A simplistic view

Opinion: September 7, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

By Starita Smith

McClatchy-Tribune

There are many versions of American history, but if you listened to most of the speeches at the Republican convention last week, you would have thought there was only one.

It goes like this: My grandfather or father came to this great country from Europe and worked hard and passed down to me a work ethic that allowed me to become the successful person you see before you. Anyone can succeed with hard work.

This one-size-fits-all version of American history does not accurately reflect the experiences of many of our fellow citizens.

It certainly does not reflect the experience of those who were here first, the American Indians. Nor does it reflect the experience of those who came here as slaves.

The Republicans were using a kind of doublespeak that signifies that the only version of American history that counts is the one that leaves out the strife, discrimination and struggles that different groups have endured — and still endure.

Similarly, Mitt Romney also trivialized the historic nature of the election of President Obama by saying, “If you felt that excitement when you voted for Barack Obama, shouldn’t you feel that way now that he’s President Obama? You know there’s something wrong with the kind of job he’s done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him.”

Great event

Obama was the first person elected president who was not a European-American maleWhat everyone could see was that another great barrier in the progress of this country had been breached.

Voters of all backgrounds gained tremendous inspiration from his victory. I voted at a fairground at a polling place staffed by black retirees. I’m sure they could remember the days when they would have been prohibited from voting, and now, roughly a half-century later, a black man was at the top of the ticket.

No matter what you think of Obama’s policies and his record while in office, this fact alone should transcend politics.

Starita Smith teaches sociology at the University of North Texas. She wrote this for Progressive Media Project, a source of liberal commentary on domestic and international issues; it is affiliated with The Progressive magazine. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.