I am not a cynical person, but sometimes I am cynical. Doubtful. Skeptical: in need of being shown the money instead of just promised the wonderful possibilities.
Yes, we can. But show me the money.
Tomorrow is a big day for the United States and for entire world. Not just because a new president is being sworn in, but because another, who has often been sworn at and leaves office in disgrace not seen since the heady days of Richard M. Nixon, is leaving.
That’s addition by subtraction. The best way to bring positive change to the world right now is to remove George W. Bush from the White House. Should have been done several years ago. He should have been impeached for his many lies and misleading of the American public, dragging the world through wars in Iraq and Afghanistan without hardly a thought, apparently, for the consequences. Then there’s Guantanamo Bay, the torturing of terror suspects, the tapping of people’s phones, and the general gross flaunting of presidential powers and the intrusion of government in places it doesn’t belong. Bush makes George Orwell look like a visitor from the future.
I see plenty of optimism for the new administration, led by Barack Obama, who takes office as the 44th president and the first non-white president of the United States. To me, he represents hope simply because he is so unlike Dubya. He is smart, articulate, open, and well-intentioned. Personally, I don’t care what color his skin happens to be. It matters to a lot of people, though, and I understand why it means so much to them—the election of one of their own to the top of the political heap is a dream worthy of Martin Luther King, perhaps the greatest orator the U.S. has ever seen. Many people thought they would never see this day. I always figured it would happen. It seemed inevitable, but there is so much racial tension in the U.S. and even in Canada that I was beginning to think I might never live to see it. It’s a little like waking up tomorrow morning and realizing that we are being visited by people from another planet. I mean, you sort of know they MUST be out there somewhere, but you wouldn’t quite believe that they would be coming here NOW, out of the blue and onto our t.v. screens.
We’ve seen a lot of things in our time that seemed impossible even twenty years ago. Some of them I wish we’d never seen—the terrible events of September 11, 2001. The breakdown of civilization in post-Katrina New Orleans. The recent crash of world stock markets and people uttering the “D” word. But there’s been good stuff too. I mean, not so long ago, landing on the moon and having someone step onto its surface seemed like pure science fiction. We now have technology which both brings us together and drives us apart, depending on how it’s used and who is using it.
It seems that we now stand on the verge, as a people, of something great. I wasn’t necessarily a Barack Obama fan from the beginning. I actually wanted to see Hillary Clinton get her shot, being more experienced, a good person, and in a position to become the first female president. It would give me great hope to see that women were finally able to break that barrier. As with the racial divide, there is still a long, long way to go in our world before women are seen as the equal of men, regardless of the color of their skin. I believe that what you believe is shown by what you do and not just what you say. And I do believe our world does not treat women equal to men. Nor will it treat black men and women equal to white men and women henceforth. Obama is a beginning, certainly, and he will likely inspire greater civility among people of different colors. But that should not be mistaken for a done deal. Racism (like sexism) is alive and well in the United States and in the world. There is still work to be done.
But there is hope.
In the long eight years that George W. Bush was in the White House, much hope has been lost. People didn’t care to protest the wrongs of the world because no one wanted to hear it. Even the media cast people in an unpatriotic light (hello, Dixie Chicks!) if they disapproved of the war or Mr. Bush. For several years they were on the Bush bandwagon, and now they’re on the Obama Express, riding it out until there’s a glitch in the system. The eight years before Bush, the focus was on Bill Clinton’s indiscretions with various women, including Monica Lewinsky. He was a great president and a misguided person. But his enemies blew it all out of proportion. So a great opportunity was wasted. The people grew pessimistic, expecting only the worst, which is generally what they got, from their politicians, from the media, and from big business like oil and pharmaceuticals.
What I’m feeling tonight is something I haven’t felt in a long time. I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m proud of the American people. I’m hopeful that there will be Obamas-to-come in Newfoundland politics, Canadian politics, and in the world at large—politicians with open minds, generous hearts, and intelligent bearings. Politicians who have a grasp on what is needed at the moment and are willing to do what it takes to achieve it, if it’s at all possible, for the good of the planet and the people who inhabit it.
I started out eight years ago thinking that the world was a good place and anything was possible. I spent nearly three-quarters of the Bush years in grad school, earning my Ph.D. while teaching at MUN. The workload took a heavy toll, as it tends to. I started in the fall of 2000, the year of the American election. By the time I finished my coursework, terrorists had destroyed the twin towers and left a scar on the psyche of a lot people. At that time, there was a lot of hope that people would heal together and get past it. The world reached out to the victims and to America. But the hand that reached back was cold and vengeful. In short order, the world was at war and everyone was worried about terrorists in their own backyard, on airplanes, in universities, in shopping malls. Their own government (and Canada is no exception to this) set out to make people so afraid of each other and of the unseen (but sometimes turbaned) enemy that they voted for Bush again, just so the bad guys wouldn’t be able to hurt them. Eventually, they came to see that the protector was the bad guy and that there was nothing to fear but being so afraid. Because so much fear will cripple you and kill you. By the time I finished my doctorate program, the economy was faltering, everyone was worried about climate change, and people weren’t talking in terms of dreams but of nightmares, both personal and national.
And now people are daring to hope once again. They’re literally dancing in the streets—not proclaiming (as they have a right to) that the king is dead, long live the king! No, they’re actually dancing out of joy and optimism and an outpouring of love and generosity—because one, slight, handsome-ish black man with an intelligent, cute wife, two adorable children, and an undeniable charisma and way with words, told them they could change the way things were being done. And if anyone doubted it, he told them, “Yes you can.”
Well, I have always believed that anyone could do anything and be anything they wanted. I myself have many things left to accomplish and intend to follow through. I’ve never doubted or wavered in my intentions or my beliefs.
But I can’t help but be worried when so many place so much faith in a single individual—as if HE could change THEM, instead of them doing it for themselves.
Instead of being worried about this, of course, I should be inspired. And I am. I don’t even worry about people being let down because I know that one man can only do so much, especially given a four-year time limit, perhaps longer, perhaps shorter. I just hope the people know this for themselves.
Right now, I just want to lay worry and concern aside and buy the message, drink the Kool-Aid, and smoke the peace pipe.
Right now is better than a year ago.
Right now is a good place to be.
Right now, though, I hope everyone’s paying attention. Because the times, as Bob Dylan says, they are a-changin’. And I think it’s for the better.
Come what may.
Change gonna come.
No comments:
Post a Comment