Let me first begin by saying that while I believe that it is impossible to completely remove politics from the act of teaching (those who claim otherwise are deluding themselves) I make a conscious effort to stay mute when it comes to my political choices. I realize what an impact a teacher's political leanings can make on his/her students. My role is not to influence students to adopt my position. Rather, I want them to question why candidate X or Y (or Z?) is the right choice. The miniature political rallies that boil up in class are more the product of the political rants students have heard from the adults at home and less motivated by a student's well-developed, reasonable consideration of who's the best person for the job. Idealistic, I know, to think that most people in the United States would ever make such an important decision with such criterion in mind.When the students asked me who I'll vote for this coming November I told them that I'll share my decision on November 5th (unless there's a repeat of 2000, of course). They're dying to know--I realize that.
But here's the crux of my rambling: After the side conversations and comments overheard in class and general observation, it's clear that most of the students in my classes would choose Obama. But it's more than that. Obama is not a celebrity, he's a hero to many of the students. He's not just a choice, the lesser of two evils, he's salvation from the same. He's a ticket to opportunity. There's no wonder why. We as educators understand that students, especially students of color, need role models to identify with. Race, ethnicity, class--these are realities for many of the students at Mayfair, and no talk of the universalities of character, the rhetoric of getting beyond the surface of skin color can change the reality that many of the students face on a daily basis. That is the currency with which they negotiate their identities. There is no wonder why Barack Obama wouldn't be embraced by people of color. He's the entire package--at least when seen through the lens offered.
How could any educator not be inspired by the passion students share for a political figure? As out of touch as we teachers become from students' lives, all the undecipherable chatter that foments on the periphery of our daily classroom discussions, all those objects of desire students plaster on student notebooks--same ol' objects different names--they belong to the students' lives and exist as their own. But when I see pictures of Barack plastered among those pictures of models, bands, or pop idols, I wonder how detached students' lives really are from ours. To a teacher, we may take a cynical tone when attempting to make sense of the latest cultural shift (perhaps our attempt to stay relevant?) yet how could any teacher dismiss the students' passionate support for Obama with cynicism? This is certainly something that we haven't seen in a while, such passionate support for a political figure. Sure, there were the popular presidents such as JFK, Reagan, and Clinton. As popular as they were, they were still part of the establishment. But with Barack, it feels different. And while he may be just as much part of the establishment, it still feels as though so much more is riding on the line with him.
Before dismissing this as pure messianic politics, consider the dark side of this passion. Many of the students hope for Obama in '08, but many of these supporters are just as certain that he is a marked man, a prime target for assassination. Does this say something about one's understanding of our country's politics? Maybe. What's shocking may also be what it says about those who view Barack as their hero while still being so certain of assassination. Perhaps their belief in what's even possible for a person of color in America? Do they see the American Dream propagated for so many generations as no longer possible, nor deferred, but a shriveled bag of rhetoric? If so, I don't know how I feel about any of it. It tells me that so many in this country have accepted the belief that hope can only live so long in this place before it must die. So sad.
Or is it human to sacrifice our heroes? Martyrs are so more convenient, fixed to a grave and fixed to a single vital image, to a single passion, to a single speech, or even phrase. Heroes will eventually let us down, won't they? But a martyr is much less complex, much easier to understand and, thereby, apotheosized. Jesus, el commandante, MLK, JFK.
I tell my students that I don't want to hear such conspiracy theories--they are filled with hopelessness and despair. That's not what we need now. I will wait till November 5th, but I wonder if I should even tell them at all who I'm voting for. Perhaps I should something like, "I voted Green", or "Sorry, I couldn't find my voting site." Bad faith, yes. But I don't want them to rely on me for validation on this matter. This isn't about the leaders, this is about them: the people.
image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spcoon/2552184350/
