As we all know, Obama, using his strong reasoning and well known people skills, managed to pip Nick Romney at post, leaving him with the momentous task of tackling America in his hands.  But what I would like to know is, what difference does it make to you? Or rather, has it even made a difference to you? Has this result changed your views on the Government both in America and here in the UK? Or do you feel it will make no difference? This is what I set out to find…

 

Stephen Adubofour, an Economics student at Seven Kings High School, said “knowing that a black person can rise to become one of the most important figures in the world gives me some hope that I can persevere in whatever aspirations I have and hope to be successful too,” He went on to comment on the affect the election and Obama himself has had on the young people of Redbridge, by saying “when they see someone of their ethnicity so high up in society, they want to find out the person’s background and how they got to become where they are which involves learning about politics in some way.”

 

Adarsh Nunkeshwar Ramdawor, a Politics student at Seven Kings High School said “It gives young people from different backgrounds and ethnicities hope that they can achieve”. He went on to say “He is an inspiration to young people as he is so high up in the social class” and that “seeing a black president helps black people who may be negatively labelled to believe they can achieve highly.”

 

Tayyaba Ajrullah, an Economics and Business Studies teacher at Valentines High School said “I think Obama is a positive black role model for young people to look up to. I think his success had just raised interest in politics as there was a lot of ‘hype’ following his first campaign, and people wanted to see if he could win a second term in power, that it hadn’t just been a fluke. I don’t think it has necessarily raised the aspirations of many young black people, maybe just the few who had an interest in politics before. I think there still aren’t enough positive black role models in high places for young people to be inspired.”

 

A local businessman, Mohammed Patel, said “I’m not sure how much excitement there would be if we had a black prime minister – I think the American election has a very elevated status and gets a lot of publicity whereas I’ve personally noticed people are less interested in what happens in the UK. I’d hope it would still have a positive impact.

 

If I was running for Prime Minister, I think I would use some of Obama’s ideas – I was really pleased he’s started up a scheme for public health care – but we’ve already got that! But I would try to find a similar idea – something that actually benefits the people.”

 


Seeing from the varying views I got on the topic of Obama and his ruling of America, I think its fair to say that the results of the election could have an influence on the young people of Redbridge as it could make them feel that if they have their heart set on something, if they work hard enough, then they can achieve it, with the support of others around them. However, there is a notable difference between British and American politics as some feel not enough positive emphasis is put on British politics and so people may begin to value and pay attention to matters that are unrelated to the UK itself.

 

Sarah Ajrullah