Monday, November 3, 2008

A New Demon



Indifference or voter apathy has been a demon that has historically affected the American citizenry in general and the African American community in particular. The 2008 Presidential election however, thanks to war fatigue and an economy in shambles, the resultant subordination of past wedge issues, and a massive increase in new voters, has enabled this malaise to slip into apparent remission.

This curing of the disease of lukewarmness, rather than providing a total healing, has in the long lines of those waiting to cast their ballots a possible residual side effect. Early voters have waited as long as 8 hours in Georgia, 5 hours in Indiana, and have been reported to arrive at 4:30 AM to stand in line for doors that do not open until 8 AM in Oklahoma. These delays, whether voter suppression tactics or due to lack of available resources, will disproportionately affect the traditionally disenfranchised poor, working poor, and people of color who cannot afford the added expenses or lost wages of an entire day.

In this day before the biggest election in the history of the United States, our prayer should be as we vote, for God to inspire us to utilize our innate creativity and improvisational genius gifted to us through our survival instinct. But also and more importantly that the demon of impatience, which causes us to do more harm to ourselves than others can do, be exorcised from our hearts and minds.

A person's wisdom gives them patience; it is to their glory to overlook an offense. Proverb 19:11

If you patiently endure, you come out victorious. Twi Proverb

An inch of progress is worth more than a yard of complaint. Booker T. Washington

6 comments:

SjP said...

Amen...and Amen. I just learned that lines are forming now in front of polling places. I wonder how many will loose their jobs tomorrow for exercising their right to vote?

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

patience is a virtue

achoiceofweapons said...

Greetings Elder,
Just stopping by and I totally agree with the post. A day of lost wages though could be worth it to save ourselves from four years of economic hardship, social upheaval and anger.
Respectfully
Jaycee

Revvy Rev said...

I do believe that it will be worth it.

Sista GP said...

thanks for your stopping by my spot and your comments.

I early voted and even then the line was long but moving.

question: what is Afra-feminist?

Revvy Rev said...

Sista GP,

An Afrafeminist (in my opinion) is a person who posseses a consciousness or worldview that resists the domination and oppression of African American women in particular. The ideology is derived originally as I know it from Dr. J. J. Royster at Ohio State and also coined as "The New Black Man" by Mark Neal.

Thanks for stopping by. Don't be a stranger.