Why I Wish We Didn’t Have a Black President

For one, his disconnect with Ferguson would be easier to swallow

America is at war. The images paraded by news outlets are disruptive because they’re a repetition of past grievances and proof that we lack the tools needed to live in peace, love and harmony. But we can’t kid ourselves into believing that that was ever the plan. The racial landscape of this country was sculpted from terrain that never converged. The reality of being black in America, or anywhere else that breeds hostility towards a group of people based on their skin color, forces a state of mind that can’t be described.

Many have tried and failed to convey the pain and anguish that comes with realizing that a life was violently and abruptly ended because that person wasn’t deemed worthy. Nonetheless, the ongoing disaster in Ferguson isn’t necessarily an eye-opening phenomenon. History repeats itself. We enjoy allowing the meek to suffer because it’s a powerful drug that feeds our inner chaos. So blacks will continue to bear the burden of being relegated to lawlessness and Machiavellian treatment by the government at large. And our president will continue to dole out three-minute sermons as we pretend to hope that he actually cares.

Having a black president in America still sounds like a crazy accident, so much so that I actually forget that we do sometimes. I’m sure I’m not alone. It’s uncomfortable being a person of color, helplessly watching the endless brutality crippling your community, and knowing that the one person who could and should help stop the madness, remains incapacitated. He would rather be stoic. It’s apparent that Obama has been advised to tread lightly in order to avoid the likelihood that any racial bias hinder his ability to be perceived as a noble leader. He’s put others on the front lines, presumably hoping that his filtered messages will appease the crowd. That strategy is absolutely not working.

President Obama may have proven to be a worthy leader in areas that count on a global scale, but back home, he is lacking. In fact, many will agree that when it comes to taking charge when shit hits the fan, he’s a bad president. What’s the purpose of electing a black president when he can’t be a vocal authority on one of the most polarizing issues afflicting his community? How much worse does it have to get before he rises to the occasion with the same inspiration with which he ran his campaigns? He had the backbone of a true leader, someone who recognized the level of bullshit that had been suffocating us for too long. He was on fire. Ready and willing to rescue us from the filth of the prior administration, and vowing to “protect and serve” us till the end.

Time sure does fly, even when you’re not having fun. Remember the days when “Yes We can” blended in with “Hope and Change” to entice us into thinking that that our best times were ahead? We were even more wooed by the idea of moving “Forward in 2012,” when we were advised that though the road was still bumpy, we could count on the promise of tomorrow.

The fact is that Obama has demonstrated his unwillingness to take a stand when it comes to the issue of race. He has no problem propelling other controversial agendas, including immigration and gun control. Yet, when it comes to enforcing justice by firmly reprimanding the disorderly conduct of law enforcement, which is spreading like a deadly virus from state to state, he delivers a speech with the empathy of a robot.

It’s kind of hard to resist daydreaming about what it would be like if Bill Clinton were still in power. Would he deliver a stone-faced speech laced with clichés and recycled rhetoric? Or would he actively pursue the heart of the matter with passion and valiance, while also creating a spiritual unity that permeates through a community that is in desperate need of mental cuddling? These are the qualities that are lacking in our current leader. It’s tragic. What a waste of the potential to enjoy the benefits of having the most powerful man in the world share your skin complexion and swoop in like Superman to save the day. We deserve that — and the fact that we don’t have that makes me wish America didn’t have a black president.

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Cover photo: Susan Walsh, Associated Press