It’s interesting to me.
On facebook, all of my friends are excited about Obama getting elected. On myspace, that’s also the general consensus, but my friends list is also peppered with a few people who are “Terrified for the future of our country” and “Can’t wait to say ‘I told you so’”.
It’s interesting to me. People that support Barak Obama are incredibly excited about him winning and winning big. People are dancing in the streets over his election into office, but the people that don’t support Obama seem to have an equal but opposite reaction to his election. There seems to be this doomsday scenario where America is in ashes by the time he has finished his term. It’s not just going to be a sub par presidency. Obama is going to actively go out of his way to destroy America.
I’ve tried to discuss this with people. The students that hold this view can’t really defend it because they’re 12 and they’re just repeating what their parents have told them (Same goes for the kids who tell me that McCain is old or senile or has a funny looking jaw – after spending some time with them, I’m pretty relieved that 12 year olds can’t vote, because as near as I can tell, none of them are even kind of aware of the actual issues either candidate supports, just the really stupid, superficial shit they hear in attack ads and from Mom and Dad.)
More disconcerting to me are the voting adults that I talk about this with, because they don’t seem to be able to come up with a better response than the 12 year olds. I’m genuinely curious as to what it is about Barak Obama that makes a certain group of people think that he’s going to bring about the end of the world. I think I would be less curious if they just thought he would be a bad president who would hurt the economy or damage our foreign relations, but the fact that they think he’s going to destroy America literally and not figuratively really piques my curiosity.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get a straight answer. Or any answer at all, really. I’ve tried to get an explanation out of three different people, and each time I’ve gotten some deviation of “You’ll see”.
Here’s a text conversation I had with a friend tonight:
M.K.: You’re a bigger person that I am and thanks to your vote the world is going to come to an end!
Me: Lol. How do you figure?
M.K.: Oh you’ll see when the world comes to an END!
Me: You’re right. He’s only been elected for an hour and already we’re in an unwinnable war, have a record debt and a crumbling economy! Clearly we need a white republican to save us!
M.K.: I’m done talking to you
To be fair, I started antagonizing her when I didn’t get a straight answer. In my defense, I didn’t get a straight answer.
So, if there are any of you out there who think that this presidency is the beginning of the end, help me understand. Is it his middle name? Is it William Ayers? Is it his lack of experience? Is it because he’s a minority? What is it about Barak Obama that sends a shiver down your spine? Help me understand.
Because I’m am totally fucking stoked that he won, and won hard. I keep repeating this to everyone in earshot, but this is the first presidential election where the candidate I voted for won. I’m pretty excited.
Now I’m going to go to sleep.