Re- visiting Dr. Deepak Chopra on Sarah Palin (originally posted 9/14/08)

"Dr. Chopra is making an attempt to help us understand the issue of Sarah Palin's candidacy outside of the blather that is currently being bandied about by most mainstream media journalists and other such so-called pundits."

Dear friends,

I like some things that Deepak Chopra has to say. However, whereas he is a deep thinker, I can never say enough, "People are not talking insects.". Therefore, they cannot be analyzed within the context of either/or.

Nonetheless, at least, Dr. Chopra is making an attempt to help us understand the issue of Sarah Palin's candidacy outside of the blather that is currently being bandied about by most mainstream media journalists and other such so-called pundits. Yet, taking it outside of the context of racism - not "race" - ignores the reality that that system of oppression and exploitation plays in helping people delude themselves into thinking that their "whiteness" is an asset, when, in reality, it only counts when it comes to those folks' relationships with African Americans and others.

This is a racist culture in which we live. Racism is not either some kind of xenophobia, or a "disease" . Rather, it is a deliberate system of oppression and exploitation that is supported by the same cultural institutions (e.g., schools, churches, courts, legislative bodies, and so forth) that help make the society reproduce itself as a specific population group for generations.

In any case, culture is a word that is often used to refer to the higher achievements of a particular group - like painting and music. However, it (culture) involves everything that we do. Therefore, it even has a physiological significance. This is easily identifiable by recognizing the actual mental and motor reflexes that are initiated when a European American (so-called white person) who is sitting in a car pushes down the lock button as an African American approaches the vicinity of his or her vehicle, whether the former is parked in a lot or near a sidewalk - or stopped at a traffic light.

This notion of the initiating of both mental and motor reflexes also explains the cultural differences in the way that people draw, dance, sing, and so forth. In fact, even our five "senses" are culturally-defined. That is, our perceptions, regarding what we feel, taste, hear, smell, and see, are determined by our cultural experiences.

Additionally, our culture determines the manner in which we transmit and share both behavior and ideas to present and future generations. However, the first thing that we must understand about culture is that it is largely tied to a people's resources. That is, social status and income as well as materials to produce what people need or desire for survival determine how, why and through what medium folks can express themselves as a distinct group.

My point here is: John McCain learned from Hillary Clinton that appealing to the racist sentiments, particularly, of uneducated, lower-middle class elderly, along with middle-aged European Americans, garners votes. No need to involve esoteric "psychological terms", or play intellectual acrobatics there. McCain's logic will get some votes. However, those people do not outnumber African Americans, other non-European Americans, and educated European Americans. Therefore, ultimately NcCain's plagiarism by Clinton will fail.

Besides, just as there were no "racial" distinctions that helped their ancestors in Ireland, Poland, and Italy, for example, there are no such differences when the aforementioned descendants are placed with others who count as "white" in this society. Only economic factors distinguish them from each other. So the "voting power" of "poor" whites is a mass illusion.

Moreover, while there is one person-one vote in the US, please remember that citizens in Saddam's Iraq had that same right. Therefore, the issue of the essence of democracy as being non-violent conflict resolution, as opposed to the propaganda that defines it as having the "right to vote" is what is really of moment, especially since, as was just mentioned in the case of Saddam Hussein, a tyranny can allow the one-person-one vote right too.

At any rate, on the link below my name, I am glad that one of our acclaimed intellectuals has spoken. Now, people may be interested in thinking about all of this "Palin" hype more realistically. Dr. Chopra's brief essay which was forwarded to me via e-mail, a few days ago, appears below.

One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.chopra.com/node/1064