Chai's Analysis

i owe ya, i-o-wa.

ah, the lovely state of iowa. doesn't all this attention to iowa make you want to visit the state? i want to see how this tiny state gets so much love from all these politicians who are running federal campaigns that, in the large scheme of things, don't affect the local citizen. it does from a military, foreign policy, globalization standpoint. but, what matters to your life is more local, like property tax, education, local farming, zoning, parking regulations, and noise statutes.

but, this post is not about local politics and re-energizing our country to think local. no, siree. this post is about what happened in iowa two days back. i'm sure you have read or heard every talking head mention the historical nature of the iowa caucus (sidenote- doesn't caucus sound so dirty?), what it means to the democratic establishment, and how crazy certain folks (*cough* evangelicals *cough*) truly are (dude, you HAVE to know where pakistan is or, as my friend noted, you are automatically disqualified from any elective position...ever.).

what i think obama and two buck huck's votes mean to me is that people are sick of the establishment. i can speak from the "progressive" side. obama symbolizes, to many of my friends, that we are ready for a change. many of my friends don't look at race, so his racial composition has never been a question for our many conversations on gmail chat or at a bar. most of my generation, from the time they became politically aware, started with Bush. then it went to Clinton. then came Bush junior. now another Clinton is trying to get into the house? it's a bit...i dunno..dynastic.

more importantly, our generation is sick of being told that we are too young. we are sick of being told that our voice doesn't matter. we are sick of the older establishment NOT taking time out of their schedules to MENTOR us, to NURTURE this younger crop, to HELP us out. and when we try to show leadership, this older establishment becomes threatened, vengeful, and ugly. it's sad to see this endemic in all the movements, from feminism, to labor, to political parties. the one movement that has seen an influx of younger folks is the environmental movement and that is solely due to watershed moments over the past years.

but, have the environmental big wigs ever thought that MAYBE if they gave in to certain ideas the younger generation was fighting for a few years back, these watershed moments would not have happened.

personally, i keep voicing my frustration with the feminism movement or lack thereof. lady clinton thought she had all the female votes on lock down. yes, it is really inspiring to see a woman, with such intellectual vigor, be a legitimate candidate for the white house. however, don't think like a first wave feminist that all women are the same, that we all care for the same issues, bouncing yourself on identity politics. third wave feminists are more nuanced, more splintered in their identities, more holistic in their approaches to female concerns and issues. post-modern feminism is raging.

ironically, all these movements that started in the early sixties and seventies were about breaking down walls. they were about the power of the people, the community, the family. and yet these leaders are now the people my generation wants to topple because power has corrupted the movements, the cause, the multiple visions. newer social justice activists know this and try to make a movement less hierarchical, which is why you don't see one leader. instead there are a sea of them, ready to create a tide for change.

posted by Chai at 10:24 AM