By now, we have all heard about the Bradley effect or Bradley factor and its affect on the elections. If you haven’t, you really should just google it and stop hiding under that rock. I started thinking last night that there could be a Bradley effect with this election but I think it could be what I term a "Reverse-Bradley.” Here is some background on why I think this could be the case. These days, while there are still those who are racially motivated, biased or discriminate against others, there are even more people who are not and do not discriminate. America is certainly not color-blind but more and more, asz time has passed, Americans have become more tolerant not just on race or gender, but on other issues like sexual preference, and other choices that people make. It is not a sign that America is heading to become color blind, but a result of more first generation Americans who are now having kids of their own and there is more exposure to other cultures, more education, and more awareness about the world around us.
I remember growing up in a suburb of New Orleans and people not really understanding or even knowing what we were- Iranian? Arab? Iraqi? Where the heck are you from? “Oh, you’re Indian?! Wow- your dad must be a doctor then?” Comments like that defined my childhood growing up in a somewhat ignorant community. Post 9-11, we were all forced to learn the difference between Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and the Subcontinent of India. I see Indians becoming the new token minority on TV sitcoms, prime time TV, and movies. Sanjay Gupta is very popular as a Doctor/advisor on CNN and yes, we also have bad movies like Harold and Kumar to thank for some attention to our "kind". With the media, the internet, more availability of imported international food products, and ethnic restaurants, there is truly more of an awareness of other cultures, religions, and race. My child’s generation is growing up watching news reels on the TV, and homemade videos on You Tube®.
Tolerance is a sign of the times because technology has made it happen. Kids in schools are more educated and teachers are more culturally aware. Laws have helped too. I could not imagine a Jewish kid getting a week off from school when I was growing up. Now, everyone knows when it is a Jewish holiday and wish eachother well. I catch people saying Happy Diwali to me - they read the news and watch TV so they know. I think it is kinda cool.
Now, how does this all affect the current Presidential election? Here are my thoughts: There are many people who feel very strongly about the issues – the state of the economy, taxes, and oil dependence. There are those who feel very strongly that the last few years have been disastrous and do not want the Bush administration to leak into the next four. If the last Congressional race was any indication, the Senate went from Republican-controlled to Democrat-controlled. People are just fed up. Conversely, I do not think many people can admit to their friends that they are going to vote against party lines or for an African-American (who by the way is not 100% African-American nor a terrorist) because while they may like him and his policies and the fresh outlook, they want to fit in. They will tell their buddies, their community, and members of their family that they are voting for McCain (the white Nam “hero” who probably caused himself to become a POW through his own recklessness). When they vote, they may vote for Obama secretly. After all, it is a secret ballot and no one needs to know.
That is what I refer to as Reverse-Bradley and I think it is going to have an impact in this election because I do not think people are lying that they are voting for Obama and then turning around and voting for McCain. It is the sign of the times that people will not generally do this unless they heard it on the radio and decided to play a game. In rural America and those areas referred to by Sarah Palin as “real America”, people may say they support the McCain-Palin ticket but may actually do something else – after all, their friends will never know. That is the beauty of the secret ballot. I think that is a more likely scenario in this election and although it remains to be seen, these are just the thoughts of someone who has been quite consumed by this Campaign and cannot wait for a spectacular victory for Obama on election night and is praying for one.
