Friday, January 13, 2017

A romance where the personal meets the political

A hot and enduring romance began in Chicago during the summer of 1989: that of my wife and I!

However, a more famous romance that began there and then was that of Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson. A new movie, South Side with You tells the story of their first date.


My wife and I enjoyed watching it. Some people might find it a bit slow since the emphasis is on character development through dialogue. However, I think the movie does well to deal with a number of complex and sensitive issues, particularly as the personal intersects with the political. These include:

community involvement vs. corporate careers

disenfranchisement of black communities

the cultural, economic, and political chasm between black and white communities in the USA

the pressures and prejudices faced by employees who are hired partly for affirmative action reasons

judging others for life choices and failures.

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