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Post-Election Wrap-Up
Sick of election posts? Too bad.
I'm a little disturbed by all of my friends on Facebook and LiveJournal saying that this is the first time in eight years that they feel proud to be an American. Being American is about a hell of a lot more than who the president is. We have a lot to be proud of, every day, no matter who gets elected.
I don't want to make a post full of gloating glee, because I remember pretty vividly what it feels like to lose. I hope that, at the very least, everyone can be excited about the fact that we are witnessing the first black man becoming President. Because that's pretty sweet, guys, even if you didn't vote for him.
McCain had a classy concession speech, and it's a shame that he felt the need to sell out for the entire election. If the actual John McCain had run for President, I think this would have been a different race indeed.
I also think that Obama gave a pretty humble acceptance speech. It's very clear to me that he's reaching out to the people who didn't vote for him ("I hear you, too"). I hope that everyone can accept him with a little more grace than the way Democrats could not accept reality in 2000 or 2004. (I really can't stand buttons like "Not my president." Sorry, but Bush is your president!) ALSO, Obama promised a puppy for the White House. If that doesn't melt your heart the tiniest bit, then there is just no talking to you.
Message I left on my parents' answering machine earlier today:
Hey, it's me....just wondering if you guys voted yet and canceled each other out. Later!
Then my mom called me back and left her own message:
Yes, I voted it! But your father's still at work. So don't call back later! Maybe he'll forget or be too tired, and my vote will count more then!
Later in the evening, I called back anyway.
MOM: *disgusted sigh* He voted.
ME: Well, that'll happen. Is Dad upset?
MOM: I don't know! He's upstairs.
ME: Wait, you're watching the results on separate TVs?
MOM: Yes!
My sister, in a hushed whisper: "Jackie?"
ME: What?
SISTER, laughing: What is the electoral college? [My sister is 37, by the way]
ME: Are you kidding me? Are you trying to argue with Kevin?
SISTER: No. Just....tell me.
ME: Okay. So...each state's popular vote doesn't actually matter...they have representatives who decide where the state's influence will go.
SISTER: I know! I know that!
ME: ....And the amount of votes they get is based on population size.
SISTER: I know that!
ME: Then what is your problem?!
SISTER, still whispering: That....doesn't make any sense.
ME: It's....in the Constitution. I don't know what to tell you.
Even though I live a few blocks away, I could hear a dull roar of cheering from State Street when I got home last night, and that was over an hour after the election had been called.
Also, if you haven't done so yet, you should really read about the parallels between this election and the last two seasons of The West Wing, because the similarities are uncanny, down to the Phillies playing for the World Cup.
I was pretty tired yesterday, and I watched the election results on ABC at Antoine's place, with Creighton and Carolyn, and The Hammer. I like being on my laptop when election results are reported so that I can check more local results. I was also able to type up sections of my NanoWrimo story that I had written out longhand at work. And, of course, I could hang out at my favorite political news place:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ontd_political. My favorite comment there from today thus far is this reaction to Obama naming his Chief of Staff: Oh man, this is gonna be THE HOTTEST CABINET EVAR!!! Of course, I also have a lot of love for this post, discussing what kind of dog the families Obama and Biden should get.
I'm a little disturbed by all of my friends on Facebook and LiveJournal saying that this is the first time in eight years that they feel proud to be an American. Being American is about a hell of a lot more than who the president is. We have a lot to be proud of, every day, no matter who gets elected.
I don't want to make a post full of gloating glee, because I remember pretty vividly what it feels like to lose. I hope that, at the very least, everyone can be excited about the fact that we are witnessing the first black man becoming President. Because that's pretty sweet, guys, even if you didn't vote for him.
McCain had a classy concession speech, and it's a shame that he felt the need to sell out for the entire election. If the actual John McCain had run for President, I think this would have been a different race indeed.
I also think that Obama gave a pretty humble acceptance speech. It's very clear to me that he's reaching out to the people who didn't vote for him ("I hear you, too"). I hope that everyone can accept him with a little more grace than the way Democrats could not accept reality in 2000 or 2004. (I really can't stand buttons like "Not my president." Sorry, but Bush is your president!) ALSO, Obama promised a puppy for the White House. If that doesn't melt your heart the tiniest bit, then there is just no talking to you.
Message I left on my parents' answering machine earlier today:
Hey, it's me....just wondering if you guys voted yet and canceled each other out. Later!
Then my mom called me back and left her own message:
Yes, I voted it! But your father's still at work. So don't call back later! Maybe he'll forget or be too tired, and my vote will count more then!
Later in the evening, I called back anyway.
MOM: *disgusted sigh* He voted.
ME: Well, that'll happen. Is Dad upset?
MOM: I don't know! He's upstairs.
ME: Wait, you're watching the results on separate TVs?
MOM: Yes!
My sister, in a hushed whisper: "Jackie?"
ME: What?
SISTER, laughing: What is the electoral college? [My sister is 37, by the way]
ME: Are you kidding me? Are you trying to argue with Kevin?
SISTER: No. Just....tell me.
ME: Okay. So...each state's popular vote doesn't actually matter...they have representatives who decide where the state's influence will go.
SISTER: I know! I know that!
ME: ....And the amount of votes they get is based on population size.
SISTER: I know that!
ME: Then what is your problem?!
SISTER, still whispering: That....doesn't make any sense.
ME: It's....in the Constitution. I don't know what to tell you.
Even though I live a few blocks away, I could hear a dull roar of cheering from State Street when I got home last night, and that was over an hour after the election had been called.
Also, if you haven't done so yet, you should really read about the parallels between this election and the last two seasons of The West Wing, because the similarities are uncanny, down to the Phillies playing for the World Cup.
I was pretty tired yesterday, and I watched the election results on ABC at Antoine's place, with Creighton and Carolyn, and The Hammer. I like being on my laptop when election results are reported so that I can check more local results. I was also able to type up sections of my NanoWrimo story that I had written out longhand at work. And, of course, I could hang out at my favorite political news place:
ontd_political. My favorite comment there from today thus far is this reaction to Obama naming his Chief of Staff: Oh man, this is gonna be THE HOTTEST CABINET EVAR!!! Of course, I also have a lot of love for this post, discussing what kind of dog the families Obama and Biden should get.
no subject
This is what i've come to realize (and i know that this is pretty idiosyncratic to me): there are actually 3 positions -- pride, not-ashamed, ashamed.
For me, pride tends to be something i only feel about accomplishments, and only things either i or my close family/friends/spouse have done. I am deeply proud of Andy for the promotion he got at work. I am proud when i do well in a class or at my job. I swell with pride when i see one of my friends argue a really excellent point on the internet.
Am i proud to be Pennsylvanian or American? Um, no. Because i didn't DO anything to be either of those things, they are accidents of birth. What i feel about those things are, really, not-shame. A sort of middle, default, fairly neutral position. I get my back up when people taunt me about being either Pennsylvanian or American, but i'm not getting my back up because i'm proud -- i'm getting my back up because i should not be made to feel ashamed just because i am either of those things.
(Illustrative anecdote. Upon finding out that some of my more recent ancestors came from Bohemia, someone (in a rather weak attempt at humor) teased me by saying, "Oh, so you're a bohunk?" And i point blank told them to fuck off. This person, may i add, was (and still is, i hasten to note) my boss. Am i *proud* that my great-great-great-grandfather came from a small town somewhere in the land of the Češi? Not exactly. But should i be ashamed of it? No fucking way. And so you do not fucking get to use an ethnic slur about it. Silly boss.)
I can certainly be ashamed of being those things -- Pennsylvanian or American -- tho' it's more shame-by-association. I routinely apologize on behalf of my native state for Rick Santorum. I have likewise occasionally apologized to my foreign friends for the shitty things the U.S. government has done over the past 8 years.
Last night, tho', i was surprised to discover that, for probably the 1st time in my life, i actually felt PROUD of my country. It was shocking because, as i've said, my country and my citizenship are things that are, essentially, too big and too, frankly, arbitrary for me to feel pride about. But what i felt wasn't pride for the country or my citizenship in said country per se -- what i felt pride about was so many millions of individuals who got off their butts and engaged in the process. I felt pride for those people and those actions -- the same sort of pride i felt when i watched Andy filling out his ballot. "That's my partner. He's voting. He's using his voice." Then multiply that by millions. "Those are my people. They've voted. They've thought about this, they've gotten engaged in the process. My people are speaking."
And, yes, i was extra special double proud that they voted in someone smart. Someone who seems to have a pretty good chance of not ruining the country -- of maybe fixing some of the things i've felt ashamed about that i've apologized for.
Pride for "my country" is just, for me, too big, too nebulous, too essentially random a thing to really feel active pride for. Last night, to my (pleasant) surprise, i did discover i could feel pride for its citizens. That was kind of awesome to discover.
no subject
I know everyone else articulates their feelings about things like this as "pride" for being ... American or being a certain heritage or whatever. I'm not saying at all that it's *wrong* to articulate those feelings with the word "pride"; i'm just saying that word doesn't work for me, personally, in that context. As i think i mentioned in that huge mass of text up there, i know that the way i think about this is pretty idiosyncratic.