Hispanics feeling betrayed by Obama
I read a report today that some Hispanics are feeling betrayed by President-elect Obama choices for his top cabinet positions. Most of top cabinet positions have been filled by whites and Jews, with the notable exception being Bill Richardson, who is Hispanic. Obama is expected to name his once-bitter rival Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.
By most estimations Obama's choices so far is very close to perfect. He's assembling a "dream team" of experienced and well qualified individuals to deal with the economic crisis and two wars abroad inherited from the Bush administration. His choices reflect his commitment to unity and getting-the-job-done over race politics.
I understand Hispanics' feeling of betrayal since, like African Americans, Hispanics voted overwhelmingly in favor of Obama. At first glance, the racial composition of his administration may not reflect the "change" that he promised.
In his defense, however, the country is facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and Obama simply cannot afford to appoint anyone but the most qualified and experienced people to the top posts. It just so happens that the most experienced people happen to be white and Jewish.
A major reason that there are fewer qualified minorities is that we were seldom given the opportunities to gain the necessary experiences. Working under a black president, Obama's white and Jewish cabinet members would be hard-pressed not to recruit minorities to their departments. These diverse and inclusive working environments, in turn, will enable minorities to attain the necessary experiences and credentials to become the leaders of tomorrow.
As a Khmer I would like to see at least one or two Asian Americans appointed to Obama's top posts. However, even more important than Asian representation is that he or she is truly qualified for the job. I do not want to see Obama appoint an Asian just to show that his administration is inclusive of Asian Americans.
Tokenism is a deplorable arrangement that attempts to project a semblance of diversity while perpetuating the status quo. The token Asian appointments of past administrations have done little to advance Asian American concerns. Often, they were even less interested about Asian American causes than their white bosses.
Obama, on the other hand, is more concerned about laying the foundations for real diversity and real inclusion whereby all Americans would be given an equal opportunity to succeed. Far from betraying his minority supporters, I think Obama's actions reflect incredible depth, foresight, and integrity in his thinking.
I've always been impressed by Obama's exceptional intelligence and vision, and I think America is very fortunate that he, instead of one the other candidates, was elected to lead the country out of the current mess.
By most estimations Obama's choices so far is very close to perfect. He's assembling a "dream team" of experienced and well qualified individuals to deal with the economic crisis and two wars abroad inherited from the Bush administration. His choices reflect his commitment to unity and getting-the-job-done over race politics.
I understand Hispanics' feeling of betrayal since, like African Americans, Hispanics voted overwhelmingly in favor of Obama. At first glance, the racial composition of his administration may not reflect the "change" that he promised.
In his defense, however, the country is facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and Obama simply cannot afford to appoint anyone but the most qualified and experienced people to the top posts. It just so happens that the most experienced people happen to be white and Jewish.
A major reason that there are fewer qualified minorities is that we were seldom given the opportunities to gain the necessary experiences. Working under a black president, Obama's white and Jewish cabinet members would be hard-pressed not to recruit minorities to their departments. These diverse and inclusive working environments, in turn, will enable minorities to attain the necessary experiences and credentials to become the leaders of tomorrow.
As a Khmer I would like to see at least one or two Asian Americans appointed to Obama's top posts. However, even more important than Asian representation is that he or she is truly qualified for the job. I do not want to see Obama appoint an Asian just to show that his administration is inclusive of Asian Americans.
Tokenism is a deplorable arrangement that attempts to project a semblance of diversity while perpetuating the status quo. The token Asian appointments of past administrations have done little to advance Asian American concerns. Often, they were even less interested about Asian American causes than their white bosses.
Obama, on the other hand, is more concerned about laying the foundations for real diversity and real inclusion whereby all Americans would be given an equal opportunity to succeed. Far from betraying his minority supporters, I think Obama's actions reflect incredible depth, foresight, and integrity in his thinking.
I've always been impressed by Obama's exceptional intelligence and vision, and I think America is very fortunate that he, instead of one the other candidates, was elected to lead the country out of the current mess.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by KC Admin on -
Hi Maly & Lilly,
I share your sentiments. Despite the recent successes of blacks and Hispanics, I think Asians largely will be left behind. When we talk about "Asian Americans," we're talking about Khmers, Chinese, Indians, Koreans, Vietnamese, Filipinos, and so on-- these are all very different cultures speaking different languages and believing in different religions. Asian-Americans are not a monolithic group like African Americans and Hispanics who speak the same language and share similar cultures.
Even within the Khmer community there is so much division. In contrast to blacks, who voted for Obama at an astonishing rate of 95%, Khmer Americans are a fractured group whose members have very different views and political persuasions. In an ideal world such diversity is completely healthy and normal. But in a country where the concept of "race" is etched in everyone's mind, a small and weak ethnic group like Khmer Americans who struggle to stand together and speak with one voice will be left behind.
Our only hope is the gradual decay of the social construct "race" within the American societ. At the present I think having Obama at the help will accelerate that process. It's a vision shared by great and honorable people Martin Luther King, John Kennedy, and-- we hope-- Barack Obama.
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Permalink Reply by KC Admin on
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Hi Lilly. I hear that the Japanese have a tendency to want to appear "middle class". That's probably why their country has been exceptionally successful, in any form, relative to other Asian countries. Although Lexus is made in Japan, you won't see the Japanese driving Lexus. In Japan they're just high-end Toyota models. The Lexus badge is just a marketing tactic to exploit the class consciousness of other countries. By contrast, Vietnamese, Chinese and Khmers tend to be very class-conscious. At parties and gatherings you'll see them showing off their Mercedes, Lexus, jewelry, designer clothes, etc. At any rate, my understanding about the Japanese, Chinese, Indians, etc. is very superficial, based on what I read and heard, so I can't say too much about them.
As for Asians excelling in math, science and medicine but not in public service, I think social pressure has a lot to do with that. Although fields like history, literature, and religion are much easier than quantum physics, you won't see many Asian students majoring in the humanities because they realize there won't be many job opportunities for them when they graduate. Many people who study these fields already have jobs waiting for them when they graduate. Having the right connections is just as important in America as it is in Cambodia; it's just that the situation is a lot better in America that you don't notice it as much.
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Permalink Reply by KC Admin on
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Hi Maly. I don't we'll see Asian Americans gaining political parity with other groups within our lifetime. That said, I think Americans today more educated, diverse, multicultural, tolerant, open-minded and informed than ever.
Obama is said to have "made history" because he'll be the first "black" president. People seem to forget that he's also half-white. Why should it even matter that he's black or white?
To the extent that the concept of "race" plays a major role in shaping and defining people's political affiliations, voting habits, socioeconomic stratification, and so on and so forth, Asians will continue to struggle to gain political relevance within the American society. But witnessing from afar I must say that America is making a very inspirational and beautiful progress towards greatness that it has long claimed.
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Permalink Reply by KC Admin on
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Sociological patterns are legitimate topics of discussion because they ultimately impact the everyday lives of ordinary citizens.
For instance, if I wanted to open a donut shop in America, I could probably do it in just a couple of months because many of my friends and relatives are in the donut business. I could easily go to them for advice and help on starting up, finding suppliers, employing workers, and successfully operating a donut shop.
That's because Khmer Americans pretty much have the donut business cornered. Khmers probably can be said to "control" the donut business because it's easier for members of our community get into it than, say, a Pakistani immigrant.
What if in addition to the donut business, we had similar easy access to the U.S. financial and banking systems, the government, real estate, academic institutions, the legal system, Hollywood, the media, and thousands of other sectors of society?
The fact is, we don't-- and if we don't talk about it, our kids never will. Heinekens are great, but we can't drink it all the time.
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