The Obama Effect I: Blacks in Britain

In the past few months, for better or for worse, young Americans have been swept up in the heady wake of hope and optimism that follows Barack Obama wherever he goes. While there are far better places to track the growth of the Obamenon in America, this blog will take a little detour from its usual subject to follow international media reactions to Obama. This is in the hope of gaining some insight as to why this particular candidate, whose story is as much global as it is typically American, has brought forth such a uniformly positive response from the rest of the world, particularly when the American brand itself is taking such a tarnishing everywhere.

First up, an article in the Guardian looking at how the Obama effect is trickling down to black communities in Britain, and observing that Obama and Lewis Hamilton are now role models at 'the beginning of the greatest week ever in black history'. Note that both the Obama story, and Hamilton's, have similar inspirational overtones, both of them transcending economic hardships, tough family situations, and racial stereotyping to make it to positions of historic significance. It would be interesting to see whether the initial euphoria translates into something more tangible; as the article calls it, a 'new narrative' for black Britons.

Link: A great week in black history?

This article, of course, is being posted a day before the Presidential Elections of 2008. Irrespective of tomorrow's outcome, I think tracking international media opinion as a reaction to the result tomorrow is bound to provide for some interesting reading. Future themes follow two tracks: in the event of an Obama win, how long will his love affair with the rest of the world continue? In the event of an unlikely loss, will the sense of despondency and rejection have other effects on marginalised communities who look to the Obama ascendancy as a source of hope and validation for themselves? Will it further affect America's reputation among other countries?