Topic: Why do we seem to care more today about cheating in sports?
I know a little bit about professional sports. In fact, without getting too far into the weeds, let’s just say I practically grew up in professional locker rooms, dugouts, and on and off fields, diamonds, and courts. However, since this op-ed is about something else and notabout me, let’s just dive right in and get to the bottom of the matter.
Recently, we have been inundated (much more so than usual) with television/ radio shows, and online debates focusing on the issue of “cheating in professional sports.” In them, pundits rave and rage about how horrible it is that the Houston Astros (allegedly) stole signs in order to win a World Series Championship in 2017. They go on to argue that these same Astros (allegedly) continued to cheat in subsequent years – and perhaps, even as recently as just last year.
Coates offers to us a deep understanding of what it is like to be living as an American through the eyes of a much different viewpoint than many are accustomed to hearing – that of the African-American male . It is an eye-opening discourse on the “flip” side of the American dream and its historical remembrances – as well as many other accounts of the events that took place in this country over the past 400+ years. It really offers a brand new angle for the American public in how we might finally want to address both the answers (and new questions going forward) concerning our legacy.
It’s funny how easy it is to forget that as recently as this book was released, 2006-07, Obama was the sole African-American in the Senate. It’s no wonder that he encountered the level of resistance he did when leapfrogging over this body into the presidency in 2009. I bet more than a few colleagues were completely blindsided by his rapid ascent. Anyhow, with the power of hindsight (being 20/20) it is easy to see now how the U.S. is in the kind of tribal state it is. A large swath of Americans has proven that they were, in fact, completely blindsided by the appearance and success of Barack Obama as a politician and an individual. I suppose it’s just one of many issues the country will need to deal with as democracy matriculates down this long and winding road dubbed “America.”
One of the reasons I decided to weave this
review into my book blog fabric is that I just came off editing my own first
non-fiction work, and I noticed this book, Ikigai … , might provide some of the
answers to several of the questions I touched on obliquely in my book (but, of
course, had no intention of providing my readers with any helpful answers!)
I’ve always been curious as to what
ingredients comprise mixing the “best cocktail for an extended and fruitful
existence.” Unfortunately, at least in my experience of life in the U.S., I’ve seen
mostly the opposites – those that shave away years and good health (i.e.
a sedentary lifestyle, a poor diet, poor air and water quality, unhealthy
climate, congested cities, dangerous crime rates, etc.)
If anyone has ever taken the time to
listen to Barack Obama publicly speak, I think he or she would agree with me
that he has an extraordinary way with words. What I didn’t know (and what
most people probably don’t either) is that he also has the ability to transform
his voice into a wide array of characters – much like a talented voiceover
actor.
I’m not talking about one or two voices,
but rather something that numbers in the double digits! He uses this
ability to paint a creative canvas with different voices/characters that he
unveils to us are his family and/ or friends. Whether it was his
curmudgeonly (yet likeable) Anglo grandfather from Kansas; the velvety
assortment of Kenyan-Kikuyan dialects depicting his late father – as well as
other Kenyan relatives (both male and female); his African-American friends and
teammates in the mainland U.S.; his Hawaiian peers and other locals; a pinch of
Indonesian tongues; and on, and on and on.
What I liked about this book
No matter how impressive I found Obama to
be prior to listening to the
audio version of his inaugural autobiography, I cannot
understate how much more impressive (and relatable) this work made him to
me. I certainly had my doubts as to how he could/ would build the
foundation of “an understanding of the dreams of someone he barely knew (i.e. Barack
Sr.).” He also didn’t have access to the recollection of his mother; who
also died very young in life.
Yet, I quickly became convinced at how he
“filled in all of the blanks” by taking us on his journey to track down those
who knew his father best – the side of his family still residing in
Kenya. Without being much of a spoiler, let’s just say he was able to
keep from having to “guess” or “manipulate” the details of his father’s
life. He was able to track down how his father became who he was, what
was important to his father, what made him tick, and what frightened or
distracted him. For those of us who are familiar with absentee, enigmatic and/
or abusive parents, it is a unique and crafty approach to discovering the
“secrets of the past” without having to create them from his imagination like
most of the rest of us do.
Actually, I was shocked at how much of the book was apolitical. I thought going in it would be much more concentrated on White House events, but, much to my relief, there were many more life experiences in the overall mix. My expectations were for 80% politics and 20% personal. In fact, it was more like 90% personal! It is much less a book about living in America’s equivalent of a “Royal Palace,” and much more about one woman’s “journey in its totality.” It is about identity, thestruggle, self-doubtsandthe dream. It is about perseverance. It is also about letting go when you need to let go. But, most of all, it is about family, good friends and, most importantly, always standing firmly alongside the ones you love the most – warts and all!!
What I liked about
this book
I’ve read hundreds (if not thousands) of books in my lifetime. However, rarely have I run across an autobiography that is this honest and forthright. Seriously, one would think that autobiographies are meant to be the most candid, but, for the most part, most fall dreadfully short of this goal. I know it sounds cliché, but Michelle Obama really knows how to “put the reader in her shoes.” She understands how to make the reader feel the way she felt in a specific moment, tohurt in her personal moments of real pain, and to feel joy when she was uplifted in one of her finer moments. She is a real person, a “one-of-a-kind” – and that is a rare find! (And I’m a poet and didn’t know it!)
The author lays some eye-opening stats on us in the Prologue. It does as much to shed light on the financial anxiety most Americans are and have been feeling for quite some time – that contribute to much of the division and fear mongering that has become an American staple for others to ‘swoop in on’ and take full advantage of.
Giridharadas references a study that discovered:
“…middle and lower class Americans (born from 1984 on) now have merely a35% chance of achieving a comparable lifestyle to their parents (down drastically from previous generations). He goes on to mention that the top tenth of earners income has doubled since 1980, the top 1% has tripled – and, if you’re in the top .001%, you earned 7x.” (paraphrased fromPrologue, pg. 4)
The author tells us it is time to examine how income disparity numbers like this arose, and to take an honest look at how the crushing impact it has on the majority of us.
The author also suggests that the general population would be foolish to (think and hope) that it can sit back and allow the super wealthy and super influential to save us all from this situation. The reasons, as so carefully laid out in this book, are that many of the same individuals (and companies) who orchestrate, participate, fund, and preside on speaker panels are, in fact, the ones responsible for creating many of the global issues they claim to be solving.
This book is a very eye-opening exposé on what the author terms to be “a charade” that the rich and famous carefully play on the rest of us. It shows repeated demonstrations as to how and why some very important social problems are to be addressed (as outlined by the super-rich), but fail to ever be resolved. The author informs us that this all appears to be more by design than by circumstance. It is a harrowing thought– but one he insists is real and that we need to examine.
Question: How many times have we stumbled off to an early morning business trip – only to realize we are completely unorganized? Oftentimes, we take a fairly simple process and complicate it by committing the kinds of oversights that we would never tolerate in the office. Below are a few examples that might sound familiar to us all:
The 5-minute shave, shower and shuffle
The 4-minute pack ‘n’ push-off
The 3-minute coffee – oatmeal – dash (of course, with chin crumbs in tow)
And we aren’t talking about an emergency business trip booked at 2-3 a.m. the morning of, but rather one typically planned 2-3 weeks ahead!
So, where does that leave us? For starters, let’s make this easier by taking a page out of the old book of common sense:
