less and less, and the Democratic party was falling apart. I figured we'd be stuck with old, rich white men forever as Presidents. I felt so defeated that I was a registered Republican myself.

However, once again, I thank you President Bush for being SO HORRIBLE that you allowed a minority to be elected to office - someone smart and with the ability to construct declarative sentences and read something more difficult than a TV Guide. THANK YOU for destroying the defeatist attitude of Americans that believed the dream of America could live on and allow those that have come to the amazing United States of America over the course of history at a true chance of guaranteeing Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

As a minority of America (oh yes, minority - I may be white, male, 'All American', fiscally conservative social libertarian, but GAY) I'm finally proud of my country for living up to it's true belief that all are created equal. And I'm so happy that I will someday tell my children how wonderful it felt to cast a vote for Barack H. Obama as a registered Republican.