In the first presidential debate, Senator John McCain repeatedly accused previous Senator Barack Obama of lacking experience, being naive, and most ironically, not knowing the contrast in the middle of a tactic and a strategy. It was a portentous allegation.
On Super Tuesday, after watching the Maverick and war hero (a.k.a.) McCain go down in defeat, state after state, one thing was abundantly clear: "that one" (a.k.a. Obama) not only knows the contrast in the middle of tactics and strategies, but has mastered them. It proved that you don't have to be a previous prisoner of war to effectively use tactics and strategies to perform your goals.
Trickle Up Poverty
This description focuses on how black males can use the same tactics and strategies employed by President Obama to reposition themselves to perform success in their expert endeavors and add momentum to the black male movement.
First, let's define terms to ensure that we are on the same page and are speaking the same language:
Tactic: a device for accomplishing an end.
Strategy: a true plan or method; a clever stratagem b: the art of devising or employing plans or stratagems toward a goal. (There are many war references made in its alternate definitions; thus the suspect for McCain's arrogance.)
The generally used and often misunderstood term "position" was created by marketing pioneers Al Ries and Jack Trout in the 70s. Agreeing to them, position naturally means to occupy a unique mental position in one's mind. We are all positioned in one way or another. Positioning is the deliberate exertion of establishing and controlling one's position. To reposition is to convert or enhance one's primary position. The act of positioning and repositioning should be plan of and used as an element of strategy.
Now let's move on to the specifics of how the repositioning of black males can be closed through lessons in case,granted by President Barack Obama's historical campaign run.
First, I have to say that while both blacks and whites adroitly handled racial issues in this election with striking diplomacy, we all know - whether we care to admit it or not - that race, like sexuality, is all the time an issue. It's the big elephant in the room that we are aware of, but try to ignore, as I try to ignore the fact that I now have over a decade of caress working in corporate America and have yet to work alongside an additional one black male. With the election of our first black President, hopefully a trickle down consequent will take place and employers will be able to transcend any racial issues which may alter my situation (or isolation), and an increase in black male presence will occur.
No doubt we've crossed an epic racial fence - but we still have many battles to be fought. We can't be naive; racist issues (not to be confused with racial issues) still exist and they will for real outside while Obama's Presidency. Many of the racial issues which pertain to and specifically consequent black men, can now be dealt with openly and politically since they were eclipsed by universal concerns while the election. Focus upon them would have created the appearance of an imbalanced perspective for Obama. After all, black issues are esoteric.
Obama's campaign team, lead by David Plouffe, and his chief strategist David Axelrod, have acknowledged that one of the key tenets of the campaign was, in fact, to avoid discussions focused on race. From polling and interviews, the campaign closed from the outset that it was imperative to define Obama's candidacy in terms that would transcend skin color.
Who were their first efforts aimed at? Blacks. Apparently, they deemed it imperative to get blacks to move beyond their "natural" skepticism that one of their own could for real become president. They knew that Obama would have to position himself to be chosen as a leader because leaders don't select their followers; followers select their leaders - regardless of race.
In a description on Msnbc.com by Adam Nagourney, Jim Rutenberg and Jeff Zeleny, Obama's campaign team made the following quote, "The biggest race question we had to solve was not with the white voters," Mr. Axelrod said, "but with African-American voters, a deep sense of skepticism that this might happen."
How about that?
These are called interracial issues. They offer a window, if not a measurement, into just how long the roots of negativity and its insidious effects can have on the psyche of an oppressed people. Were we for real skeptical? Yes, initially, but we were not doubtful of Obama's competence; we were doubtful of his chances based upon our system, and our individual and social black experiences.
After identifying the hurdles to the White House, Obama's camp had their agenda, a mission, and a message. They were all set to execute a textbook policy on repositioning Obama, and offer America's black men invaluable lessons that they could use to transform their lives and perform greater success in their expert endeavors.
This brings us to episode 1 in repositioning the black male: take off skepticism - primarily your own - and identify the hurdles to your success.
With Obama's campaign mantra of Change you can believe in, and Yes we can!, they created a strategy that would enable them to fuel hope and engender allegiance at a time when our nation is at war and in dire economic straits, while simultaneously instilling optimism into the psyches of African Americans, and the vast majority of Americans, in the process.
The strategy was brilliant, but not surprising when you think that Obama wrote a book entitled The Audacity Of Hope, in which he wrote: "Hope is that thing inside of us that insists, despite evidence to the contrary, that something great awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it." The tears that flowed so copiously while his acceptance speech were tears of hope. He clearly understands that one can not have hope without optimism. He may want to entitle his next book The Benefits Of Optimism.
Lesson 2 in repositioning the black male: understand the thinking and emotional state of the citizen you will serve in order to inspire optimism. Build a bridge from them to you (not the other way around).
Psychologist Martin Seligman, author of the book Learned Optimism, says that optimism has been defined by some researchers as naturally finding the silver lining and suggests that your explanation for why something happens has a major impact on how you will act in the hereafter and what consequent your actions will bring about. This in turn has an eventual impact on your self-esteem and self-image. Optimists expect the best outcome, even while setbacks, and they're more motivated to bring it about.
This is the suspect why a description amount of blacks, youth, and first time voters shed their apathy and zealously headed to the polls in description numbers which accounted for 13 percent of the electorate.
The importance of optimism is not to be understated. Since studies show that black men live 7.1 years less than other racial groups, have higher death rates than women for all foremost causes of death, and caress disproportionately higher death rates in all the foremost causes of death, they'd be interested to know that increased optimism has condition benefits. The May 2008 issue of Harvard Men's condition Watch explores potential reasons for this connection.
Among the description findings: very pessimistic men were three times more likely to institute hypertension, and citizen who display sure emotions had lower blood pressures. In one study, the most pessimistic men were more than twice as likely to institute heart disease compared with the most optimistic. That's welcomed news since 40% of black men die prematurely from cardiovascular disease as compared to 21% of white men.
The description concludes: These results argue persuasively that optimism is good for health. It is potential that optimists enjoy great condition and longer lives because they lead healthier lifestyles, build stronger social maintain networks, and get great medical care. In addition, optimism itself may have biological benefits, such as lower levels of stress hormones and less inflammation.
Because I know that many black men are church-going folks, they are sure to revel in the fact that the Bible also contains scripture on optimism and its effects. (Matthew 8:25-27) Pessimism results from lack of faith. Pessimism is born of doubt; optimism is born of faith. The repositioned black male will have more faith in himself and will prove to be adept at garnering the faith of those who were once reluctant to give it. Being astounding will be the norm.
Cornell Belcher, a pollster who worked for Obama's campaign and studies racial voting patterns said to the press, "It would be difficult for an African-American to be elected president in this country; however, it is not difficult for an astounding individual who happens to be African-American to be elected president." Obama made mention of this in his acceptance speech when he said, "I was never the likeliest candidate for the office." But he ran anyway. And he ran unlike any other presidential candidate in history because he had to. Analysts say he ran a perfect campaign that was astounding in its execution.
Lesson 3 in repositioning the black male: understand that being marvelous begins in your mind with your own self-image; the least likeliest candidate can still get the job. Also, you are no longer the least likeliest candidate.
Like Obama, you must make it your mission to get employers to become comfortable with you and the role in which you will play in their business by demonstrating your quality to cope the challenges within that role. If your values are aligned with theirs, all you have to do is effectively carry on expectations and deliver - which is what the world is waiting for Obama to do next.
It was sure from the outset that Obama was a proficient politician, but he got great while the election in the same manner that any talented and driven athlete gets great as their season progresses. He became superlative while the playoffs of politics, the election run, and was naturally indomitable in each of his debates. He didn't just win the election, he restored faith in the integrity of the presidency while repositioning himself and showcasing solid character.
Lesson 4 in repositioning the black male: showcase solid character at all times.
Where does the process of building character begin? At the very beginning of your journey: at home with your parents and in college. It intensifies when you are pursuing the caress and skills critical to successfully navigate through your career when entering the workforce. It doesn't matter where you want your vocational journey to take you because most citizen can't dream where they are going to end-up; they just need to be prepared to consequent when they get there.
Chances are Obama didn't dream being president when he was working with victims of housing and employment discrimination. That experience, along with teaching at the University of Chicago Law, and landing a spot in the senate clearly helped him procure the skills, knowledge, and caress critical to navigate through the glossy slopes of the political process without getting tripped up - despite the disproportionate lack of caress he had in comparison to McCain.
Lesson 5 in repositioning the black male: lack of caress does not equate lack of chance unless you allow it to.
As previously stated, for many Americans character takes shape in college. For black men, college attendance - on the community college and university level - is dwindling. Agreeing to the spring 2006 Integrated Post secondary education Data ideas study (Ipeds), Black, non-Hispanic male students had the lowest three-year graduation rate - 16 percent - among all minority male community college students.
In an description published in 2007, Disappearing Acts: The Vanishing Black Male On community College Campuses, Lorenzo I. Esters and Dr. David C. Mosby write: What is most alarming about the current state of the Black male on America's community college campuses is that those who are in positions of leadership have been slow to identify the situation as a state of crisis and have been approximately reluctant to own up to their accountability to take restorative action. The accumulated research studies on the subject of Black male student holding may be a source for community colleges to gain some comprehension as to how they may appropriately talk to the epidemic.
Over the past 33 years, black women have enrolled in four-year colleges at higher rates than have black men, Agreeing to the results of a new study conducted by the Higher education research institute at Ucla's Graduate School of education & facts Studies. In 2004, black women comprised 59.3 percent of all first-time, full-time black students attending four year institutions, compared to 54.5 percent in 1971.
With this type of research and data, why haven't there been any extra initiatives or greater outreach from colleges to address this issue? My research found a potential answer:
Black male enrollments are shockingly low at many colleges and universities, even those with good track records at attracting a diverse student body. While some demographers have noted this situation for years, many colleges have shied away from dealing with the issue head on, fearing that doing so could reinforce stereotypes, offend women, or draw conservative criticism.
Perhaps Obama will put this on his ever growing list of priorities. He's well aware of the question and has referred to it on any occasions, the first in his Democratic National custom speech when he stated: "Yes, we must contribute more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents (and) that government can't turn off the television and make a child do his homework...that fathers must take more accountability to contribute love and guidance to their children."
Last year, at the Naacp forum on July 12, 2007, he was also quoted as saying: "We have more work to do when more young black men languish in prison than attend colleges and universities across America." That is incorrect. The media has perpetuated that myth by reporting the total amount of incarcerated black males, in comparison to the the total amount of college-age (18 - 25) black males. Precise statistics divulge that since 2005 there are, in fact, more college age black males enrolled in colleges and universities than there are incarcerated in the same group.
Lesson 6 in repositioning the black male: increase and strengthen your education with the goal of becoming smarter. That includes, but is not itsybitsy to, enrolling in school. education builds character and is a crucial tactic in our uncut success strategy. education shapes values, alters perspectives, and fosters altruism. Studies show that there is a direct link in the middle of increased education and decreased levels of crime and violence - even within the prison system.
Education is also the fountain from which the tactical resolutions to the previously stated problems and those which have plagued us for centuries will be spawned. The repositioned black male must encourage the next generation of black men to take interest in pursuits other than sports and entertainment at a younger age. We need to deepen our talent pool of hereafter policy makers who can instigate and maintain change. A generation of young men, who like Obama, will be effective at using tactics and strategies to get results.
That's the crux of President Obama's success. Success is within closer reach for the repositioned black male who comprehends that positioning is an art, a psychology, and a science. It's not just for the artful, the psychological, or the scientific; it's for thought about visionaries who want great lives and a greater share of resources for their families, their communities, and themselves.
And while we have reached our most critical milestone as black men, we must now look ahead to the hereafter and get ready for it in the present, the way Obama did when he contained his emotions, less than 30 minutes after being elected, and had the presence of mind while his shining moment, to take the chance to carry on soaring expectations by remarking in his acceptance speech:
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a citizen will get there...there will be setbacks (see paragraph above on optimism and setbacks) and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will all the time be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree."
Final episode in repositioning the black male: all the time see the big picture and your place within it.
The Repositioning of the Black Male
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