Yesterday was a big day in history. Right? Also yesterday, I had a profound realization as to why I blog and read blogs. It's because so many in my real-time world appear oblivious to what is going on politically. Thankfully, the man in my life pays attention the way I do, or we would never have made it this far together. We are political junkies, admittedly.When I went into my favorite coffee place yesterday morning, a young woman was talking quite excitedly about Obama's nomination. The three young folks working behind the counter were looking at her like she was nuts. One of them looked especially disgusted. Although many young people have responded and participated in this election, there are still far too many that remain apathetic. Which I find pathetic. I ordered my coffee and left disheartened. In comparison, my older daughter called me from San Francisco on Tuesday night. She was crying tears of joy about Obama. That really made made my day. The man and I were also crying during his amazing speech in St. Paul.
But it isn't just the young voters. I work with a great group of people. All are 35-65 years of age. They're intelligent, educated humans. Most, if not all of of them vote. Yet none seem especially informed or interested in the political world. And even if you've grown weary of the same-old aspects of politics in this country, the fact that a woman and a black man are (finally included) in the race make it worth paying attention. But that's just me.
Nobody seemed the least bit excited about Obama clinching the nomination. Granted, we all keep a low profile in the office when it comes to politics, religion, and the like. It helps to keep things calm and productive. Which we all appreciate. I know I do. It still came as a surprise that not a single co-worker mentioned the history-making announcement of the night before. I sighed several deep sighs over that sad fact.
It left me feeling like a stranger in a strange land. Then I realized why I appreciate blog land so much. It's because I can connect with kindred souls here. People that choose to pay attention to politics and what is going on in the world, beyond the same-old surface crap. I appreciate that more than any of you can possibly know. Thank you.
Below: Cocoa Tea sings about Barack Obama.
Oh, and one last thing, regarding politics... where were you, forty years ago today? I was eleven and had been in Appleton with my mother and brother for about two years. I still remember the great sorrow in my mother's long, loud cry. Only two months away from M.L.K.'s murder. What an intense period of time-even for eleven year old me. I was no doubt shaped by such events. 
14 comments:
i am taking classes this summer, and right now it's algebra...yuk...there is a 17 year old in the class with me, who is a genius, who has already graduated high school, and is on the fast track of life...he happens to be african american...all the kids in this class back obama, so i had a refreshingly delightful place to celebrate history yesterday...i was worried about the 17 year old, cuz i was afraid he wouldn't be able to vote for his hero...but he excitedly told me he turns 18 in 26 days, on june 30th, and he will absolutely be voting...all the kids in the class were excited about obama...it was a good place to be yesterday...
and even this jaded ole' bitch is feeling hopeful about the future...
here we go...
peace...
~ n
xoxox
Damnit, why wont this man let me sulk and be cynical! /snark
...and if a small tear leaked out during his victory speech the other night I'll never admit to it.
There doesn't seem that many of us female politicos about annie who are prepared to stick their opinions out there to be picked over. I am lucky that i get to debate politics most days at work with people from all backgrounds and viewpoints and then to do it all again on blogs in the evening. Hopefully you will continue to blog for a long time yet.
I was 12, and my Mom was dropping me off at KU for a 2 week band camp. Packed in my stuff was the paperback I had bought to read: "To Seek a Newer World". She had finally run out of "do's and don'ts" as this was my first trip of this sort, and I turned on the radio and heard the news...
I still have the book; I reread it this last winter. So many of the issues he left on the table are still there, untouched. So many of the ideas would still work...
If only enough people cared!
alan
Reminds me of the buzz when Bill Clinton ran the first time...the excitement, the belief that change could actually, possibly, maybe happen!
it is nice, ok, superlatively awesome, to be inspired again by a speech. and to commune with politics junkies.
Roger and I watched Obama's speech Tuesday night and were tearfully grateful that finally someone was inspiring us again. We talked yesterday about the last time a politician really spoke to us, I think it may have been George McGovern in 1972, certainly Bobby Kennedy in 1968. Since then it's been a downward slide to mediocre and mostly empty rhetoric, until now.
I was 16 when Bobby was assassinated. That and Martin Luther King's murder shaped my mistrust of the real power brokers.
I think it's always been like that--I can remember being upset as a junior high school kid, when Nixon invaded Cambodia (my mother was almost hysterical, is one reason why), only to discover most of the kids in school didn't seem to understand what was even happening. It infuriated me then and still does. YES, I agree that Blogdonia (a word I made up from Groucho Marx's FREEDONIA in DUCK SOUP) is addictive as hell, primarily because we have finally found people who are paying attention as much as we are! :)
Even with all of us political junkies, Blogdonia is STILL too clogged with idiots blogging only about TV shows, celebs, products and shit like that, though. You know what I mean.
Great post!
I'm so excited about this! Yea!
yes, I've resisted wearing my Obama tee shirt to work - even on casual Fridays. But I've had some great conversations with my 10 am coffee break group -- we're STOKED.
PS...love the video!!! "Keep your eyes on the prize!"
I was nine and oblivious. But I hadn't been oblivious to Dr. King's assassination, and only a few months later started taking the bus to school as part of Berkeley's 1968 racial integration program. One result of that program is that I am blind to color where it doesn't count, and therefore care nothing that Obama is black. What I would like to see, if we need our leaders to symbolize something, is a descendant of American slaves rise to this level. I will have to keep waiting. (I feel like the crank around here :-D. But I've always been weird. When Nixon announced his resignation, they piped it over the summer camp PA system, and I was the only person in the cafeteria who didn't cheer. Well, I knew it was a weighty historical moment and that we lacked the perspective yet to know if it was really a good thing or not. I was just sixteen. Probly a smarty-pants, huh.)
Well, 40 years ago, I was 3.5 yrs old and so I don't remember RFK's assassination. I am, however, from Cape Cod so the Kennedy legacy and legend was always a part of my life, even if I rolled my eyes whenever an out of town friend asked me to take them to Hyannisport. It's like living in SF and having your tourist friends ask you to take them to Pier 39. Been there, done that about a million times.
As to apathy, my cousins, who are my age w/in a couple of years, support Bush, yet neither of them vote. They've never voted in their entire lives. They don't care. They've told me they don't care. I told the one w/ kids that she'd better start caring for their sake. I mean seriously, how can you NOT care about the direction and future of your country?
If they are Bush supporters, let them not vote! It's called damage control.
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