We should admire success stories, appreciate how people's belief in their potential can bloom into miraculous reality.
But I keep pondering a question overheard at the supermarket: Could anyone who wasn't rich, white and male have pulled off this miracle?
It's an uncomfortable question, but worth asking if we truly want governance that's creative and intelligent -- attributes that aren't limited to any population. In recent years, die-hard white Republicans courted Colin Powell, an African American of Caribbean descent, to run for president. Unlike Schwarzenegger, Powell was a proven soldier and leader who'd risen through the military's ranks.
Consider the hurdles faced by nonwhite, non-male politicians who have coveted California's governorship, people who are both proven and popular -- Dianne Feinstein, Willie Brown, Cruz Bustamante. Could a wealthy, politically inexperienced female action hero -- think Sigourney Weaver -- or a popular black one, such as Wesley Snipes, get close to being elected, however entitled they felt? As for Latino or Asian superstars, except for J.Lo -- who can't govern her own engagement -- we have none.
That will change. Everything does in America. I'd like Schwarzenegger's win to inspire modest souls of every shade -- men and women who take themselves out of the running for governor, school superintendent or even college -- to rethink or create their own master plans.
| There's also the rest of Donna Britt's Washington Post column "Arnold's Vision is All About Himself" to consider, too.
posted in articles on October 9, 2003 11:02 PM | t (0)
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