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europe
November 2009 
Can Europe Produce An Obama?
Posted on Nov 15th, 2008
by 
Albert
Albert
International Herald Tribune is asking:
Can Europe Produce An Obama?
Casting diferent examples in UK, Fanrce and Germany hty basically focus on migration and questions of multiculturalism. This is ok however it misses the central core of the phenomenon Obama.
The stardom celebrated in USA is a specificum. Years ago -during a conversation at first European SDi Confab in Netherlands -Don Beck said (according to a protocoll):
"Europeans can listen to Wilhelm Tell overture without thinking of Lone Ranger."
While Europe is defining itself - motto of EU United in Diversity)- with its diverse identities, America has a central dream and its defining moment of revolution.
What is in demand here is capability to integrate these identities. To give them soul. To go beyond the limited either or of multi-culturalism and national movements,. Not to mention regional ones.
less Stardom is needed as in USA. However a strong, far sighted, determined and innovative collective leadership.
And a public mood, a Pan european thinking, a collective visible power in all of its intelligencies, and a vertical perspective with freshness, boldness and global imopact. A sexual appeal of bridging the maximum of diversity without loosing vertical proportions. Enthusiasm.
Change as felt momentum and dynamics. As a wind of change. not administrative efforts and institutional and structural outlining.
Change with inclusion of age old European melancholy but without surrendering to it.
Change as riding the tiger of time. As moving the edge in reaching out to the world like in the time of Rennaisance. And creating verticality in its cities, communities, countries, cultures and citizen grassroots.
Leading its 450-500 Million people as much as one of the big world powers as offering the world the best of EU`s "Unity in diversity".
YES. WE EUROPEANS CAN.
Can Europe Produce An Obama?
By Steven Erlanger PARIS:
In the general European euphoria over the election of Barack Obama, there is the beginning of self-reflection about Europe's own troubles with racial integration. Many are asking if there could be a French, British, German or Italian Obama, and everyone knows the answer is no, not anytime soon.
It is risky to make racial comparisons between America and Europe, given all the historical and cultural differences. But race had long been one reason that Europeans, harking back to the days when famous American blacks like Josephine Baker and James Baldwin found solace in France, looked down on the United States, even as Europe developed postcolonial racial problems of its own.
"They always said, 'You think race relations are bad here in France, check out the U.S.,' " said Mohamed Hamidi, former editor of the Bondy Blog, founded after the 2005 riots in the heavily immigrant suburbs of Paris.
"But that argument can no longer stand," he said.
For many immigrants to Europe, Obama's victory is "a small revolution" toward better overall treatment of minorities, said Nadia Azieze, 31, an Algerian-born nurse who grew up here. "It will never be the same," she said, over a meal of rice and lamb in the racially mixed Paris neighborhood of Barbès-Rochechouart.
Read More..
Can Europe Produce An Obama?
Casting diferent examples in UK, Fanrce and Germany hty basically focus on migration and questions of multiculturalism. This is ok however it misses the central core of the phenomenon Obama.
The stardom celebrated in USA is a specificum. Years ago -during a conversation at first European SDi Confab in Netherlands -Don Beck said (according to a protocoll):
"Europeans can listen to Wilhelm Tell overture without thinking of Lone Ranger."
While Europe is defining itself - motto of EU United in Diversity)- with its diverse identities, America has a central dream and its defining moment of revolution.
What is in demand here is capability to integrate these identities. To give them soul. To go beyond the limited either or of multi-culturalism and national movements,. Not to mention regional ones.
less Stardom is needed as in USA. However a strong, far sighted, determined and innovative collective leadership.
And a public mood, a Pan european thinking, a collective visible power in all of its intelligencies, and a vertical perspective with freshness, boldness and global imopact. A sexual appeal of bridging the maximum of diversity without loosing vertical proportions. Enthusiasm.
Change as felt momentum and dynamics. As a wind of change. not administrative efforts and institutional and structural outlining.
Change with inclusion of age old European melancholy but without surrendering to it.
Change as riding the tiger of time. As moving the edge in reaching out to the world like in the time of Rennaisance. And creating verticality in its cities, communities, countries, cultures and citizen grassroots.
Leading its 450-500 Million people as much as one of the big world powers as offering the world the best of EU`s "Unity in diversity".
YES. WE EUROPEANS CAN.
Can Europe Produce An Obama?
By Steven Erlanger PARIS:
In the general European euphoria over the election of Barack Obama, there is the beginning of self-reflection about Europe's own troubles with racial integration. Many are asking if there could be a French, British, German or Italian Obama, and everyone knows the answer is no, not anytime soon.
It is risky to make racial comparisons between America and Europe, given all the historical and cultural differences. But race had long been one reason that Europeans, harking back to the days when famous American blacks like Josephine Baker and James Baldwin found solace in France, looked down on the United States, even as Europe developed postcolonial racial problems of its own.
"They always said, 'You think race relations are bad here in France, check out the U.S.,' " said Mohamed Hamidi, former editor of the Bondy Blog, founded after the 2005 riots in the heavily immigrant suburbs of Paris.
"But that argument can no longer stand," he said.
For many immigrants to Europe, Obama's victory is "a small revolution" toward better overall treatment of minorities, said Nadia Azieze, 31, an Algerian-born nurse who grew up here. "It will never be the same," she said, over a meal of rice and lamb in the racially mixed Paris neighborhood of Barbès-Rochechouart.
Read More..
Access: Public
Yes any Europeans can and people anywhere else can. Lots of people's dreams and hopes were ignited all around the world by the example of the election of Obama to presidency.
Its is indeed happening already now and last years. However the felt temperature is often another one than the real one. Europe and EU have created profound influence across the globe. The old dictum hard power vs. soft power or Mars vs venus are obsolete for me.
Europe and USA finally need a new constitution for 21st century. This is essential for me. In integral terms there can be synergetic race and competition between Europe and USA.
At the same time a multipolar world order emerges with new power players where even transatlantic community in toto is only a fraction of it all.
All this is the real challenge.
And with that eloquently said, I think Albert you will do great in coming up with a preamble for the Charter For Compassion. It sounds irrelevant for this blog post but I think it is relevant to tell you here. Please check it out.
http://charterforcompassion.com/projects
You may have done so already but I suggest for you to watch the longer video of Karen Armstrong talk at Ted.com. Good luck if you do it.
Samme
This charter is ok too. Missing however a clear evolutioanary purpose and perspective. As is given in AQAL and SDi.
Compassion for development in Africa, Mideast, China, India, Russia , South America droves completely diverse dynamics.
On a personal scale its clear. But as American Psychological Association (APA realizes) LSP (Large Scale Psychology) and systems change know how is in demand.
The complex adaptive intelligencies and codes of development are the most precious area of development.
Orange-green-yrellow impulses on steroids lack the profound anchoring of stable and sustainable pre Orange awakenings.
During the campaign I posted voices like Tom Friedmann, Susann Neimann , David Broks, Fareed Zakaria and others to underline the huge importance of the basics worldwide.
Time to pull of the kid gloves.
Tough challenges are to be mastered.
Hello Albert, The same has been said of here in Canada, Where is our Obama?. Yet I cannot help but be saddened with these wants, because would and do we really need these podium hero's if we just learned to be them ourselves.
I do understand why we need validation to strive for what is good in freedom, to seek out compassion from others when we have the will to do it ourselves, why we need to see a mix of what we are to show us what we already are and know.
For it would seem to be in looking for the Obama's of this world to steer our ships into the future, wherever they may go, is to first realize how it is in fact each of us that puts the wind to the storms we sail.
Leaders are not found at the front of the ship screaming look at me, look at what I have done, but some where near the back quietly helping us all to get there together in record time.And that is a cheer or kind word any of us can do.
Thanks
Just me:
Right you are!
I am just referring to some media reflexes. And some enthusiastic people who tend to look for saviors.):)
Of course Obama embodies some charisma and symbolism.
And hope and perspective.
We ourselves have to lead. And its always tough and necessary to look into the mirror and to ask:
What is my personal vocation/calling?
where is my genius/demon?
Where are my allies for collective leadership?
What kind of fingerprint is specific for me?
More in pulbic areas like poltics, business, culture or from the inside and more behind the scenes.
Etc, etc.
Thanks for your comment! Much appreciated.
I suppose it could at the same time that the US produces a Margaret Thatcher - LOL!
AS Barack confirmed himself, right now he acts as kind of living Rohrschach Test:)::) Everybody projects his/her specific hopes and expectations on him.