A friend went to hear Barack Obama speak in South Carolina recently. I wanted to live vicariously through her experience and I asked her to tell me all about it so we could post her comments on the blog.
First she told me that there wasn’t much to talk about, which made me even more interested. As a researcher at heart, I was intrigued by what wasn’t there, what was missing from the experience – that is as telling as what did happen. Here’s what Marin had to say:
“I wish I had something important or interesting to offer from my experience! In fact, is was pretty uneventful...we got there a little late and it was really crowded. I had to wake up [my son] to go inside and he wasn't all that happy about being there. We couldn't really see or hear him well from where we were in the auditorium and after about 10 minutes I ended up outside with [my son]. [My husband and my friend] tried to work their way up closer to view and hear better, but alas, we left early and ended up in an hour of traffic coming home!
I was impressed with the crowd, the gathering of people was black and white and excited...which was exciting to me. I had an impression of how important it would be for the African-American population to have a president who shares their ethnicity. My impression of this may be skewed though, as I have never attended something like this before, and definitely not in S. Carolina...a more diverse crowd is probably to be expected, just new for me coming from Asheville (and Davis, CA).”
What to expect when you’re electing? Her experience reminded me of going to a rock concert. You make a big effort to get there, take your friends, spouse, kids even. But then you get there and it’s crowded and you end up going outside for air. But, you remember the people, the vibe, the energy.
My most profound protest, mass movement experience was hearing Jesse Jackson speak at a rally when President Clinton was on the verge of being impeached. It was in Washington DC. He spoke so eloquently and passionately and with such enthusiasm that I got swept up in his words. I was cheering for health care for hospital workers. He was asking us how the very people that change bed pans and care for others could not get care themselves. I cheered on. I had never cared about that before, but I did then. And I cared because the rest of the crowd cared. The energy pulsed through the people gathered together. I felt the power of what a truly charismatic speaker can create.
Who will do that for me today? Is there a candidate out there – local, state, or national that will sweep me up in their words? Will motivate me to take action? Will bring people together?
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