This, this and that

[turk_diddler]

Most Americans on my friends page seem to have been genuinely touched by yesterday's events, and fair enough to them, history and hope and everything. For me, I just thought his speech was flat, even tedious once the realisation dawns that it's all rule-of-three listing. We'll face bad-bad-BAD, but we'll overcome with good-good-GOOD. Lazy speech-

Comments

[bluehorse]

I also thought the speech was fine, and frankly, I wasn't expecting fireworks. I expected him to show he was indeed "No-drama Obama" by cutting off all the fat and getting right to the point, which is what he did, politely, clearly and sharply. Sometimes we need whole-grain bread instead of sugary cake.

Now, Aretha disappointed me. I don't know if it was her age or the incredible cold, but her voice wasn't up to her usual. That hat was sort of silly too, but that's an African-American cultural thing. I guess you haven't had the opportunity to see black American ladies all dressed up for important occasions like church, have you?

[turk_diddler]

Only in the movies. Of course I dig soul music, but man alive, even with the history of the day that rendition seemed OTT, like Fannie Lou Hamer on amphetamines.

[bluehorse]

OTT? Funny, I thought it sounded weak for her, like she was trying so hard she couldn't make voice work its usual magic. I still think the extreme cold was part of the problem, and maybe she was emotionally overcome by the moment as well. I mean, this may be nothing more than the usual American bs for you, but for a lot of us it was kinda important.

[turk_diddler]

Oh definitely a touch of only in America... about it, there again, among the developed nations only America looks capable of accepting a black guy as leader (even after the given that you have more of them to choose from), so I think we can forgive the unbridled ostentation this time.

Also, here in the UK we're coming to the conclusion of the New Labour government we elected back in '97, when everything then seemed to fresh and young and hopefully and new after the self-inflicted nightmare of Thatcherism. We couldn't be more jaded about politics, aspiration is delayed disillusionment and not a lot else. Here's hoping America isn't disappointed.

[bluehorse]

Thank you for the back-handed compliment.

I also hope we're not disappointed. The stakes are too damn high.