La Folie Obama

Mati is back with his impressions on life in France and beyond.

Culturally, the past few weeks here in Rouen have been fascinating. Interest in the American politics has been and continues to be very high in France. Everyone is of course ecstatic about Obama's victory, having now settled into a pattern of firm and continuous debate about the future implications of his presidency for the US and our planet. TV, newspaper, magazine--it is literally Obama mania.





I've even noticed that Segolene Royal, the Socialist Party candidate who finished second to Sarkozy in last year's presidential election, has latched onto Obama's coattails so to speak in her message to French voters as she prepares her future candidacy. The tone and call for change in her speeches has been eerily similar to the Obama style, which is especially surprising given the more reserved nature of French political discourse. She's an interesting figure in France who seems to represent, much like Obama, new segments of the population so-long excluded from the political process.



Indeed, the whole experience of being abroad at a time like this has been unique. It's a fascinating time to be a citizen of the world and it's nations. I learned with dismay that Prop 8 passed in California, which called into question my own non-participation in the political process. In fact, it was the first time I really considered voting in an election. I'm half sorry I didn't. It's especially ironic when you hear of how some two-thirds or more of the African-American vote was in favor of this discriminatory legislation. One barrier falls and another goes up it seems, fashioned expressly by the newly enfranchised.



I'd love to know how the past few months have shaped your, our reader's, relationship to politics. Personally, I know it's changed my idea of what politicians represent. Years prior in Boston, I was struck when visiting the Kennedy museum by the difference in language and tone between the black and white newsreel images of JFK and the simplistic black and white world-view of the Bush presidency. The eloquence and inspiration of Camelot was so keenly lacking in the banal drone of terror level pronouncements. If Obama does nothing else than reintroduce the notion of civic duty into the American vernacular, he will have delivered the revolution in which this nation is of such need.

On a more personal level, I don't know if this election has much changed how I see myself fitting into that massive patchwork of American society. My work visa allows me to work in France for one-year. At this point, I'm really not sure though if I'll want to return right away to finish my degree at Long Beach or look to extend my visa for another year. I've enjoyed teaching here at the university. The students are good, the classes small and I have a pleasant variety of subjects from literature to history. And teaching in my native language once again invests me with a new respect and pride for my culture. It's been an interesting experience to say the least.