Me no Vote! Comprehende?

by Benedicta Onyero Droese

Typically, there are three types of topics that have the ability to send me snoozing faster than a cup of warm milk or a generous glass of merlot. They are, in order of potency, all discussions pertaining to:

-Politics
-Budgeting
– Get Rich Quick schemes

However, as an African immigrant with zero interest in politics (with the exception of maybe some kick-ass political action flicks), Barack’s nomination, did manage to tickle my fancy at some point…to some degree. To date, I still run into an occasional die hard Obama fan who would love nothing more than to pick me up by both feet; dangle me from side to side to try and figure out why my Obama enthusiasm falls short by their measure.

Over the past several months, numerous write-ups; including flattering editorials, and inflammatory rhetoric, have appeared on message boards, chat rooms, popular websites and a host of other media outlets. Many have expressed their sentiments about Obama’s nomination; some favorable, some not so hot. And of all the issues and concerns that are still making waves out there, somewhere, here are four that are not even worth my two cents. Nevertheless, I’ll give them a good toss:

Black man in a White House
To those who simply would not fathom the thought of a non-Caucasian male moving into the White House with his African American family because…(oops there goes the neighborhood!), I say, you -puny minded, backwoods, backwards- pinhead, get used to that possibility or move back to Europe! Yeah! How do you like that, eh? You know people of African ancestry are not the only race with roots that extend beyond the Atlantic.

Flip Flopper
To those who say Barack cannot be trusted because he has flip flopped on way too many issues, I say… what do you expect from a candidate whose buzz word is “change?” Seriously, show me a man who has never changed his mind… several times a day, and I shall show thee a lawn in southwest Florida that’s not prone to fire ant infestations.

Black Power
To those who continue to badger me with, “You should vote for Obama” because he is black, African American, man of color, biracial or whatever other racial umbrella he may fall under in the eyes of some, I say, back off, I don’t vote. I am not about to ruin that impeccable reputation by starting now.

Terrorist in the Making
To those who say they will never vote for anyone with a Muslim middle name or someone who was raised in Indonesia (with insinuations that Barack may be connected to terrorists…Seriously, I say, you need to call your head shrink immediately. Methinks your current medication prescription for paranoia and delusion is not cutting the mustard.

To each and every man there is a destiny that must be fulfilled. To each and every woman, there is a path that must be followed. And if Barack is destined to become the first president of color in a country where leaders, movers and shakers have traditionally been white males, there is absolutely nothing you, I, or anyone else can do or say to change that course. If, “Whatever exists today and whatever will exist in the future has already existed in the past,” because, “God calls each event back in its turn,” I think that America ought to get ready for the possibility that …well, you know where I am going with this.

As for me, you’ve heard the spiel. I do not vote and I am certainly not going to pretend that I am going to either. But, If I were to change my mind somewhere between now and November (since the possibility of having a woman in the White House is looking good), the candidate who is capable of representing my interests (not completely sure what they are at the moment) to their fullest extent would certainly become one vote richer. Until then, may the best man, win.

That’s all I have to say about that.

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6 comments

Unknown September 24, 2008 - 8:52 am

Do you really think you can judge what is truly wise, if you are raising children in this country and you don’t vote? It is unbelievable as much as we know of Black people not voting, you a semi-intelligent woman proudly proclaim she doesn’t vote. Teach by example not by proclaiming ignorance. I guess I had a lot to say to this ignorance.

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Bennie Droese September 19, 2008 - 8:20 pm

@ Unknown poster,

Thank you for your great words of wisdom. However, a truly wise man or woman who simply has nothing to say, says absolutely nothing!

@Rosie,

Glad someone caught the humor in this op-ed(which was really all it was intended to be-:)

@ Tokunbo,

You’re right; I do have concerns. However, the issues that you mentioned (truth be told), are not at the top of my priority list at the moment. My current dilemma revolves around where we should go on our next family cruise. Alaska, or the Panama canal-LOL! On a more serious note, I am not planning to vote…but, a girl can still change her mind…right? Thanks for your commentary.

@tps360,

Thank you for your input. I still say, may the best man for America, win!

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Tokunbo September 19, 2008 - 5:30 pm

Thank you for your article but if you are an Adult here in the United States, You have certain concerns – You probably have a mortgage or may need one in the future, you probably have a loan or may need one in the future, You probably have a healthcare policy or will need one in the future, You or your family members may have issues that Supreme court will decide precedents related to in the next four years or so, All of these issues will be decided by the policies pursued by the next President, if you care about the directions of these issues or some other ones that you are aware of, then make your voice heard, vote for the person that have articulated to you as being the best man to represent your interest, vote your issues and not emotions. Benedicta, You should vote, that is the only voice you have – It is your civic reponsibility to vote.

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Rosie September 19, 2008 - 2:05 pm

Ha ha ha ha. You had me cracking up. When I tell people I am leaning towards McCain, they do a double take. But when he chose Palin, that threw me off. Now i am leaning towards Obama and honestly it is the first time I have landed in the “undecided” loser lot.

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Unknown September 19, 2008 - 1:05 pm

Don’t even know what to say to this type of ignorance!

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tps360 September 19, 2008 - 3:42 am

Obama-biden or mccain-palin…. am not a fan of all these people but after seeing what happened to dow-jones (stock market) today I think sensible america will vote for Obama… mcbush will further destroy the economy….

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