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I remember learning about President Hoover in school and being completely aghast at how a president could be so bad at the job. A president that the people not only elected freely, but believed in. They named the shantytowns "Hooverville" in mock honor and I couldn't believe that a president could be so despised. As far as my younger self was concerned, the title of president demanded respect, no matter how bad he was at the job. I wondered if Hoover was ever apologetic or if he ever admitted where he had gone wrong. At the time, President Clinton was in his final year of his second term. His own presidency was marred by scandal, but he was still my president. When we covered the Great Depression again in high school, I felt sad that those times of depression seemed to parallel the Bush 43 presidency. I felt sorrow-- not only for the American people, but for the world and for Bush himself.
There was a time when I believed that presidents should be respected, that the title of the presidency alone demanded respect. I felt that for Clinton, and although I was confused during the Bush transition (I was only old enough to recall Clinton as president, so the idea of someone else leading the country was concerning), I tried to trust him as well. I was disheartened at the way America picked apart everything he did and while I'm not defending his actions, Bush did deserve more respect than I felt he ever received during his eight years in office. And now, not only am I fortunate enough to live through another transition, but I see a great wave of hope and rejoicing throughout not only the capital, the states but across the world as well. It's a sight that I've never experienced before, and from the reactions of my fellow Americans, neither have they.
The historical aspect of today has moved me quite more than the change of power or parties. I remember learning about the Civil Rights Movement in first grade and looking around at my classmates (that of a public school in '90s New York City) and trying to imagine how life would be like if I wasn't allowed to learn, much less exist in the same room with the majority. I couldn't imagine how segregation had once been a part of America's history.
I recall many times watching movies like Deep Impact (lol or Head of State) and saying to myself how great that would be if that could even be a chance one day, to have an African-American president. Even something like the Palmer presidency on 24 seemed laughable. And it's sad to think of those moments now, because they seem so cynical after living through what has happened in our country today. It still doesn't seem real, even as I watched Beyoncé breaking down as she sang, "For you are mine, at last."
I don't know what will happen, obviously. But I hope. And that's something I haven't done in a very long time.
Lia
There was a time when I believed that presidents should be respected, that the title of the presidency alone demanded respect. I felt that for Clinton, and although I was confused during the Bush transition (I was only old enough to recall Clinton as president, so the idea of someone else leading the country was concerning), I tried to trust him as well. I was disheartened at the way America picked apart everything he did and while I'm not defending his actions, Bush did deserve more respect than I felt he ever received during his eight years in office. And now, not only am I fortunate enough to live through another transition, but I see a great wave of hope and rejoicing throughout not only the capital, the states but across the world as well. It's a sight that I've never experienced before, and from the reactions of my fellow Americans, neither have they.
The historical aspect of today has moved me quite more than the change of power or parties. I remember learning about the Civil Rights Movement in first grade and looking around at my classmates (that of a public school in '90s New York City) and trying to imagine how life would be like if I wasn't allowed to learn, much less exist in the same room with the majority. I couldn't imagine how segregation had once been a part of America's history.
I recall many times watching movies like Deep Impact (lol or Head of State) and saying to myself how great that would be if that could even be a chance one day, to have an African-American president. Even something like the Palmer presidency on 24 seemed laughable. And it's sad to think of those moments now, because they seem so cynical after living through what has happened in our country today. It still doesn't seem real, even as I watched Beyoncé breaking down as she sang, "For you are mine, at last."
I don't know what will happen, obviously. But I hope. And that's something I haven't done in a very long time.
Lia
