TADIOTO

So Lunar New Year came and went. It’s been cold, and other than being out walking Moto, I have stayed home.

Of course, I thought of Tet 1968, as I am proned to do every year at this time, and also because I did a story on it for WGBH-BBC’s The World.  You keep wondering why go back to 40 years ago when you live in a country that thinks about the future so much.

I’ve stayed in touch with friends via email, and Skype, and Facebook.  We all like to communicate, but we all do it in the privacy of our own rooms, our computers.  It helps to be in touch with people, and then sometimes you think the way that hated man does - I’m talking Elton John, who thought technology is isolating people, they don’t get out and get together, join hands or whatever.

Among my Asian American friends, there certainly is a large group getting together frequently enough for political reasons, and the members all seem Obamatosed.  No, I don’t mean anything bad. I just mean they’re all supporting Obama.  Maybe it’s just my friends. 

Here in Ha Noi I hear a lot of people say they can’t imagine America allowing a black man to be a president. I guess they have heard enough about racism in America.  The sense I get is that they are not thinking too much about societal racism, or racism among the people.  It’s racism among the people of power.  They seem to think it’s all about Washington, D.C., and the government and the establishment.  That’s where decisions will be made.  And Obama and the people and the hope and votes are all a public exercise that would go nowhere.

One tries to debate that with the average person here.  But we get nowhere.  Even with those who do read newspapers from abroad.  When you see a picture like this one, you think it’s about dark suits and white men.

Well I don’t see any people of color in that pix.  I mean, other than pink.