Maybe it’s because I’m in Chicago. Maybe it’s because we sort of recognize that having elected a black man to the White House definitively means we are moving toward closure on racial wounds 219 years in the making. Maybe it’s because with the election behind us, everyone—reds and blues alike—can laugh openly about the borderline criminal hilarity of Palin’s nomination as VP.
Whatever the reason, people in generally just seem a little less douchebaggy. And you know something, it feels good!
It’s like the Christmas season has arrived a full month early, and without the songs. I love the Christmas season. Maybe one day I’ll write about how I think the holiday has been nationalized; suffice it to say, I think “Merry Christmas” has gone the way of kleenex, cellophane, Coke, and rollerblades in terms of becoming a generic term for something bigger, regardless of your religion. To me, at least, “Merry Christmas” means, “Hey, Buddy, let’s you and I call a truce on the douchiness for a few days and just smile at one another. Cool?”
And that’s what I’m seeing now:
People smile easier.
People seem quicker to help one another out with small things.
People make more small talk with strangers.
People drive slower. (Apparently, not all manifestations of de-douchiness are good.)
People share.
I’ve spent a lot of time at O’Hare airport lately, which as an experience can be pretty douchebag inducing. I fell prey to it a few weeks ago when, on a Saturday morning at 7am, a woman decided that because I was working on an iPhone and she had an iPhone, too, we must be friends and I must want to stop what I was doing and chat with her. Boy, was she wrong.
But that was before the election, when being a douche was totally in vogue. Since then, I’ve noticed myself being more patient, friendlier, and more helpful. With the ORD meanderthals strolling from gate to McD’s… no, how about Corner Bakery… wait, is Starbuck’s cheaper for the same food…, I find myself offering advice like, “Your best bet is the tomazzo bagel from the American Bagel company,” or “Here, have my PowerBar.”
My friends are reporting similar trends. A restauranteur friend of mine says that for six weeks leading into November, nearly all the conversations in his joints were about the economy or the election. Now, conversations are still on the important topics, but they’re more civil and open.
Another friend of mine said that we’ve elevated our collective consciousness and are now vibrating on a higher plane. I have no idea what that means.
All I know is, we seem to be less douchebaggy. Keep up the good work, Barack!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post. Definitely rings true for me as well.
Actually, there are parallels to those halcyon days between Gorbechev and Putin. Sure you didn’t have a job, the economy was a tattered, unrecognizable mess and you had to wait in line for 3 hours to get bread. But the sun shone and people cracked grimaces, if not smiles. Oh yes, and gone were the worries of the KGB wiretapping your phone and sending you packing to a questionably legal detention center that uses aggressive interrogation techniques.
Ahhh memories…
Look how everything turned, er wait, nevermind. Let’s hope it’s different over here.
After the election I posted a few thoughts about how Obama could bring us together to restore America. Your post seems to be what I was feeling on 11/5 put into action. Nice one!
Bizarre my hacky code is redirecting back to your page. The link again:
http://swimminginthedarkblue.com/yes-we-can/2008/11/05
Brent, yes, there is always a risk that a leader, once granted status as Bearer of Hope, he will turn out like Putin. Or Bush.
Hope alone will not carry us for long. Results must come. And then we’ll know what this leader is made of.
Perhaps he will in the mold of Cincinnatus, who laid down his arms once the fight was over and who served as a model for our first president.
One can only hope.
Yep, it’s because I’m in Chicago:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1117/p03s01-uspo.html
Yikes, didn’t mean to draw parallels between Obama and Putin but rather Bush and Putin.
Regardless, I remain hopeful, optimistic and proud to be an American once again. It’s not just Chicago.
(Apologies for the duplicate postings above – user error.)
I completely agree, from here in Blue State Ohio. Snow’s here now which usual means impatient drivers. You know what? No horns. People are sharing, taking turns, being patient. That’s contagious, too.
And feeling this, I get a little confused about the hanging-on neocons who hear about Rahm Emanuel and Hillary Clinton and harrumph about “what happened to change?” The change starts with the stuff we’re feeling and experiencing every day. The little less “d-baggy” behavior.
Let’s not get hung up on what name is on the mailbox…because the real change is in the spirit of the house, the neighborhood, the community.
I love how you characterize the Palin nomination as near criminal and then talk about how everyone – including yourself based on your iphone encounter is being less of an asshole.
Oh yes, everything is wonderful and of course it is because of Barack.
Have you lost all objectivity?
You are experiencing a natural high that everyone feels when the people they like are elected.
Barack has not even done anything except appoint people.
If he actually does something noteworthy, I will give him props and if he does something I don’t like, I will complain about it.
What I will not do is characterize people whom I disagree with about politics in a petulant and pejorative fashion.
Some of us were never assholes or douchbags to begin with but to those in recovery, please, carry on.
Gotta respond to David Rees…
In many of Obama’s speeches, he has reminded his audiences that this isn’t about him…this is about us. This is about the majority of citizens deciding that enough is enough and we want something different.
Is a return of civility in the grocery store check out line because of Obama? Maybe not. But his election was a reminder of what we want our country to be, of how we want to act. Most of us believe that we’re better than we’ve been for the past eight years. That attitude contributed to a specific behavior — electing Obama. And now that attitude is showing up in other behaviors, as Jason and others mentioned.