Barack Obama

Just been thinking about the massive day it is today with the first black man to be elected the President of America, is it bigger than having a woman elected...well women have been oppressed for a lot longer than African Americans, like from the dawn of civilisation until the last 50 years or so, and people with African heritage have been oppressed for the last 500 years or so...I don't know which is/would have been bigger.

Needles to say that in February this year I made a pithy, judgemental and probably somewhat arrogant point on my show saying that "...this year, we would see if America has grown up enough to elect a black man President."

Well they have elected one, but have they 'grown up'.

I don't know the answer to that question, but it has caused me to ask another question...do we need to grown up here in New Zealand with our attitude between Maori and Pakeha, Pakeha and Maori?

As a western country, American is 225 years old, New Zealand is 168. Do we just need more time to get to a point of maturity as a nation? Are we possibly still a tempestuous teenager, while America has turned into a responsible 30-something?

Barack Obama's full acceptance speech
Part One


Part Two