{ prima facie } the Temple Law newspaper

By Rahul Munshi

On March 18, Obama did something that politicians rarely do. He challenged us to rethink our approach on fundamental issues, specifically race and class in America. He challenged us to invite discussion, rather than to dismiss it. He challenged us to focus on the tangible effects of centuries of oppression, rather than to succumb to the distractions thrown at us by the media and special interests groups. Finally, he challenged us to not just simply set aside our regrettable past, but to understand it, for all its complexities, atrocities and achievements.

Generally, this is the only political speech in recent memory where the politician spoke to the audience candidly, as if listeners were intelligent
adults who are frustrated with the lack of discourse surrounding issues that are perpetually swept under the rug. The frustration we feel with our government, both Democratic and Republican controlled, is that not only do they answer the questions incorrectly, but they ask the wrong questions.

For example: post-9/11. Instead of questioning why the US was attacked and what the US did to piss off some parts of the world, the administration chose to react militaristically, miscalculating the US’ apparent supremacy and ability to create a new world order. The answer was wrong. But, before that, the questions they asked were wrong. Obama challenges us to break from the old framework of reactionary politics in an attempt to think deeply and discuss
openly about issues that have marginalized poor Americans for generations.

Here is a particular line that resonated quite well with me: “This time, we want to talk about the fact that the real problem isn’t that someone who does not look like you will TAKE your job, it’s that the corporation you work for will SHIP it overseas for nothing more than a profit.”

This sentence is the embodiment of my interpretation of Obama’s “hope” for “change.” This epic line captures an element of Obama’s “hope” - the hope to tackle issues concurrently, rather than acting like issues are not intertwined. This harps on his sheer intelligence, honesty and seemingly genuine desire to progress past this period of disenfranchisement.
Free-trade, immigration, health care, gentrification, corporate greed, racial marginalization, the recession - these are all inherently connected. I believe Obama has an understanding of this notion.

Obama’s understanding and cultural fluency, combined with his ability to challenge how we approach fundamental problems
-- that’s what I think of when he says “hope” and “change.” We know that his “change” will not happen overnight. He even admitted in this very speech that he is not naive enough to think that this election alone can eradicate the deeply-rooted problems in our classist society. But it’s a start. And a damn good one, I believe.

These issues are deeply rooted in our histories, and we shall remain imprisoned by them until we acknowledge that our histories
have influence on the present. When Obama utters

“Not this time” he doesn’t merely mean that we shall not elect a Republican president this time. He means that, this time, we shall not blind ourselves from domestic atrocities just because the issues are too grand too confront. We have a deplorable history as a nation with regards to human rights abuses, and it is not un-American to say so. It would be un-American to refrain from intelligent discourse, to not fight against tyranny and oppression, and it would be un-American for us to sit idly by why a few individuals
exploit, deceive and con their ways to power and wealth at the detriment of the majority.