I don’t spend much time with politicians. When they call me for endorsements, I don’t usually answer the phone. When they pressure me for campaign contributions, I tell them that I need the money for my kids. When everyone gets excited about the latest hot political candidate on the block, I skeptically stand in the back of the room with my arms folded, wondering just how many campaign promises are going to be broken.
Falling in love with an American politician is like asking a prostitute to be faithful. It just doesn’t work, since they are not designed to be loyal to anyone other than their pimp. In fact, they are wired to understand that voters who love them unconditionally should be at the bottom of their priority list. We passionately back the latest candidate to promise us that politics will be changed for good, only to watch that person be absorbed by the system and made into something they swore they’d never become.
Such is the art of political bullShyte. Americans are unique in this regard, as European voters are a bit more rational and intelligent than we are when it comes to deciding who will lead them. Rather than denying a vote because someone had an affair with their babysitter, they vote for the person who can create jobs. Instead of being disappointed when their political leaders are not as perfect as they pretend to be, Europeans assume you’re imperfect and simply wonder what kind of leader you’re going to be.
Americans are a peculiar voting base in that every political leader must prove that they are faithful to their spouses, different from every other politician, perpetually law-abiding, and super humanly ethical. Any politician who is honest about his/her imperfections or who tells the truth about fixing our government is usually booted in favor of the liar with smooth words and fancy suits. Then, we get mad at the liar when we find out that he lies like everyone else. At that point, the initial liar is replaced by another liar who hasn’t yet had the chance to deceive us. American voters remind me of those people who are constantly searching for love, forever believing that the new person is different from all the rest. Rather than keeping our expectations realistic, we toss out one leader after another over the tiniest mistake.
Perhaps there will be a point in American politics when we will overcome our hunger for rhetoric, and instead focus on finding leaders who actually want to do the right thing. It seems to me, at this point, that the phrase “honest politician” is an oxymoron in our country. Does it have to be this way? I don’t think so.
While it’s easy to blame politicians for being deceptive, putting all the blame on them for their behavior would be somewhat disingenuous. The truth is that our leaders are nothing more than reflections of the society they represent. Our disappointment in our leaders for not being who we hoped them to be is preceded by our expectation that they be flawless. So, like the daddy who gets angry that his sweet teenage daughter was out having sex, we are guilty of asking others to maintain an illusion denying that which makes them human. Action is more important than words, and honesty means sometimes listening to things you don’t want to hear. It’s time for all of us to grow up.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the initiator of the National Conversation on Race. He is also the author of the book, “Black American Money.” For more information, please visit BoyceWatkins.com.
