5 things about the election

5 things about the election, originally uploaded by real_voodooboy.

1. My daughter has been very invested in this election to an almost Art Linkletter degree, saying things like "Someone at school said O-Rock Obama is going to race taxis if he gets elected. I think that sounds awesome!" She went in the booth with me to make sure I didn't fuck around and do something stupid with my vote, and even pressed final button with me. Racing Taxis! C'mon, how fun would that be!
   
2. I've never felt optimistic about elections before now in that I don't have much faith in the idea that society will hold up because it is profitable for powerful people to keep it held up. My experience with powerful people is that they will drop something the instant a better thing comes along. I don't believe Obama is Jesus or that he will bring about an era of hummingbirds and manna.
   
3. My biggest hope, and it's a meager one, is that he will not be an embarrassment of a President, that people around the world will be excited by the course our country is taking rather than cautious and guarded. I think its the least we can do after interjecting ourselves in every narrative and squabble possible.
4. I don't expect the world to be shaken out of old habits immediately, but I hope there are some black people that can get a cab, can enter a store without being followed, will no longer be "the black guy in my office," will not be assumed to be criminals or stupid or drug addicts or leeches on society. I hope the notion of things being better ripples through war-torn Africa, just the notion of a person with dark skin becoming President of the United States.
   
5. I like the sunshine and rainbow feeling I have about the election, how things seem to imbued with a positivity. John McCain even sounded excited about the results while conceding. I like how I came across the above Yoko Ono postcard that somehow got stuffed in with the pile of bills I had to pay, something a lot of people have vehemently proclaimed was going to be more difficult to do with this outcome, and I was compelled to hold it up to the sky and look through it.