Barack Obama will be sworn in as US President today. And I’m a little nervous about it.
I’m not nervous about Obama himself. He seems like a decent figurehead for change in America. And he’s making history, of course.
But I’m nervous for him because the US is still a very racist country. I need not elaborate on that. And because he’s being set up as a perfect angel upon whose wings a new country will be born! That’s just not possible, so anything short of it will be analyzed as a disappointment.
It’s not fair. But this is how American politics works. Much loved heroes are set up as saviours and when they prove to be mere mortals, they’re torn to shreds. Maybe Obama really will be different. Maybe he’ll make few mistakes and dodge the darts of falling public opinion. Maybe. But if it happens that would truly be a first.