Well…
I’m listening
Attentively
Passionately
Ardently
Authentically
Wanting to know what
Drives us to walk about
Dance around
Skip along
Pretending…that all is well
When in fact the writing is on the wall
Worlds crumbling like
Silence is golden
Succumbing to a political correctness
That holds us all hostage
Every subject taboo
Every emotion offended
Though it is only through this dialogue
This reaching, this breaking…bread…barriers…ground
That real healing is effected.
We avoid being affected
Though awareness abounds
In turn
We become
Desensitized
Distanced
Deep into dispositions of melancholia
Some call it depression
Indifference…even
Debates make mockery
Of our meaningful pleas and demands
Our cries become vanquished beneath mere chicanery
The dialogue becomes the ineffectual, dissonant, din
Breakthrough becomes
Shattered by soundbites
Devalued by media spinsters
Rescued instead only posthumously
In obituaries and iconic reflection
******
I’d love to know your thoughts and expectations about presidential debates. If you are reading this after viewing the first presidential debate between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, I definitely want to hear your reaction.
This special blogging project, for which I am an official blogger, coincides with the thought-provoking documentary, “Race 2012: A Conversation About Race & Politics in America” airing on PBS on October 16, as well as promote conversations across the country on the subject. (Please check local listings for exact times.) As a part, I hope to spark some civil and candid conversation here as well. Are you ready?
In the meantime, please do catch up with fellow bloggers on this project and read their unique perspectives. Click here for a complete listing of contributions thus far.
Let’s get it started, y’all!
Life As An Art Form 
I was out late, grocery shopping after a long day (obviously incubating a nasty germ that’ll have me crawling back into bed soon) but I saw some of the re-run and heard lots of opinions of the debate on MSNBC and PBS. I was mostly creeped out by Romney’s facial expressions and his all around smug demeanor, as well as the fact that he was comfortable with mean-spirited misdirection and out-and-out lies. That’s presidential?
Why was there was no third party moderator who could call foul when lies were uttered or questions not addressed? Obama couldn’t because Romney was like a schoolyard or a workplace bully. We all know that if you can’t immediately show a bully paper or film that proves their lie, they just make you look small as you say, ‘nuh-uh’ while they smirk.
I don’t need these debates to lead me to my vote. And I’m afraid for our country’s future, considering the unfathomable answers of the undecided (?) voters gathered on one station to give their impressions of the debate they’d just seen.
Last, how can Romney get away with the misleading and offensive crack about Obama “lying” like one of his sons would? My anger about that is deep. Today I’m trying hard not to let it consume me.
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LadySparks!!! I have been channeling you ALL day. 🙂 Seriously. I was waiting for someone to call out Romney’s demeanor. I called it a SAL -smug-ass-look. It was offending. The smirk seemed to be a shield for the untruths in his heart, some spoken, others unspoken. Many of my African-American friends commented on what Romney seemed to be suggesting in his glares and arrogance. It was unsettling to say the least.
I appreciate your taking the time to share your candid thoughts, Ré. While the media is quick to pronounce a winner and loser of this debate, I too am afraid that America as a whole will lose terribly if the emphasis isn’t restored to its people versus enterprise and corporate interests.
On a more personal note, I sure do hope you feel better soon, ladybug! 🙂
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This was so beautifully done! Thanks again for stopping by Destination Unknown. I am also thrilled to go through this experience with you! Your writing is phenomenal.
As for the debates, I watched. I listened. I watched as others rambled on Twitter and FB. It was interesting to see how people saw two completely different versions of the same debate.
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Thanks Nicole! You are too kind. I’m glad that you enjoy my writing, and hope that you stay tuned for more, on race and politics, and beyond…on LIFE! 🙂 I agree with you on the debates. At times, I wondered whether I was tuned in to the same program, especially after hearing the autopsy report from the various media outlets.
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Thank you for always sharing thought provoking prose. While I too liked the stanza that Monica referred to the stanza that resonated the most with me is:
When in fact the writing is on the wall
Worlds crumbling like
Silence is golden
Succumbing to a political correctness
That holds us all hostage
In terms of the debate, I did not see it from the beginning however, I found our President to be quieter than I am used to but still as focused on making the middle class whole again. His message was no less consistent or well thought out. Obama is the tortoise in Aesop’s fable subjected to the ridicule of his opponent the hare – Romney who is convinced that reversing chaos is a swift measure.
Romney delivered strategic jabs in an effortless manner primarily because he is fresh off the debate trail. Moreover, Romney seemingly appeared stronger because he did not have the usual and customary gaffes that have become his signature mark which prompted him to respond in aggressively with the same message.
I look forward to round 2 and beyond towards the BIG DAY.
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Darlene, thanks for chiming in on “So You Want a Debate…Really?” Your comments are thoughtful and aligned with some of my own observations on last night’s debate.
I am reminded of Alice Walker’s Open Letter to Barack Obama in the fall of 2008, in which she lovingly encourages Obama to:
“remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life.”
Last night, POTUS Obama appeared tired. The spinsters called him “listless”, which though disheartening, seemed true. But then I thought of the part of Walker’s letter that reads: “I would further advise you not to take on other people’s enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain”, and took comfort in seeing Obama remain consistent in his advocacy of the American people. Romney’s rhetoric, on the other hand, seemed to be ensconced in “banks, corporations, and businesses”; with each new sentence, he appeared further disconnected. Romney’s enemies seem to be those Americans who work tirelessly to secure a part of the American dream, those same persons that those most blessed are in a position to help (not give hand-outs). That “I-am-my-brother’s-keeper” love was glaringly absent.
I too, am looking forward!
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I’m about to get comfortable in front of the TV and watch the pre-games that lead to tonight’s debate. Can’t wait. In the meantime, loved reading your poem. I think this is my favorite stanza:
Every subject taboo
Every emotion offended
Though it is only through this dialogue
This reaching, this breaking…bread…barriers…ground
That real healing is effected.
The candidates would do well to read this before going on stage this evening. Let’s hope we can reach a point where the healing begins.
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I sure do hope so, Monica. I’m going to get all comfy now, with a glass of Riesling, and do the same. (No Hugo for me.) 🙂
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I’m looking forward to this, SE. Are we in the same time zones for the debate? Anyway, I just wanted to mention something a journalist said that made me view Obama differently. The journalist pointed out that while people complain Obama got nothing done, this does not mean he’s giving up. In fact he’s just getting started. Obama’s strategy is slow and patient; wear them down. I never considerd this and although I have my own complaints about Obama, I think his leadership style kills it.
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Hey Amelie!
Yes, I agree on Obama’s leadership. The opinions vary on what Obama has actually done thus far, but the record is objective and speaks for itself. I’m glad that the journalist was able to articulate the truth that much of what any president/leader/CEO sets out to do rarely, or entirely, gets accomplished in one term, and certainly not with a largely obstructive and insubordinate Congress.
Slow and steady.
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P.S. it comes on at 9p, East coast time. How about you?
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Oh, yeah I’m East coast too! :D. 9pm.
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