..a new nation, conceived in Liberty, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal...
I'm so, so relieved.
When it comes to politics I am deeply cynical (I mean, even more than usual!) and pessimistic. It's a sad fact that the writers for The West Wing are more intelligent and articulate than the majority of people who are actually in the real West Wing, and an even sadder fact that large portions of the voting populace are characterized by staggering ignorance and prejudice. Thus it was a very pleasant surprise when sanity prevailed over bigotry for once. I guess there is some cause for optimism after all.
To me what stood out the most from the President-Elect's acceptance speech were the examples of how much the country has evolved in the last century. It really is amazing to think of the incredible social changes that my grandparents and even my parents have witnessed in their lifetimes. Certainly we should be proud of the progress we've made, yet we must never ever lose sight of how much further we still have to go. What happened today in California is proof enough that some of the hardest work is yet to be done. There is a long, long road ahead of us, but last night at least felt like a step in the right direction.
Of course, last night also felt like we had entered an alternate dimension, a feeling reportedly shared by many watching the election results around the world. Luckily I soon remembered that a Chelsea player had received a dubious red card and Liverpool had gotten a shocking decision in their favour at Anfield, and realized that the natural order of things was clearly still intact. :P
When it comes to politics I am deeply cynical (I mean, even more than usual!) and pessimistic. It's a sad fact that the writers for The West Wing are more intelligent and articulate than the majority of people who are actually in the real West Wing, and an even sadder fact that large portions of the voting populace are characterized by staggering ignorance and prejudice. Thus it was a very pleasant surprise when sanity prevailed over bigotry for once. I guess there is some cause for optimism after all.
To me what stood out the most from the President-Elect's acceptance speech were the examples of how much the country has evolved in the last century. It really is amazing to think of the incredible social changes that my grandparents and even my parents have witnessed in their lifetimes. Certainly we should be proud of the progress we've made, yet we must never ever lose sight of how much further we still have to go. What happened today in California is proof enough that some of the hardest work is yet to be done. There is a long, long road ahead of us, but last night at least felt like a step in the right direction.
Of course, last night also felt like we had entered an alternate dimension, a feeling reportedly shared by many watching the election results around the world. Luckily I soon remembered that a Chelsea player had received a dubious red card and Liverpool had gotten a shocking decision in their favour at Anfield, and realized that the natural order of things was clearly still intact. :P