Fear,anxiety,optimism,pessimism and Obama

Sometimes my varied thoughts on many different subjects come together and I have a theme for a blog.
This week, my thoughts turn to the new President of the U.S.A.

I think I understand the "hope" Americans feel with Obama. It is a sort of optimism. Maybe even delusional optimism. It goes something like this, African Americans can feel that racism isn't as bad as what they thought it had been so far. White Americans can stop feeling guilt about their countries racist tendencies.

It is obviously too early to make any predictions but if Obama's success or failure in office is seen only in terms of color, then it makes any expectations doomed to disappointment.
Why?
Because a man's color won't make him a better economic manager.
His color won't guarantee success on the world stage. Foreign policy is a messy business.
His color won't give him a magic formula to end poverty, repair the financial crisis and banish the threat of terrorism.

His color won't help him make the right decisions in times of crisis.

If he fails to halt global warming, will it be said that the reason was he was black?

If he fails to turn around the financial crisis, will his African American supporter harbor conspiracy theories blaming the system worked against him because he is black?

To me, this is the problem of over emphasizing the man's color rather than the qualities of the man himself.

Delusional optimism might be healthy for the individual's ability to cope with disappointments in life but delusional optimism don't work merely on the premise that black is better than white.