What’s in a Name - Part 2

2009-05-14
By Del Walters

No column that I have written since the elections has produced more in the way of varied opinions.  People come up to me on the streets indicating that someone, somewhere forwarded a copy of the column concerning what President Barack Obama should be called.  They too noticed the cavalier manner in which the President’s name was invoked. Some calling him ‘Obama’, and others, names not fit for print. For the record, he is to be addressed ‘President Barack Obama’.  

In print, the standards are different, because the reader gets the chance to go back and view the title over and over again. In broadcast, a viewer tuning in hears ‘President Barack Obama did such and such a thing’, while the viewers tuning in late only hear ‘Obama’ said this or that. 

After careful consideration, I think that what is happening here represents not only a generational divide, but also a racial divide. 

First the racial divide:

Sunday morning in the ‘Walters household’ was a time for formality.  You didn’t go out the door without first being inspected by the watchful eyes of Barbara Walters, my mother.  Suit straight, tie in place, and by orders of my father, shoes shined.  Rain or shine, he was outside washing the car. It was, after all, the Lord’s day and we were to be respectful. Recently, I went to a multi-racial church and I saw a curious mix of blue jeans and business suits. I wondered what Barbara would say if she were there?  I wondered if we were still segregated would the churches look different?
     
Now the generational divide:

I remember when I was young dreaming of the day I that I would see a Broadway play.  The scenes played on the TV seemed so glamorous, with people dressing up, wearing black tie tuxedos and women in long gowns.  Then when the day arrived that I purchased my tickets I showed up in my Sunday suit and the man next to me had on blue jeans and a tee shirt that announced his political beliefs that day.  I was stunned.  It seemed so disrespectful. 

The next time I felt this way was when I took my first cruise. I was told that for one night, everything would be formal. So my wife purchased a ‘special gown’ while I packed a tux, only to be seated right next to a person who didn’t get the memo. Clearly we had different expectations.  It was, however, a simple testament to the fact that the times, as Bob Dylan would say, are changing. But should they?

In a very real sense, I view the debate over what to call President Obama in the same manner. We did not always have an African American in the White House, and, in fact, the last time I checked, Barack Obama is the first. Like church, or a cruise, or Broadway, I look at the image of a black man in the White House on TV with a certain sense of pride. I can now take some form of ownership over that which before, I had been denied. I can only imagine how it feels for people who marched in the Civil Rights Movement, or, like my father, fought in wars where the armies remained segregated. There were so many tears shed in African American households around the world that clearly this was a moment to savor. When did it end?
 
Enter the Pope

Strangely, the solution was sitting right in front of me in Wednesday’s edition of the Washington Post. The article was entitled, “Israelis Criticize Pope for Holocaust Remarks.”  The article went to take exception to how the Pope talked about the Holocaust in his speech. Instead of referring to the holocaust in terms of murder, the Pope used the softer word, ‘killed’. The Israelis also wanted the Pope to express ‘regret’ over the holocaust. Clearly, many of those reading the article probably wondered what the fuss was all about. But to Jews worldwide, it is understood that nothing should be done to minimize the impact that the holocaust had on the world. Not even if it is something as simple as a word.

While Barack Obama is neither Pope nor King, the office he occupies demands respect, and it is African Americans who, like the Israelis, should make sure the world never forgets how long it took for us to get there.   We as African Americans have waited too long for this moment and should not allow it to be marginalized by those who treat it like it is no big deal.
I can see Barbara Walters standing in the door on Sunday morning, wondering what our next move will be. She already watches the talk shows and she is offended.  To her, the man sitting in the White House is President Barack Obama. No other name will suffice. 

See the article Del Walters wrote that sparked the discussion.

Then read Eric Easter’s response.