Late additions

Just found this in my documents. I wrote it back in August and haven't gotten around to posting it will now. oops, sorry. Here it goes...

Aug 14, 2008

Here’s one for all of you politically minded folks. A disclaimer, this entry is a bit out of the ordinary for me, don’t read too much into it, I’m just recalling a conversation.

Yesterday on my way out for a walk into town I was stopped by two of my neighbors, Papa Cristal, and Papa Yesmine. Both men work for the cotton factory down the street. I’m not sure exactly what they do there, but I do know it is in the executive end of things. Anyway, as I walked by it was evident they were having an animated discussion. As soon as they saw me they stopped me and in their best English (which I’ll add is very good) asked me “Do you prefer Obama or JC?” As to not avoid any confusion with the big man himself, Jesus Christ, I said “McCain?” With this they gasped and couldn’t believe what I said. They had miss understood my correction as the answer to their question. From their response I quickly backpedaled to figure out where the miscommunication was. After I explained that I was just correcting the name JC they started in on me.

“Well who do you like?” I couldn’t get my “vague, I’m not allowed to give my opinion, so not to sway political thought,” answer out before they told me their opinion.

“Well, we want Obama. It has to be Obama.”

With that I decided to play devil’s advocate. “Well, why? Why do you think he makes the best president for the United States?”

“Because I like him, he is one of us. He is black.”

To this I asked “Is that the only reason? What about his policies?”

“Well he doesn’t like the war and he’s young.”

Continuing to play devil’s advocate I said “Well McCain is old and they say, you say here, with age comes wisdom. Also he was a solider so don’t you think he knows what it’s like to be in war.”

“Well McCain is old and Obama is young, you need someone who is young. Also it’s good to pull solider out of the war. As it is, only 1% comes home alive.”

“WHAT! 1% comes home alive?! So your saying that if 100 soldiers leave only 1 will come home alive?”

“Yes, that is why the war should end.”

With this I tried to convince them that many, many, many more troops come home alive then just 1% but they wouldn’t have it. 50% was the highest I could get them to go and with that they were very skeptical.

I have had many people confront me and ask the same question. The outcome is always the same, they want Obama to be president. Their reasoning is very much similar. Some know more about policies then others but all in all people here are holding their breath till November.

This conversation and conversations like this give me much food for thought. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about how information about American elections is conveyed here, and how the Beninese view The United States. I will say, however, that if more Americans took as active of an interest in what’s going on in the world around them and then reflected it back to the states the only thing we would have to lose is the wisdom that is gained.