At the Mexico Olympics in 1968, this photograph of American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos standing on the victory podium with heads bowed and black-gloved fists raised in a Black Power salute in protest at racism in the USA, became the iconic image of the age.
In the fraught years since 1968, the weight of living through the aftermath put a heavy burden on the friendship of Carlos and Smith. In separate interviews with the Los Angeles Times it was revealed that they have barely spoken to each other since the early 1990s, despite living just a short drive apart in southern California. Smith described their relationship as “strained”. Carlos would call his former team-mate only “Mister Smith”.
Recalling the Olympics, Carlos said:
“When we arrived at the award stand there was a lot of applause. When we left there were many boos and thumbs down. Well, John Carlos and Tommie Smith want the people who booed to know that black people are not lower animals like roaches and rats. … We’re not like some sort of a show horse who does its job and then had some peanuts tossed at it. We’d like to tell all white people that if they don’t care for things black people do, they should not go see black people perform.”
Smith was equally bitter:
“It is very discouraging to be in a team with white athletes. On the track you are Tommie Smith, the fastest man in the world, but once you are in the dressing rooms you are nothing more than a dirty Negro.”
Over the years, they paid the price. Smith was discharged from army service as a result of his ‘un-American activities’. Two brothers of John Carlos were also sent home from battle. They never represented the USA again.
(Less well-known is the fact that Peter Norman, the white Australian athlete on the podium with them, expressed his solidarity by wearing the same ‘Olympic Project for Human Rights’ badge on the podium as Smith and Carlos did. He too was victimised when he got back home to Australia. Despite running the necessary qualifying times, he was excluded from the Australian squad which went to the 1972 Olympics, and he was not invited to take any part in the 2000 Sydney Olympic celebrations by the Australian organisers. Carlos and Smith both went to Norman’s funeral in 2006 and delivered eulogies to the late sprinter, who still holds the Australian record for 200 metres which he set in Mexico.)
From a wonderful history of dissent at the Olympics by Martin Belam
But here, in 2009, are Carlos and Smith at Obama’s inauguration, with their wives, in a hotel room.
(Boston Globe/Stan Grossfeld)
What the election of Obama signifies, the energies it can generate, the solidarities it can create, the transformations that can be effected under its sign, cannot be understood simply in terms of a charismatic man of mixed race becoming President of the most powerful nation today. It is only those who cannot see beyond these mere “facts” who are cynical and mocking, for whatever Obama’s actual record in office will prove to be, we must mark this moment.
It is a moment that every struggle against power and authority anywhere in the world has claimed for itself. Centuries of racism and two decades of Empire later, every edifice of power in every part of the globe has, in one sudden ray of light, revealed its vulnerability. Anything seems possible, not least of all, a Dalit woman Prime Minister of India.
“Obama” is bigger than the man.
KAFILA - COLLECTIVE EXPLORATIONS SINCE 2006 
the article puts the event in poetic setting. the situation that was then and now. how the heroes of 1968 celeberated the event.
well said that Obama is bigger than the man.
redards
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Nivedita: The article points at two issues. The causal relations between the actions of Smith, Carlos, and Norman and their direct fallout, which did not go away even as recently as 2006. The other is about the hope and aspiration that Obama’s victory has generated. One is to do with systemic violence, while the other is a symbolic transformation of our collective imaginations.
Though I understand and appreciate what you are getting at here, I am struggling to see a persuasive link. Call me a cynic if you will.
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I guess I am suggesting that “symbolic transformation of the imagination” has structural and systemic implications…
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There is Zizek’s response to Chomsky’s pessimism about Obama as president here: http://www.lrb.co.uk/web/14/11/2008/zize01_.html
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The Obama Moment is historically produced and not an end in itself. It is just the begining. The problem with us Indians is that we are unable to even imagine these ‘symbolic transformations’. Our “meritorious” world never allow us to imagine the Obama Moment in histry. We r busy presrving “culture” which in essence is nothing but brahminical values of graded inequality, caste partriarchy, gender-insensitvness, exclusion, anti-democracy and disrespect for differences..
we need more Rosa parks to sit and Martins to walk so as to invent even an Indian Obama MOment.
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The courageous stand Carlos and Smith took and the suffering they endured because of it cannot be compared with a Rise of an opportunistic and clever politician like Obama.
Obama shares with Carlos and Smith nothing other than his Skin color.
It is understandable but wrong that vast majority of Blacks and Progressives are supporting this Guy Obama.
It is a moment that every struggle against power and authority anywhere in the world has claimed for itself. Centuries of racism and two decades of Empire later, every edifice of power in every part of the globe has, in one sudden ray of light, revealed its vulnerability. Anything seems possible, not least of all, a Dalit woman Prime Minister of India.
This is so childish. Obama is simply the political agent of the ruling classes of his country. He has the knack of getting most people believe he is with them when in fact, he is only with the Bosses.
He talks in such generalities and high sounding rhetoric that most people simply project their hopes on his blank slate. Even he is on record saying this.
It is no wonder a radical leftist journalist like Al Giordano of Narconews.com and a foul whore of Rightwing Propaganda organs like Andrew Sullivan are both among his most ardent followers.
Sullivan may be more realistic than Giordano. Because Obama has appointed only right wingers to his cabinet and following rightwing policies.
“Obama” is bigger than the man.
Right, where have I heard this? In every so called movement which degenerates into Personality cult of the glorious leader.
To begin with, the Movement around Obama was /is not even a movement. It is more like a fan club.
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Poignant (a word I have abused in the past, and have rationed thenceforth, to balance that abuse — but which I cannot be not use here).
Thanks for the slice of history. Will read the article you linked.
regards,
asuph
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Here comes another school master with a stick in his hands – in the person of Mr Ajit! Dare not indulge in childishness, folks. He will teach you what the proper mode of debate should be:
The school master – rather Prophet – comes with the light of Truth for which the “vast majority of Blacks and Progressives” must thank him. They must prostrate themselves and bathe at the rays of Truth shining forth from his ass:
he tells us. All those who wept and rejoiced are wrong; the schoolmaster-Prophet alone is right.
(Let us ignore, for the time being the sexism of this megalomaniac; after all it is reserved only for the ‘Right wingers’):
Meanwhile, the megalomaniac has found one concrete “Progressive” – the post author, who is yet unaware of the Truth that shines from his you-know-what:
Ha haa, “…where have I heard this?” he says. And answers:
Believe it or not! This is the tone of one not in power. But hold on, does he sound very far from an aspiring ‘glorious leader’ who would go to any length to build a personality cult around him?
And before we wind up, on a slightly more serious note, what calls forth this sneer from the would-be-Prophet? The comment that “‘Obama’ is bigger than the man”. Now, if one is not a complete illiterate, one would recall literally hundreds of instances from history – Indian and of others parts of the world – where the proper name begins to functions as a ‘sign’ that collects under it a whole range of different aspirations. It becomes a call to a movement and may itself just die like for example a Gandhi or a Jayaprakash Narayan did, rejecting the lures of power and preferring to die in the wilderness. Both Gandhi and JP were bigger than the ‘men’ they were – not because of some puerile idea of a ‘personality cult’ but because popular perception vested in them far more that they would be able to hold. But of course, as they say, heat and light do not always go together and what shines as Truth from Ajit’s backside is after all pure heat.
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I did not know simply posting my opinion about Obama and his fan club would get me called prophet, school master, megalomaniac, sexist etc.
I am saying Obama is being supported by all the factions of ruling class of America and also by a great majority of progressives, liberals or people of Social Democratic tendencies. Unless one believes all social conflict has ended and everyone’s interests are the same , there is only one conclusion. Either Obama fooled Ruling class or he fooled ordinary people who were tired of Bush gang.
I don’t think Rulers are sentimental and fooled by Obama’s rhetoric. They supported him because he would restore the credibility of US Empire which was badly damaged by Bush gang’s incompetence. His actions as President till date are instructive in this regard. He has appointed only pro war , pro big business people to his cabinet, he has supported for every crime Israel committed in Gaza, He already broke International law by attacking Pakistan territory.
He has the knack of making people of wildly different politics think he is with them. His 2004 address to Democratic Convetion was lauded by Liberals and progressives. But it was also praised by National Review, a rightwing magazine. Obama is a great asset for US Rulers.
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In the deepest entrails of the so called “Progressive Movement” lies the fault lines, more akin to the deep rooted bugs, say in MS Windows which manifests themselves as the infamous “blue screen of death” from time to time.
People like yabasta symbolize the same –“Blue screens of death” and intrinsic bugs. Mere advocates of ideals which have no meaning to them; people deprived of reason by their churlish fanaticism.
Coming to the points being raised by Nivedita, this article is a disheartening espousal of the general MSM position (both left and right) that Obama’s ascendency to the Presidency is somehow a culmination of the kind of struggles waged by Carlos and Smith Or by Md. Ali or By King or by Malcom. The first thing the new darling of the “liberal” media in US, Rachael Maddow, pronounced after Obama was declared the winner (to effect) “We have now shown to the fanatics of the world who said this was not possible in America- Yes we can”. The next morning NYT offered –”Racial Barrier Falls in Decisive Victory.”
Be mindful these are what to the uninformed constitute as the liberal cornerstone of the US MSM. I would not even dwell into what the Murdoch bandwagon or the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Bill Cunningham had to offer.
Obama does not represent anything. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. Zero.
In an American society where Katrina is just couple of years old and Oakland just couple of weeks it is a concerted effort by the powers that are to signify this victory as something much more than what it really means –(as rightfully pointed out by Ajit) “Obama is simply the political agent of the ruling classes of his country.”
Unfortunately for the literati for whom “progressiveness’ is a means to put themselves on a pedestal and sermonize to show their “depth” of condescension – Obama is the embodiment of hope and change and what not.
For the real folks he might as well be a fading apparition.
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It seems, however, Diptorup, that the people actually celebrating are not the progressive ‘literati’ alone. In fact, evidence of ordinary folk celebrating the event is so overwhelming that nobody so far has denied it. If that be the case, then he surely can’t mean “Zilch. Nada. Zero” to those millions. You don’t cry like that (as so many did) in public if neither the person nor the event nothing to you. And this agent of the ruling class bit is the least interesting. Tagore was once the ‘running dog of imperialism’ and Gandhi was an ‘agent of the ruling class’ for those very people who today find that are the only straws they can hold on to in these difficult times.
Obama might of course be a fading apparition. When he does, nobody will really mourn his fading away. At the moment however, that does not seem to be the case.
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Mr Nigam,
Not sure about you but none of my comments are based on the cleverly crafted media images you are refering to. I am relaying to you what I glean from my association with the Black Community via long standing interaction with friends in my academic circle or through Black urban radio.
No Sir I am not disowning the fact that there is immense pride in a huge swat of the minority community to see one of their own get elected as the President. What I am (if you carefully read my comment) is the convulated attempt the supposedly left-liberal MSM is putting up to project this victory of Barack Obama as something it is NOT. No it is not that America has entered a post-racial era (as NYT and MSNBC) would make us believe. No Obama does not espouse any of the supposed “straws” progressives should clutch on to.
No this does not begin a dramatic shift from neo-imperialistic postures of the near past.
No sir if it had been the last straws we would not have an American president who voted for FISA, No sir we would not have a person with the professed agenda of escalating the war in Afganistan. And certainly not surround himself with likes of Larry Summers and Hillary Clinton.
Not even going into the Rick Warrens of the world.
Instead of getting carried away by the glitz and glamour I strongly suggest you too like many of the actual stagebearers (Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky Naomi Klien, Dennis Kucinich, Jeremiah Wright, to name just a few) of the progressive cirlce(outside the pseudo-liberal world of NYT and MSNBC) make sure that we are not merely getting giddy on symbolism and rubber-stamping this mere change of gaurd as something way too grandiose than it is.
Diptorup
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But yes as a final word I would be sounding confrontational just for the sake of it, if I do not acknowledge that it would be a welcome change from the Bush Cheny years.
But lots of disappointment is in store for lots of people, who have willed themsleves into believing something which is not to be.
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Diptorup, Ajit, I am really not going to defend myself against charges of being NYT and MSNBC combined. In kafila, we try to debate the nuances of a position within a broad left spectrum, rather than slam it out at a basic black-and-white level. There is absolutely nothing in my piece that suggests that I think racism is over, or even that I think Obama is going to actually fulfil every (or even many of the) dreams invested in him. In fact, I argue precisely the opposite of both. I am interested, as a political theorist and activist, in understanding what this particular moment means, and why it means what it does for so many. Unlike you, I refuse to take recourse to a vanguardist “false consciousness of the masses” position.
Thanks for the warning, Ajit, that Obama is a mere instrument of the ruling class – that theoretical position has proved to be spectacularly successful in the past, as we know from the experience of the Soviet Union, and I will not forget it in a hurry. And Diptorup, I will try not to be “taken in by the glitz and glamour”. It’s very difficult though – it is so VERY glitzy and glamorous that lesser beings like myself tend to be dazzled. Chalo, I’ll try my best.
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You seem to be unnecessarily combative and highly opinionated, Mr Diptorup. But we should be thankful for small mercies. You do after all grant that that this “is a welcome change from the Bush Cheny years.” Gee thanks!
On a different note, I wonder whether you think that things ever change. If so how? Where? When? You say:
“But lots of disappointment is in store for lots of people, who have willed themsleves into believing something which is not to be.”
I frankly did not see the kind of illusions you talk about (apparently all cleverly crafted media images) in the post. There is an immense failure of logic and intellect here in all your comments on this post. If I may venture to say so, you read something else – your own obsessions – into it. At no point does the post author say she believes all the things you attribute to her. As far as I can see, all that the post talks about is the effect the Obama victory have had on Smith and Carlos and their estranged relationship. From there it goes on to ask what was it that spurred this huge transformation in their relationship? What moved them?
Neither your privileged access to the “Black community” nor to ‘Black urban radio’ is relevant here. A simple question of logic escapes you: how is Obama’s being a ruling class agent (as claimed by you and Ajit) at all relevant to the fact that Carlos and Smith perceived something in this moment of Obama’s victory? If you are asked why X perceived Y, what would be a correct answer? One that says: ‘X perceives Y because…’, Or, one that says: ‘X is wrong to perceive Y’? Or, worse, one that tells the questioner she is wrong to believe Y’. The order of failure is evident here. You are not even telling the questioner that you are wrong to think that X perceives Y, but that you believe in Y!! Three levels removed from the question. Elementary, no? dear Diptorup.
What then can one make of your and Ajit’s comments? Either a profound failure of intellect or a sick obsession manifesting itself, taking any opportunity to vent some deep felt frustrations.
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sigh! it makes me wonder what would be an “obama moment” (to borrow a loaded term) for us indian intellectuals (i’m smuggling myself into the group just so that it doesn’t sound like an outsider’s criticism).
what a discussion! really. i just wish it were somewhere else, and not on this piece. something’s amiss if this is where intellectualizing gets us.
chill,
asuph
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Thanks for the warning, Ajit, that Obama is a mere instrument of the ruling class – that theoretical position has proved to be spectacularly successful in the past, as we know from the experience of the Soviet Union, and I will not forget it in a hurry.
What do you mean by this? Can you explain this?
What do you say about the fact that Obama is supported by Military Industrial COmplex, Wallstreet bankers, all Fortune 500 companies, Israel Lobby ?
What do you say about the fact that he appointed the most pro big business , pro war people he could get to his cabinet and not one genuine progressive ?
What do you think about the fact that Obama seems to have deceived the ordinary people by this fake torture ban antics. and also by his equally fake “Cap on CEO Pay”.
http://www.counterpunch.org/nairn01262009.html
Thanks for your time.
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Okay, let us get one thing very clear. Obama is the President of the United States of America. Of course he is supported by the military industrial complex and he has to make peace with the powerful Zionist lobby in the US, etc. etc.
Can we take it that we are agreed on these basics? Please please try to get it that I am trying to understand what this moment means to people of all races who voted for him, what it means to people and movements who are not American, why he was able to win when Jesse Jackson wasn’t, and I am trying very seriously NOT TO REDUCE RACE TO CLASS?
There is a specificity to “race” that I gestured towards in that post. Recognizing specificities (whether of gender, race, class or caste or whatever) requires us not to collapse all of these into one another. If you are at all interested in understanding anything at all, that is, and dont start from a position that always already knows.
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I was reading about a new documentary film (article link below) by Chris Rock called ‘Good Hair’, screened at the Sundance film festival this year. It deconstructs the ‘problem’ of big hair, commonly known as ‘bad’ hair, from the perspective of race.
Chris talked about Obama’s election as president and what it means to African Americans, irrespective of whether or not Obama does anything to address their problems in the future. There was something he said as a joke, but it resonated with me:
“Excellent black people have always been compensated for excellence. Always,” Rock said. “The real equality is when we can have a black president as dumb as George Bush. That’s when we’re really equal. That’s when the dream has come true.”
It was said in a light vein, but the truth of that statement is so grounded in reality. It truly takes genius to speak the truth through comedy :)
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Tani Barlow, in an interesting article published in Economic and Political Weekly, argues that Obama is able to speak to most Americans because he has ‘trained himself in the oratorial traditions of the “national sublime”, the language of mainstream American politics silenced during the Bush era’.
Speaking American: Obama and the National Sublime
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hi,
i am a student and i happened to tumble upon these discussions and was overwhelmed by so much of “informative” intelligence!!! In all i understood only two pieces of text very well and it resonated with me!! that of Nivedita and Sana….The quote from the Movie about equality of race..is the direct response to what nivedita is suggesting at and the rest of all the discussion is just “hot air”
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