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There are no shortage of President Obama impersonations floating around the internet. Many of these impersonations make overt connections to the President Obama and hip-hop culture in an attempt to demonize the President’s cultural heritage and cast dispersions on hip hop culture. For evidence of this I would call your attention to the wildly popular Obama Flocka Flame video on Youtube This video features a forty ounce drinking imitation of the President and a weed smoking first lady. The caricature goes to the heart of the extreme cultural confusion suffered by marginalized groups a response to the demonization of the “other” in American culture. The depiction highlights the imposed self-hatred within oppressed communities in the United States through the “actors” who are African American and portray their own community and experience in negative manner. This deficit of self worth manifests in a variety of forms ranging from extreme feminization/hypermasculinity in the gay and lesbian culture to extreme “thug” behavior in the African American community. America as a nation has betrayed its cultural heritage by ostrasizing groups who at different points in history have been singled out as the other. The Great Recession has hightened this demonization by “mainstream” America by attacking groups that it deems to be excluded from the whole. In the past three years we have witnessed an unparalled rise in membership in hate groups. This “otherness” is primarily cast in the media and the political arena in order to persuade people fight amongst themselves while great crimes against the American citizen are being perpetuated by the Republican party, which is almost exclusively controlled by political interests the upper class. Need proof? Well look no further than Wisconsin. Propelled in large degree by fears that President Obama was a Muslim, socialist who wanted to redistribute wealth large numbers of people turned out at the last election to vote Republican. A confused democrat voter stayed home, sending republicans to the state house including tea-partier Scott Walker. How was this done? I redirect you to the Obama Flocka Flame video, Sarah Palin, Fox news, etc. Polls estimate that over fifty percent of Republicans think that Barrack Obama is a Muslim. The confusion over the president’s religion stems directly from an intentional smear campaign against both the President and the Muslim community.They Republican party went even further and went on offensive against any group or politician that attempted to draw attention to their purpose. They have waged war on NPR, the NAACP, the White House, Michelle Obama, the Tides foundation, and the ACLU. To achieve their goals they have made use of media attack dogs Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck among others. Still not convinced? Well then try explaining to yourself why the Birther movement still has legs. This was a calculated move to divide the people using scare tactics. the Republican party aims to conquer by eliminating wages and privitizing large sectors of the government. The ultimate purpose is to drive down wages in order to bring business back to American soil at the expense of the American workers. This move will ensure that insulated,bloated, inefficient businesses will be able keep wages artificially low around the world. Because business has been protected with supply side theory since the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, there has been no true competition in the market. if I wanted to start a car company, or a hotel chain, or a grocery store, it would be next to impossible unless I was able to leverage large sums of capital from a bank or private investors. The markets are stagnate because there is no true competition, and therefore no true innovation with the exception of a few companies. Apple creates, the Iphone, the Ipad, the Ipod and everyone else makes a cheap imitation of the same device. So Apple’s invention not only benefits Apple but allows companies like Blackberry,and Motorola to stay afloat.Take the same reasoning and apply it to the automotive industry. While everyone, including liberals, cheer the return of the American automakers there is little innovation. Toyota makes a “Crossover” ;now every car manufacturer has some version of this type of vehicle. The classic model of economic theory, (which was debunked as a direct result of the great depression), holds that supply creates demand. The more products created, the more jobs, which equals more money to purchase. In theory the greater supply will also push prices downward due to increased competition. The problem with this theory is that it does not account for outsourcing, or created competition to skew value of consumer goods. This theory also does not account for the extremely negative social and health consequences of deregulation on the global population.
Because President Obama stands for the people and has acted in his first two years in direct interest of the people and preserving America’s economic status in the world the republicans are left with one recourse. Which of course brings me back to Barrack Flocka Flame. Barrack Flocka Flame is a naked attempt to cast President Obama as ” the other” in order to limit his power in office. Their ruse has met with mixed success, and the people are starting to realize they have been duped. However, unless Americans take a hard look at their predjudice and self-hatred they will continue to be guided by fear. The Scare tactic is as old as America, still not convinced….I would point you in the general direction of history book. When you get there please look up the Mid-Atlantic slave trade, Japanese Interment camps, American Nazism, and the trail of tears. Or google Gay man attacked or Black man attacked or Mexican attacked and see what you come up with. Still not convinced? Watch the above video of a great Barrack Obama impersonation that actually runs down all of the president’s achievements without demonizing anybody. For all of this President Obama and the people are still “winning,duh.”
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by: N.S Kelly
