The Era of the "Underdog"???

So, I was thinking.. (as usual). This just seems like a new day. A new time in history. Like, there were periods in time that were named, although posthumously, when it was such a shift in the landscape of society. It seems like we're living in one of those moments. I cant come up with an intelligent, cosmopolitan name right now, i.e: the Renaissance, etc., but I will just coin it The Era of the Underdog.

Let me elaborate. Let's start less "deep" or with the downright shallow. I like basketball so I'm watching the NBA playoffs and I see Orlando and Denver doing the unthinkable and competing with the almighty(s) LeBron James and Kobe Bryant! These two guys are the most celebrated, talked about players in the league(rightfully so) but they are getting challenge by relatively "B-listers" Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony. Who would have thunk' it?! I, like everyone else, was drinking on the media juice and wanted to see a super- duper LeBron vs.Kobe final but than I thought about something more serious that made me root for the "underdogs".

Barack Obama is an underdog in every since in the word. Even if he was favored to beat McCain just the history of minorities in this country made the odds stacked against him. The things he had to endure just during the campaign were unlike any other candidate in history. The things that African Americans had to endure in history were NOT unlike any other group of people that were discriminated against YET can you imagine a Jewish person ruling Germany?? All of the "underdogs" realized that racism, bigotry & prejudices can't hold us down anymore. Anytime Obama can win states that were among the worst in America when it came to race relations during the civil rights movement, shows that all those people who are decedents of former KKK members, former slave owners and Confederate fighters finally got it. They were taught that no matter the income, if you were white you were superior to everyone that wasn't. These people realized that the "underdog" had nothing to do with the skin but the status. That the men that looked just like them that were running the country really didn't care anything about them, the honest working person. I heard somewhere that as a minority, as an underdog, you cant let the decision go to the judges. You have to KNOCK your opponent the hell out! Can't let the judges decide! Can't let it go to round 12! Can't leave that MF standing! KNOCK them out, meaning.. they goin' need some "smelling salt"! Because, the sky ISN'T the limit for us 'Orphan Annie's', the limit is the damn sky, lol. That's always makes me laugh. What it means is you have to work harder, you have to be smarter, you cant be "asi asi", that's so so.

Yet....could it be that the playing field has either evened out for us underdogs or we just are working harder than the people who are the favorites? I recently saw Slum Dog Millionaire and it was brilliant. First of all, the concept was amazing. This kid from the slums finds himself on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and all of his life struggles related to all of the questions. He had no education. His mom was killed, he and his brother were exploited by money hungry people but even with no education, by him just surviving through the tribulations in his life, he related every question to his unfortunate life experiences. People thought it was a fluke that he was answering the questions right. Even accused him of cheating (sounds familiar). Maybe its called irony, karma, maybe its even more cynical like Malcolm X said and the "chickens are coming home to roost". But, the underdogs, the less fortunate people, the indigenous ones will not be ignored! All of the people who were always on top and favorites are sweating! "Oh what a day when the tables will turn" is a wonderful dance hall song that I listened to a lot win Barack won. Don't get me wrong this isn't about "race". This isn't about Black people or minority people taking over but its about the people that are on the bottom of the totem poll. The people that are overlooked. The people that were told to work for the rich are now realizing that all men ARE created equal! Lets try to work for ourselves or at least realize our self worth. This is now the era for all of us that didn't come from picket fences and the silver spoon. Some of you did have well off parents who put us through college but it was on YOU to make the most out of it. Some have the lemons to make the lemonade some of us don't have the lemons or the squeezer but with the underdog spirit we can make the sweetest, most delicious lemonade out of this big lemon called perseverance!! This great squeezer called faith!! And this huge glass pitcher we mix it all in called... LIFE!!