An Obamanation?

It can be quite easy for people to get caught up in institutional culture. It is a powerful force that form clicks and gangs for good and bad. The cautious tale of most groups is that power when not pure is used for evil or have horrible consequences. Colin Powell this week noted something I have quietly noticed but never voiced because I understood to nature of American at this particular time. To call someone a Muslim is been turned into a swear, a curse in American that may result in banishment, harassment, and even assault. I tend to remember several of my classmates after 9/11 being pull over and harassed by police. It was a "black" moment for them. But as the years progressed a certain nihilism set in that allowed even the most socially conscience person to accept that if Obama was a Muslim then he is doomed. His strongest supports after professing their admiration for the man would cringe at the revelation that Obama was a Muslim. What this has shown is an underlying truth for many Americans. To be a real American you must fit within a certain paradigm, and that paradigm rarely includes Blacks, Muslims, and really anything that isn't White Anglo with Christian roots and beliefs. One would believe the paradigm is shifting and hopefully the world can see this. But, we must also see that there are many that do not want the paradigm to shift. The no only shout hateful things but accompany those words with ornaments of Curious George to represent Obama. My only hope for the next generation is that these fringe elements continue to become more narrow.