Saturday, February 20, 2010

The Myth of the Wizard


Maybe we had to go through a bunch of mess to realize that the Wizard didn't have all the answers.
Maybe it took the struggles to awaken many of us from our malaise.
Maybe the belief in this great Wizard was/is our downfall.
What if one decided to take his place as the ruler of what is thought to be the most powerful country in the world?
What impact would this have on those who believe in the Wizard?

Many of us have bought into the hype surrounding a "Superior Race"
But some chose to rise against this thinking.
Some chose to become so dominant that many of those from another group began looking for a "Great Hope" to take back what many thought was rightfully their own.

Oprah was born with the Grand-Slam of Unfortunate Circumstances - Poor, Black, Ugly, Fat, and Female - in the South.
But now many are worried about the impact of her leaving Day-Time television.
Maybe it'll have the same negative effect as "Friends" had for NBC.
Who would have thought that a woman with so much going against her could become so pivotal in such a hostile environment?

Many thought that Blacks were too dumb or ugly to be accepted by a larger group of consumers.
But what happens when popular culture is filled with those others previously thought unworthy?
What if these people become the new influences of what is cool to many American youths?

What if the death of an icon gets more coverage than other more pressing events?
Should one group fear that another group is exerting undue influence over their media?

What if some decide that the barriers put upon them by others do not apply to them?
Could some become dominant in those pursuits once thought to be taboo?

What if some began to succeed in what they were taught didn't come naturally to them?
Would some boycott a venue which decided to change the complexion of it's customers?

What if some even ventured into the cold Northwest to pursue gold?
Would some become offended that a Winter event had a bit of color?

What if one went beyond the accomplishments of Calvin Peete, Charlie Sifford or Lee Elder?
What if this same guy married someone from the untainted Nordic region?
What if he decided to taint many other women - many of whom his critics have no chance of doing the same?
(Okay - this may be an example of his buying into to myths propagated by the Wizard. But still, he does kick some butt ON the golf course.)

I don't know any of these individuals, nor their families.
What they do on their own is their business.
But what I do know is they have all decided to ignore the lies of the Wizard.
That they have all discovered that the Wizard's only strength was their weakness.
The weakness of a belief in a false idol who possessed no real power.
When these individuals awoke, they discovered that they always had the power to make their own changes.
That this power was inherent.
That the only thing holding them back was their limited beliefs in themselves and their excessive beliefs in others.

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