March 6, 2008
the new black
At some point during the ’60s, Sammy Davis Jr. supposedly cried, “I’ve spent my whole life becoming white and now suddenly black is beautiful!”
The Clintons are to aspirational politics what Sammy Davis Jr. was to blackness. They sold out hope long ago because they saw it as an impediment to progress, and they weren’t completely wrong. Given the era in which they came up, theirs might well have been the best approach.
Everyone realizes that Obama represents a threat to their way of doing things, and therefore to their power. What’s less obvious is that he’s also a threat to their narrative about themselves. If he can really succeed at a national level without completely selling out his own authentic instincts, that makes them lesser creatures for poker caribestip pokerjugar card studplay 7 card studtorneos de poquerpoker texas holdem gratis,poker texas holdem,poker texas holdem onlinejuegos de poquer gratispoker del juegojuegos polli pokerjuego poker texascaribbean poker onlinejugadas texas holdemcartas de poker gratisjugar poquer webjuego de poker en españolpai gow poker paginas webjuego poker gratuitojuegos eroticos pokerapuesta onlineruleta online,juegos online la ruleta,ruleta de la suerte onlinejuegos azar lineacasino madridgames free downloadjuegos flash casinojugar apostar paginas webjuego gratis onlinecasino ruleta gratiscasinos alquilerjuegos segurosganar dinero casinoamerican rouletteganar dinero paginas internetjuego casino lineajuego seguro pagina internetganar premio portal internetjugar video pokerjugar cartas lineajuego casino portales internetcasino internacional portales webcasinos virtuales paginas internetcasino internacional onlinecasinos paginas webbaccarat en lineapremio gordojugar interactivo paginas webpremio paginas webcasino o netbest online casinosjugar gratis portales webapuestas en internet having done so — not in the judgment of others, but in the darkness of their own hearts.
A historian might point out that they, like Sammy, were subject to the culture of the time, but that doesn’t really remove the sting of watching someone achieve the same worldly goals you did while remaining unbent.
Like a lot of African-American performers in the ’60s, Davis briefly wore an Afro, the most obvious symbol of black pride, but he dropped it almost immmediately. It looked like pandering on him, and I’m willing to bet he found it uncomfortable. I fancy that he missed the showman’s palette of straighteners, relaxers, pomades, and perfumes he had come to associate with his public persona.
Because the Clintons were gifted and determined people, their transformation was complete. They can never go back and recover their authentic selves.
It’s hard for me to muster any sympathy for them, but I’m at an age where I’ve begun to appreciate the poignancy of looking back over what you’ve done and honestly assessing it. I don’t know if they’re still capable of honest assessment of anything. But if they are, they’re looking at Obama and seeing their unlived lives. And I feel their pain.
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