The World We Own...Right Now

Some articles have been cropping up that demonstrate that the world we are living in right now has a particular tenor.  Of course, every time period has its own characteristics.  However, since this is the world I live in, perhaps that is why I am struck by the things I see more.

For instance, if you look around the world at the people leading their countries, you will find a remarkable group of folks who most people would never have imagined in this position.  We can start with our own president.  You may or not agree with his policies, but there is no denying that he represents a radical shift from those who have traditionally led our country.  [If you don't believe me, go back to the Frontline episode comparing Bush and Kerry.  They represent the status, class and political views that we have usually had leading us.  Obama may have ended up in schools similar to Bush and Kerry, but his experience their was clearly different.  And, much of what we have seen in the past four years is a negotiation between that schooling, the prevailing belief system, and his mother's influence.

This article from the NYTimes, although not focused specifically on the topic I note above, points out that the trend of political leaders that come from the not-dominant society is fairly widespread in Latin America.  In that case, unlike ours, it means that some of those folks were not just living on the outside of dominant society (either social class or politics), they were also part of the resistance -- as such, some of them were jailed and tortured.  This provides the opportunity and challenge of some interesting conversations and reconciliations.