I DO NOT ASPIRE TO A NEW CAMELOT IN DC

As millions of people in the World watch the inaugural ceremony of Mr. Barack H. Obama, in his second term as the 44^th President of the United States, and most of them are involved by the glamour, and good looks of the first family, the grand show that represents this kind of spectacle, I would like to take a little time to put out my inner thoughts; even though, I know that the President and his courtship will never hear me, and probably would never have the time to fulfill such kind of uneasiness of the spirit.

I really do not care much about who made Mrs. Obama’s hair style or dress; I do not got impressed with how beautifully dressed are Malia and Sasha; as long as we, common Americans, are struggling to find a job to feed our families, to have a warm room to sleep in a cold winter night, or simply find a good school to send our kids, to keep up our faith in the future. I would be well serve with an ill looking president who takes the time to bring to court each one of the responsible of the American tragedy, no matter which their names are; a President who work hard to stabilize our country, while paying attention to the real issues affecting American families.

I would like to feel proud of the vote that I casted on the last November which I am not right now. I want to let, as clear as a shiny day of summer, that my pride does not have anything to do with establishing in DC a new Camelot of beautiful, well manner, and smiling people. What I aspire is to have a respectful President, who listens to his people; do not exercise cruelty or abusive power against other countries; and over all, someone who stops doing politics to do governing. We have been too patients, and now is time to stop dealing with the wrong people, wishing to get the right results; American needs real leadership.

PLACING THE ACCENT IN THE RIGHT PLACE ON THE RENT-A-RICAN ISSUE

In the last couple of days I have seen circulating in the internet a “wanna be funny video” in which the promoters are “selling” the leasing of Puerto Ricans as “souls of the party,” and Mexicans as landscapers. This is a plain and clear example of negative stereotyping against the Latino community, and it is not only detrimental to the healthy development of the American social body, but also it is clearly opposed to the spirit that inspired the founders of this nation.

People from the Latino communities (fighting against discrimination to access schools, and many other primary needs, as well as leaving in very poor communities), has contributed greatly to the shaping of the United States. We have done much more than amusing our acquaintances, preparing rum, body and insulin shots, and playing the bongos, while screaming “caliente”.

It is clear that our community works hard in United States fields and factories, to contribute positively to the development of our future generations and the country. We have contributed this land with great athletes, which represented us proudly in the World, scientific, and politicians; and through our democratic vision and commitment, we have been a deciding vote in the last four presidential elections.

Sure we Latinos could be loud, sexy and party goers, as the Rent-A-Rican video portrays us, but it is good to note that that is not all what we are. We are happy people who love our families, and raise our kids with a deep sense of loyalty to our roots. The kind of stereotyping bring about by the Rent-A-Rican video does not add anything positive to the social relations in the United States, and at the contrary it contributes to deepen the differences and tensions between the interacting social groups of Americans. As my grandmother (back in the island) always said: “Everything has a place, and a time.”

In the other hand, we are not stupid landscapers, without talent to do anything else. That kind of vision denotes a very short vision of a hard working community. Maybe next time that you seat on your table to comfortably eat your meals; you should take the time to think in all the effort that many under paid and over worked Mexican immigrants (that you always negatively stereotype, and despise) putted in the American fields, so you and everybody else can enjoy those crops.

Our founding fathers envisioned a plural Country, where there were equal rights and opportunities for all and every member of the group; where “we the people” united under the empire of the law, could employ our individual talents for the good of the community. In the knowledge of the fact that it is not by a random odd, that the freedom of speech was introduced in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Such principle is paramount in the conformation of any democratic country; but, even when we have to recognize the right of some groups to make such wrong statements, we consider that it is important to set the accent in the right place when the speech is detrimental to the healthy development of our social body, as it is in the case of the racist and stereotypical Rent-A-Rican video.