Don't wear Obama out

He is handsome--no doubt. Charismatic--yes! Multi-cultural--definitely.

Don't get me wrong. I have several Obama shirts: one from the students for Obama with the 'M' in the U of M font, another sleek black one with gold letters, one from the debate with neither candidate's name on it, a pink one with headlines on it, and one directly from the inaguration store.

But we are going to wear President Obama out before he can warm the Oval Office.

His name is everywhere: hats, pencils, new Successories posters, the dollar store, the more-than-a-dollar store, college campuses, school offices, license plates, window decals.

My mom says she hasn't seen anything like this since Kennedy. I have been trying to remember where I have been for the last so many decades. What was I doing when Gore lost to Bush? Who did Clinton run against for his second term? Other than broccoli, "a thousand points of light", and a "kinder, gentler nation" (that went to war, incidently), what did I take away from Bush I?

I remember more about Reagan: his jelly beans, the 'well' filler, the fact that some of my friends had to enlist in the miliary and others had to enter college early to keep their financial aid, and his reluctance to sign the MLK day into law.

I remember watching Nixon resign through mosquito bite swollen eyes and being very happy.

But I don't remember shirts, decals, etc. for any of them. Maybe the Mondale/Ferraro bumperstickers....

We are going to make President Obama an icon whether or not he is willing. And, like Michael Jordan, he is going to be everywhere, years after his term(s) end.

But, in this continual praise now, don't forget the things he has promised to do, don't forget that you may not have agreed with him on everything. Don't let his enigmatic rise and buoyant personality mask the fact that we have employed him to do a job and his first review is coming up in less than 70 days.

Love him, hate him, disagree with him, fear what his presence in that position will do to the presidency (as Cleaver would have said, "what will become of the Presidency now?"), admire him, but, above all, if you pray at all, pray for him. Be encouraging. Expect more.

And don't just wear the gear because it is fashionable right now.

Back in college, there was a Free South Africa Coordinating Committee that sold bracelets with the names of political prisoners like Walter Sisulu, Steven Biko, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and, of course, ANC leader Nelson Mandela. The point of purchasing the bracelets was to wear them in solidarity, and, if you had the name of a current prisoner, to wear them until they were released. I wasn't completely aware of the whole apartheid issue, but I knew of Mandela, so I purchased a bracelet with his name on it. I was faithful--I wore it daily--for a while. Eventually, especially after I left campus, I put it in a drawer. No more than three years later, Mandela was freed. I hadn't held on to the belief that what I was standing for was right. In fact, I didn't take the time to research further what the real situation was.

So, standing in Tiger Stadium, seeing Mandela in person, I was a bit ashamed because I tried to stand for something right but faltered in my ignorance.

Let's not make the same mistake when dealing with our new President and his image.

Heroes are Vapors

I was thinking this before the Michael Phelps incident. It was more with respect to President Obama and how over the last few years, being black has become more acceptable. Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, even the reinvention of Will Smith, the expansion of Jada Pinkett Smith, Whoopi Goldberg on The View, and the myriad of African-Americans who are coming to the forefront in media.

They are our new heroes.

But I didn't want to start out that way and make it a race-thing, because it so isn't a race-thing.

It is human nature.

Ok, a little theology here. They lauded Jesus, hinged on his every word. Came to hear him even without the promise of food. They laid palm branches at his feet one week. And they crucified him the next.

So, Michael Phelps is caught photographed with a bong. And he has the integrity (yes, I said integrity) to admit it was him with a real bong (and, I guess, real marijuana...). Suddenly, this young man, who we already know has some developmental/health issues (whatever) and has faced challenges in his life, but has, with the support of his mother, risen to iconic status by winning eight gold medals, is a cheat. He is a bad influence. So, he can't hang out with Tony the Tiger anymore. He is too human to represent America's youth as a flawed hero, but very human enough to represent us with eight gold medals.

Making it more plain: while less than 10% of people will ever participate in the Olympics or win a gold medal, millions smoke or have smoked pot.

I do not justify Phelps' actions. I don't agree with smoking pot recreationally. My problem is that there are many more people out there who have done worse. And have been punished less.

What will this mean for President Obama? While he is hoisted on the shoulders of the world right now, will his star fall from the sky if he makes an unpopular decision? If he sends a Blackberry message that leaks out? Or, God forbid, if he steps out on his wife?

Our heroes pay a huge price for our loyalty. And we pay the price for it as well.

I suggest we reach a little closer to home for our prized possessions. Like the mom who attended Bethune Cookman College while Mrs. Bethune was alive. Or the father who bowled with the Gordy family or assisted the preacher who spread Pentecostalism through Canada. Or the aunt who researched and wrote about the Afro-Canadian church. The cousin who meticulously researches the family past back three and four generations.

Or, for the next generation, the mom who goes back to school and works hard to get her graduate degree so her sons will understand perserverance.

These are our heroes. They make mistakes, but they enrich our lives.