Progress

A big deal about the "historic" election on November 4th has been made by the media elite and the media mediocre (we're looking at you Colin Cowherd and Bob Ryan, not so much for your election statements but for your general mediocrity). I agree that the election was historic: no matter which man was elected, the country was electing its first 44th President, and this would have made it into the history books whether Obama or McCain had won.
The election has been hailed as a triumph for all Americans over discrimination, as a black man cannot be elected President without substantial support of and votes from white Americans. But this election is also being hailed as something more - an even greater triumph for black Americans. Some dude on the radio was "explaining" (his word) blacks in America yesterday, and using the O.J. Simpson trial as an example. His point was essentially that American blacks were so starved for some sort of victory that they cheered O.J.'s acquittal regardless of the fact that Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were dead. Black Americans weren't cheering because the two murdered people were white; rather, they were cheering because a black man beat the system which they feel is still very much stacked against them.

In a prior blog post, I posited (well, said in passing, actually) that white Americans would turn out and vote in large numbers for John McCain because such a vote was a vote against electing a black man as President as much as it was a vote in favor of McCain. While that may have occurred, such votes were not enough to overcome Obama's momentum, especially among young, educated and minority voters (and these are not mutually exclusive terms). Now we've got ourselves a President-elect who can utter complete sentences. And he happens to be black.
This progress has been a long time coming. Blacks have long been equal to or superior to whites in the athletic arena, and accordingly have reaped the financial benefits. I don't know that sports are a complete meritocracy; perhaps a team is more likely to retain a white guy than a black guy of a similar skill level to fill the last spot on the bench and be paid the league minimum in order to retain some appeal to a white demographic. After all, who doesn't love cheering for the dorky white guy on the end of the bench when he finally gets into the game? But as to black stars and established players, the marketplace seems to be working, and they are being paid in accordance with their abilities with no "minority discount." And some are being paid far in excess of their abilities. Dodger fans, especially, know the feeling.

Other examples of progress have been widely cited in the media. Suffrage. School integration. Civil rights. Arguably the elimination of affirmative action which appeared on many state ballots on Tuesday is a sign of progress. And arguably it is a sign of continued bias, but we're not here to debate that point.
There have been other, significant signs of progress that have gone unreported by the traditional media. Luckily for you, dear reader, that's why we're here:

The Star Wars Jedi High Council

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ("KOTOR") is a video game and a comic book (er, "graphic novel") series that takes place 4,000 years before the events of the Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace film. I've only played the video game and I don't want to give away the plot because it's pretty sweet. But suffice it to say that 4,000 years before the films, there was in existence a Jedi High Council. There are some humans on the council, and a Twi'lek, and a Yoda dude, among others. But it is clear in the video game that the leader of the council is this guy named Master Vrook. He looks a bit like, and is voiced by, Ed Asner. In other words, an older white male is in charge of the Jedi knights.

4,000 years later, in Phantom Menace, the JHC is still in existence, and it still has a diverse mix of humans and aliens (presumably not illegal ones) on it. But the most powerful Jedi and apparent leader of the JHC is Mace Windu, who is a younger, more dynamic leader and who is also a human black male. This is MUCH bigger than the Presidency of the United States - the Jedi are the guardians of the entire universe, and running that crew is a much bigger job than running a country. Now THAT'S progress! Some of you might complain that it took 4,000 years for a black guy to rise to that level, but keep in mind that the events of Phantom Menace took place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. So it may have taken them awhile, but the Jedi knights were still WAY ahead of America.
S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division)

SHIELD is an espionage and law-enforcement agency that exists in the Marvel comic universe. It is kind of like the CIA, FBI and NSA all rolled into one agency. Although SHIELD agents most recently appeared in the superhero film Iron Man, SHIELD has been around for quite some time. It was created after World War II by Agent Nick Fury. Nick Fury controls SHIELD's activities as its executive director. Although Nick Fury wears a cool eyepatch, he is not believed to hold a second job as a pirate or soap opera actor.

Nick Fury originally appeared on-screen in 1988 in the movie Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a white guy. And not just any ordinary white guy, but David Hasselhoff. Now, everyone knows you don't Hassle the Hoff. Not when he's drunk and eating a Wendy's hamburger. Or when he's cruising for chicks in the Knight Rider car. But especially not when he's a bad-ass super agent in charge of a secret espionage organization.

But the Hoff has indeed been Hassled. On-screen Nick Fury is no longer a white guy who spends his spare time running in slow motion on the beach and crooning to hundreds of enraptured Germans. On-screen Nick Fury (as well as comic book Nick Fury) is now a black guy. And not just any old black guy, but Samuel L. Jackson. Now, Sam Jackson may be the only guy, regardless of race, who is badass enough to unseat Hasselhoff. But he's done it. And now SHIELD, the super-secret spy organization that answers to no one, is being run by a black guy. Once again, progress! Instead of 4,000 years, this time it only took 20 years, and it took place right here on this planet, and in the good 'ole U. S. of A.
Progress is all around us, though we may not notice it at first. So maybe it shouldn't be much of a surprise that America elected a black President. Maybe the real surprise is that it didn't elect Samuel L. Jackson.