OMG, talk about a sea Change! My 70 year old Mother just called from Miami.....

[FrenchieCat]

My Mom is a determined French woman who came to America from Paris (bringing my brother and I with her) in search of the American Dream back in the early 70s. She certainly found it via my Step-father who is college educated and quite an affluent African-American (as was my real father, Black but not affluent) who has spoiled her to no end for the past 35 years that they have been together. They've live a great life of travel, art and own a beautiful home. In otherwords, they are "set", even in this terrible economy.

Well she called me today and said...."I'm reading Obama's book, and I am halfway through it". I asked her which one? She said, "Dreams of my Father". I nearly fainted! You see, my mother is only known for reading novels; mystery crime novels are her favorite...although she likes suspense novels as well.

I have been, in the past, a bit dismayed as my mom is quite the Typical American non intellectual consumer. She loves to shop, and loves to...well, Consume. She's never ever been interested in politics. Her regular television fares are the "Price is Right" and "jeopardy" and she has a subcription to "the National Enquirer" and People Magazine.

She only recently got interested at all in politics when the stock market bottom fell out (guess she got a bit aprehensive). But it appears that little by little, day after day, she is becoming more and more interested, not so much in politics as with the man, Barack Obama. She really likes him now because his little girls remind her of my girls when they were the same age. Her older sister (by one year, who married an African-American back in 1958 and had 5 kids) lives in a nearby city, and has had a crush on Obama since mid primaries....and I'm talking about a hard crush!...but couldn't seem to get her younger sibling interested. LOL!

My Mom and my Step-dad are on their way back to California after a 21 day cruise in Europe. She picked up the book in, of all places, Senegal, she says.

My point is that this a sea change for this 70 year old woman who really could have cared less about current events and politics and politicians for as long as I have known her. So I'm in shock that she's actually, without being prompted in any way, is reading a non fiction book.

So I'm concluding based on this concrete evidence that Barack Obama is going to mightily influence intellectualism in this country during the next 8 years. This is a great sign for this country.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Hey, I shop for my books in Senegal too! :^P

Seriously though, that is so awesome about your mom. :)

[FrenchieCat]

4. I'm feeling greatly encouraged.....

When I told her that my daughter had been accepted to Harvard a few years ago, her first reaction was to ask how come her granddaughter had to go away so far to school?
I'm not kidding.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Oh, wow, Harvard! I hear that about the far away thing. I live 2 miles from

a Maritime Academy. I joke a lot that due to the high cost of college these days, my boys will have to live at home and take classes there for college. The little one, who was about 6 the first time he ever heard me say this, teared up and his lower lip wobbled as he wailed, "But Mom, I don't wanna be a sailor!"

Still, it would be nice to have them only 2 miles away. Not sure how I would stack two grown men in their current room, though. :P

[cali]

2. how great.

if Obama can even begin to make intellectual pursuits "in", that'll be great.

[firedupdem]

3. Barack Obama and this election has had a profound effect on

so many...young and old! People who never paid much attention before are starting to really get involved and want to know every detail of whats going on in our country and who all the decision makers are. I know....because I'm interested for the first time at 42.

Go Mama FrenchieCat!

[Whisp]

10. my Canadian daughter is enamored by him.

for the past 8 years she has heard me cuss out Bush and the system and was forced to turn a deaf ear by my megaphones of curses... yes, ma, sure ma. eyerolls and all. Ma, why can't you talk about stuff like other ma's talk? heh

But Barack has changed her ways of thinking of how important politics are. and she's now paying attention.

I have 'recommended' (in that mom way) a couple 'Listen to this, Barack is on talking on channel so and so, listen' times to her and her young friends actually did. I was surprised. pleasantly.

On election night we had a party and I heard her squeeze out a few 'I love hims' . ;)

[firedupdem]

11. It's really great...My 15yr old son even checks up on the latest

scoop regarding Obama. During the election period he came in everyday asking me if Obama was okay in the polls. It's really great!

[Whisp]

13. I have to admit I was luke warm toward Obama at the primary start.

but now i see he was just purposely in the background, waiting, like a good long distance horse.

[RollWithIt]

5. Obvious Question, What did she say about the book?

Just wondering.

[FrenchieCat]

8. She didn't say....as she was only really calling to tell me that they were back....

from their cruise.

She seemed excited about it, considering that it was one of the first things she mentioned about her travels.

If she's gotten halway through, it means she must like it....cause she's not one to continue reading something that is not pleasing to her.

[Window]

7. Thats great Frenchie. How does she like the book so far?

:thumbsup:

[FrenchieCat]

9. I'll ask her once she's back in California.......

Although she would have told me if she didn't like it.

My brother lived in Jarkata, Indonesia for a couple of years not long ago, and my Mom knows Hawaii quite well, and since she had my brother and me through her own interracial union a few years earlier than Barack's Mom (she was also 19 when she had my older brother), I'm sure that all of these facts helped her get "into" the book.

[BlooInBloo]

12. Americans love being stupid more than just about anything else in the world...

I hope you're right, but I doubt it.

[liberalmuse]

14. Obama does not dumb down his speeches.

And assumes that everyone listening understands what he's saying, and we do!

It's wonderful what he has done for this country, and he hasn't even taken office yet!

This man has changed my mom as well, a fundie who voted for Bush twice. She slams down that antiChrist shit, too.

I knew Barack Obama would be President one day when I heard about him in 2004, even before his keynote speech, but dear god, if someone had told me it would be in 2009, I would have told them they needed to cut down on the crack.

Thanks for sharing your story, FrenchiCat. Beautiful!

[DangerousRhythm]

15. That is great!

I absolutely love hearing stuff like this. Good on your mom! Anything that gets people more interested in politics and reading more books is fine by me. :thumbsup:

[Blarch]

16. So she only paid attention when the market tanked.

Sounds like a selfish person who didn't give a shit till it hit home. DU is full of these kinds of stories.

She didn't care when we waged a war based on lies
She didn't care when we tortured, murdered, and raped
She didn't care about the wiretapping and other violations

But when she looked at her statement and saw the market tanking, she woke up ?

No thanks.