“HELLO.”
“Well, that was a forceful ‘Hello’…”
“Sorry, Ma. You’ve called three times and each time I picked up, I heard nothing.”
“I have a bad connection, sorry…listen, I have a quick thing to ask you.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Should I vote?”
“WHAT?!”
“Is the primary important? Isn’t the election what matters?”
“Well…the primary is going to determine who will be in those elections, so yes it’s very important. Why are you even asking? GO VOTE, woman. Cheee!”
“I know…I should…”
“Then?”
“Well, I don’t know…”
“About what?”
“Why can’t I vote for who I want?”
“Ma. Clinton is on the ballot. What are you saying?”
“But I have to vote for a Democrat.”
“Ohhh, that-a-way. Yeah, it’s basically a closed primary.”
“That’s not fair.”
“DUDE. You were the one who was all drunk off HRC kool-aid a week ago.”
“I don’t like people telling me who to vote!”
Sigh.
“Ma. Go vote. It’s important.”
“Why?”
“Because California is the most awesome prize of them all. Don’t you want to have a say in that?”
“I guess.”
“A little less enthusiasm, you’re making me wince. Hmm, maybe it’s not a closed primary…wasn’t there something like Prop 189…hold on…oh, you know what, Mummy, it’s not closed–“
“YES IT IS!! They just said on the TV.”
“I’m skimming, I’m skimming…oh, you’re right. Okay fine, it’s a modified-closed…geez, I was a poli-sci major a looong time ago.”
“It’s closed. They said so on the news, right now.”
“Mom, seriously you are confusing me here with your waffling-“
“But what if…”
“What if WHAT, edi Ammay?” **
“What if I want…to…vote…for McCain?”
Sigh.
“You can’t, Ma. You’re a registered Dem. From whence cometh this desire to finally come out of the closet and betray the husband who ordered you to register Dem before you knew or gave two shits about what either party stood for?”
“I like McCain. I always have.”
“You like Hillary, too.”
“I know…but…”
“Ma, listen. It might be really close…I’m swamped with my report, so I’m not up on the latest counts, but I think I heard something about Hill taking her ‘home state’ of New York on NPR…”
“She has Florida, too!”
“Okay then. But remember, Obama is a rockstar with the youths, and with the imprimatur of the Kenned-“
“I STILL think that was wrong of them to do!”
“Ma. Focus. Obama could win. You really don’t like him. That…means…get…off…the…phone…and vote.”
“I guess…I just don’t know.”
“Mommy, I have to go, but I’m going to be really offensive because I know how to move your ass to its civic obligations.”
“How?”
“Every vote counts. If you don’t vote now, a Black, quasi-Muslim might end up in the White House.”
Silence.
“Well, when you put it THAT way…”
“Exactly. You’re a ridiculous Mommy, you know that?”
“Yes.”
“And for the tenth time, Obama’s Christian. And Daddy loved Jesse Jackson and Obama is like, a million times awesomer than Mr. Rainbow.”
“I know, I know he’s Christian…I know what I feel is very wrong…”
“But?”
“Nothing. I have to go vote now.”
“Ma! You are such a racist.”
“I know…I feel bad.”
“Then change who you’ve been for 57 years! I’m kidding. I’m reading stuff on the website about how other kids’ parents feel like you do, whether they articulate it so crudely or not. You’re in one hell of a bigot-sorority.”
“On your website?”
“Yes. On my website.”
“We are a different generation, monay…”
“Yes, yes. Now go cast your vaguely racist vote. I love you despite your shortcomings.”
“I love you too. Don’t stay too late.”
“I won’t.”
“Oooh! Oooh! They’re saying they are running low on Democrat ballots!”
“Okay, and that means you should…?”
“I’m going, I’m going…if I can’t have my McCain, I will take Hillary.”
“Bye Ma.”
“(laughing) Bye…”
::
** Do not try this at home. My parents thought it was adorable that I called them “Edi” and “Ada” as a toddler. Yours might take a Cheena Chatti to your head.
At least, the wysiwyg Indian voter is not susceptible to the Bradley effect! π
Seriously, though, it seems Obama is doing pretty well among white males. I do hope that these votes are indeed pro-Obama rather than anti-Hillary. (Personally, I am not a big fan of the personality cult around Obama which he feeds with his vacuous hope/change schtick, and given that he has quite often chosen the easy road in tons of legislation both in Illinois and Washington, I don’t have any reason to believe that he will be significantly different than Hillary in terms of actual policy that gets enacted. In fact, any further legislative record in the Senate can only prove to be a downside to a future presidential run as far as he is concerned, since he won’t be able to actually maintain his public image of the idealist outsider. That said, image is everything, so if it is politically untenable for Congress to oppose him because the public is too busy drooling, that might give him more leverage to actually get good legislation passed.)
BTW, Krugman seems to have consistently come out in support of Hillary’s health plan over Obama’s, especially slamming the latter on its lack of universal health care. The most recent example is here. Are there people who have looked into this who can amplify?
I believe every person has a natural age. Mine falls north of sixty and I’ve always been the hoary one. So I feel I can relate more to the senior gen. So many revolutions (around the sun) ago, I felt a greater affinity for Bob Dole than for Clinton. Dole stood for heroism, honor, do-the-right-thing, a mensch. WJC was um… a little sleazy. I knew Mr Dole was done when he fell off some scaffolding and appeared on TV sprawled on the ground with someone rushing to help him up. it seemed to be the moment he appeared too frail to be president.
Anyhow, I have this deja vu. A clinton nominated by the Democrats. A war hero and a respected senator nominated by the Republicans. In spite of my affinity and trust for the latter, I fear HRC will win – and not for any major policy issues, but because McCain will be shown up as too old to win – which seems a little low.
There is just One way to break the spell.
50 ΓΒ· NP said
Some of us have our facts just fine.
But if you’re expecting the average voter to take the time to go to Snopes and discover that the “Obama is a radical Muslim!” email they were forwarded–which I got, as well– is false, I think you’re expecting a lot.
Additionally, hasn’t Obama chosen to identify as Black vs. “half-black”?
One datapoint worth considering is how Asian-Americans broke in California: about 4-1 for Hillary. I can’t help but think this overwhelming vote (greater than the Latino 2-1 break) is in some part fueled by existing racial issues. Of course asian-americans in california are a multi-generational, and very diverse group to lump together like this, but somehow I suspect prevailing attitudes among the more recently naturalized played at least a small part in that vote being so lopsided. And that’s depressing.
I can relate to that. When I was 19 I took a quiz in some silly magazine to figure out my mental age. Turned out I was 75! Anyway, I think it’s totally unfair to say older desis are prejudiced against Obama. It’s more likely they’re trying to figure out who the hell he even is. Many Latinos and desis relate better to Hillary (and Bill) and there’s a comfort factor to familiarity. To blame this on prejudice seems just as wrong as it is to say Obama won some of the states solely because of his race.
Rob, I don’t know about Jindal in ’12, but I do know I have accused her of being a closet Rep for yeeeears. So she wouldn’t look like she was changing gears, not to those who know her. π I know it shocks people, but CA isn’t always as liberal as people assume…but I say that about Cal, as well, and most people look at me blankly.
voiceinthehead, um, you are welcome. π
Camille, I’m excited about this year, too! Finally, some candidates I like vs. feel resigned towards.
Dercosyst, for the record, I have never been smacked with a cheena chatti. π
SSK, w00t for disrespectful children!!
ak, I know many people here are “set” with their prefs, but my experience is like yours– people torn, for various reasons. My parents never missed a chance to vote, AFAIK. π I was getting dragged to the polls for as long as I remembered. I hear you about the party affiliation issue– that’s part of why I left the Elephants (who are more apposite, considering my name) and went Indie.
HMF, I agree. I think a lot of first gens would go with McCain instead of Bharath O, for lots o’ reasons.
Cliff, I can’t convey how touched I am by your comment, that something meaningless/fun I wrote reminded you of such a sweet memory. In other news, how tough are you, to dent a chaya pathram?! π
brown, aww, thank you! When that photo was taken, I was obsessed with wearing saris Guju-ishtyle, especially if they had pallus as glorious as that (it’s my favorite wedding sari, which was never worn by a bride). My dad had great taste.
HMF (again!), I know people don’t believe me or agree with me, but I think the quasi-connection to Islam rankles people, whether they cop to it or not. I don’t think you sounded silly at all.
Floridian-Uncle, well this might be a Sepia first. π Arranging a blogger via comment thread! Your nephew’s childhood friend sounds like the grand prize in a marriage lottery– which is obviously why I haven’t a chance with him. π
I love that you are very Jewish, btw, almost as much as I love that you thought so kindly/highly of me, as to leave such a fantastic comment. π As for McCain, to me, I can’t think of another candidate where people are so willing to overlook disturbing things (like Iraq) so thoroughly. The man’s got charisma and a bunch of other swoon-inducing stuff.
p.s. For the record, this ABD doesn’t have issues with y’all arranging stuff. π Like your taste in men is going to be worse than mine… π
Satya, you are most welcome. Thanks for reading. π I have heard from a few of you who had eerily similar conversations with your parents. And thanks for actually saying that it’s par for the course with a startling majority of your F/F. Sometimes I want to bang my head on my desk slowly, when people tell me desis aren’t biased in very depressing ways.
Athena, again, people disagree with me, but I think it is a generational thing. I have heard from some of you about how your parents or Aunts are pro-Obama and I keep thinking, outlier/exception to rule. You can be educated and still prejudiced as evidenced by the commenters who emerge whenever Modi isn’t deified on this blog.
Ardy, I think it’s a “bloody Indian” thing, too. As for your hope that the second gen has more sense after growing up here, I direct your attention to SAFO, an org I am truly impressed with and fond of. We may be “confused”, but as the first half of that acronym indicates, many of us are different from our parents; I feel bad defining it in terms of “sense”, because our parents/DBD F/F have sense too…but it’s hard to let go of certain mores and it’s unrealistic to expect people who move to America to shed their issues which are deeply-rooted. I wish they would, but I respect that it’s not my place to demand that.
ptr_vivek, my favorite thing about Obama is his oratorical prowess. That was a beautiful line, which practically beckoned the listener in to a solidarity-embrace, but even more beautiful than that is that it wasn’t a one-off sound bite. He’s often that eloquent, to the point where people claim “style, not substance!” What a race we’re in the midst of…
Yogi, I don’t think you were naive, I think you were hopeful, and to me, there is a difference. π Not all voters are knowledgeable, sadly, for a non-trivial number of them, all it takes is one incident (Obama’s mini-memo-gate…) and whimsically, their minds are made up.
Rahul…you may be on to something…a lot of the SAFO-ists I know are Lemurian…
Maitri, sooo good to see you commenting. π Amma dearest drank the HRC kool-aid at about the same time. I don’t know if this is about race so much as gender…my mom (for some ridiculous reason) digs…Condoleeza Rice. I’m going to have a shame spiral now, thanks.
tamasha, they are, but there are ugly rumors about Obama, which you will see on random forums and blogs far more than you would like…I can’t believe he has a SNOPES page to debunk it all! Oy.
dilettante’s favorite, thank you for bringing up Ward and 209. π See everone? California. Not so crunchy.
Whew, that was the most exhausting comment I’ve ever typed. I was just touched some of you bothered to read a random convo betwixt me and moms, I felt like I had to try and thank you properly. For those who have asked on SM and elsewhere, I am feeling better but am still sick…which is why it is time for me to go rest. π
I’m sort of late to the party, but I’m behind with everything partially b/c I was late to vote last night. Work meeting went over and then traffic from hell. My commute took 2.5x the regular time. I had forgotten to take all my voting materials with me and lost my cell phone; I had no memory of the actual address of my polling place, which is an awesome old dude’s garage. All those streets look alike, and I drove in and out of each of them, trying to find the garage. Right about when I thought I must have passed it, I saw signs “Vote —>” and followed them to an elementary school. “Oh,” I thought, “it must not be in the garage anymore. Funny I didn’t notice that.” AT this point it’s 7:10 and the radio is full of stories about polling stations running out of Dem ballots and long lines. I run into the school and stand in line for 20 minutes before they tell me they don’t have me on the list and I’m in the wrong place—it is the garage. They have a map of the garage and no address—I have no phone to call home and get the address. Some kind probation officer lends me his cell phone, and my sister gives me the address. I find the garage—they are having power issues, and the garage had been temporarily dark when I drove past previously. The vote counting machine is running on battery power, and dear Mr. Hogan is wandering around, cane in one hand and lantern in another, illuminating people’s work. At this point it’s much closer to 8 and I am starting to panic. . .what if somehow this isn’t the right place any more either? And then they whip out the sign-in-book and I see my mother’s signature. “It’s my mommy’s signature!” Such a relief. Finally, I got to vote.
Interestingly, my desi parents (60+) are solidly behind Obama…so much so that my mom called my brother and I three times yesterday to remind us to vote in the NY primaries. My dad also called several friends and relatives in other states to encourage them to vote.
More than anything, my folks strongly identify with Obama’s politics. But, they also recognize similarities between Obama and themselves. Obama is the son of an immigrant, a brown-skinned man poised to be a successful and highly visible world leader, and is(in their eyes) an underdog. In this case, my parents (perceived underdogs) align with Obama.
Well, Hillary is D-Punjab after all…
Rahul, despite Ms. Clinton’s affiliation, among (young) Punjabi ABDs in the regions I’m familiar with (CT, NJ, the Bay) there’s a pretty 50/50 split π
Oh, ANNA and ak — on voting. I was going to say that I have often been VERY disheartened by my options during elections. Not only because I lived in California (don’t get me started on the gerrymandering and anti-democratic tactics of the Dems and Repubs!), where we’re told our vote matters for little except to rack up numbers and $$ come election time, but also because I found the candidates REALLY disappointing. Sometimes I would stand with my ballot wondering if I could really feel morally/ethically at peace with my vote or with my candidate choices.
That said, I was a registered independent until 2006 (I was abroad and knew the time delay would ensure I missed all the voting deadlines), and I switched back when I returned to the U.S. Voting in a state with open primaries is a HUGE relief for my conscience.
I don’t mean to begin the guilt trip on voting, but I have my parents to thank for my insane dedication to getting to the polls. They typically vote permanent absentee, but when I turned 18 they took me to my first polling center and voted with me. They’ve done a pretty good job of reinforcing how my right to vote, both as a woman of color and as the child of immigrants, is entrenched in a history of social action and sacrifice. Whether by absentee ballot, or by handwritten ballot (!!!), or by catching the 2 hour BART + bus ride to the public library that first year of college when I forgot to register absentee, I feel like my vote is one of the only opportunities I have to vent my (political) feelings.
I went to a local Obama meet up and was really put off by the Obamanuts. Even his otherwise intelligent supporters now believe that silly platitudes instead of concrete policy positions is what you need to run the government. ‘Yes we can’, ‘Fired up, Ready to go’ ‘Elvis is back’ are more suited for a a Christian revival meeting than a political campaign.
Well, I asked my dad why he was supporting Obama, and all he would say was “BLACK POWER!”. Over and over. So.. nutjobs like my father definitely cancel out any racism that other older Desis may take to the polls. And my 75 year old grandparents (who are virulently anti-Muslim) are 100% behind Obama. They love him. If I say anything good about Hillary, they yell at me. Thank goodness they’re Canadian citizens.
I ended up voting for Obama, but man, I wish I had voted for Hillary. Her health-care plan is completely superior, no doubt. I’m just worried about her chances against McCain. But if everyone starts thinking like that, then what chance does she have? She’s probably the best qualified out there, no doubt.
Oh, vaguely racist parents. You gotta love ’em.
Γ’β¬ΕEvery vote counts. If you donΓ’β¬β’t vote now, a Black, quasi-Muslim might end up in the White House.Γ’β¬Β
eeehhh….really? I’m a paki/muslim lurker, and always felt welcome here before……
64 ΓΒ· sofia said
You are still welcome. Anyone with a sense of humor is. Examining the less than ideal aspects of desi identity doesn’t make us hateful, it makes us honest.
Indians of California: Your Illinois brethren are really disappointed in you for electing such a scheister. I know we desis love the political dynasties, but give me a damn break. Leave the dirty tricks to the motherland and elect someone honest for once.
@56
Anna,
I used to be called a “Chatti thalayan” for my round head, Kinda’ like a brown George Costanza with a little more hair. I guess being tough is relative…..some ways I am tough, other ways a softie.
But no head butting for me after a touchdown!
wha? But I thought you were a brown Cliff Claven, black socks and all…?
66 ΓΒ· Chicagodesigirl said
Do you really think this comment is either fair or prodctive? Your opinions and choices are just as valid as anyone else’s, but in your imperiousness, you forgot that the converse is true; the opinions and choices of those you disagree with are also valid. Give everyone a damned break from your “disappointment”.
69 ΓΒ· SM Intern said
<
blockquote>66 ΓΒ· Chicagodesigirl said
To add to the intern’s response, another problem with chicagodesigirl’s post is that it goes against Obama’s own philosophy. One of the reasons he is as popular as he is among independents and even some Republicans is that he is able to disagree with them on issues without presuming bad faith or their part. We can disagree with each other without demonizing those with whom we disagree — this is one of the main reasons for Obama’s appeal in red and purple states.
I have my issues with Hillary, but I don’t presume that the people who support her don’t have good reasons for supporting her. And the same goes for all the “Obama supporters are buying into his substance-free hype” sentiments — again, I think it would behoove those posters not to assume that us Obama supporters don’t have good reasons to support our candidate of choice.
Sorry, I screwed up the formatting on #70 — the first non-quoted paragraph is quoted from the earlier post.
71 ΓΒ· DTK said
Fixed. π
65 ΓΒ· SM Intern said
<
blockquote>64 ΓΒ· sofia said
Please clarify: are you suggesting that being “quasi-muslim” is a “less than ideal” aspect of the desi identity?
73 ΓΒ· sidekick said
You almost sound as if you are trolling, because it’s difficult for me to think that people are so unclear on the concept. Racism is less than ideal. Freaking out over Muslims is less than ideal. If people want to bury their heads in their asses about how a non-trivial number of desis hold negative views about other minorities or religious groups, I’d suggest they do that elsewhere. We’ve always tried to honestly examine the good and the bad.
You know, I came thisclose to not posting this, because I neither need nor want bullshit. More than a few of you wrote me privately to say “omg, my parents are the same way…but i’d never admit it…lol…”. Well, I admitted it, because I wanted a sincere conversation about what we often prefer to hide. And my wanting that doesn’t mean I accept or enjoy the now-deleted, insulting comments about my family (which they don’t deserve, since I am the one who put this out there) or the gleeful field-day certain people are having about having proof that Sepia Mutiny hates Muslims.
I wish those of you who are doing that– tarring us with the anti-Muslim brush– would get together with the Modi-loving ingrates who think we are pro-Muslims. We get daily complaints about being excessively positive towards Islam. Do you understand the stupidity of this all? While some of you now think SM is mean to Muslims, an equal, if not greater number of peole think we are mean to Hindus, and that we shamelessly coddle Muslims, as Kashmiris cry at our insensitivity.
We don’t hate, love or coddle anyone, got that? I’ve had it with the stupidity.