Thinking about civil rights and TV, one moment comes to mind: the inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20th, 2009. I had followed his campaign, registered to vote just so I could vote for Obama and was anxious to be a part of this moment in history. Thanks to my HD TV, I could practically be there! There was just one problem. Sometime between when I fell asleep on January 19th and when i woke up on January 20th, the power had gone out in my apartment complex. Myself, and all of my fellow neighbors without internal clocks strong enough to not need alarms, slept through the inauguration because our alarms were blinking 12:00 over and over.
I jumped out of bed, flustered and confused. How did this happen?!? This was supposed to be the greatest civil rights moment ever televised and I missed it! The first black president, and the first politician I even remotely believed in, and I missed it! I wanted so badly to be a part of it, to rewind time and just stay up the whole night to make absolutely sure I wouldn't miss it...but it was too late for that. I violently kicked my dresser, creating a bruise on my foot that would be with me well into the ides of March. Get a grip, Dashiell. What Would Obama Do?
I tried watching the remaining coverage on CNN. They showed the new president sitting behind panes of bulletproof glass enjoying a parade, his daughters looking bored to tears after only a few hours of this kind of stuff. They cut back to the most inspirational moments of his speech, but I couldn't drum up interest. It was like watching sports that you recorded, knowing you could just go online and check the results.
Why was it so important to me to watch this moment on TV? I already saw him win the election, wasn't that the greatest moment televised for civil rights in my lifetime? Maybe, but he wasn't officially the president until January 20th. TV allows us to be a part of moments at the same time around the world, and for this moment in particular it will always be one of my larger regrets that I was dreaming of something I can't even remember. That morning I learned that my TV may have held the power to show me a window into events like these, but my alarm clock had the power to keep me out.
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2 comments:
I wonder though what it means that you felt, like many others i am sure, that watching that particular moment on t.v was going to make the difference or make you feel part of the historical moment. I am not saying that watching the inauguration wasn't a wonderful experience but I think that what matters is how the country follows the president months down the road.
I agree with you that it seemed very important to be watching the inauguration "in the moment", even if it was just on TV. I remember I was at a choir rehearsal the night of the election, and everyone was checking their phones, getting texts from everyone, and giving the rest of the choir updates. Choir was getting out just as it had become 'officially' clear that Obama had won. I remember running back up from Pomona to all my friends at the Motley, in a big rush because I felt like I was going to miss something.
I also agree that, really, the awesome speech aside, it's what Obama actually gets done that will matter. But I also want to bring up the professor's point from class about being overly optimistic or pessimistic. It wasn't like Obama's speech changed anything in any concrete sense. But being crammed into the Motley, with everyone watching the speech and crying was really powerful. I think there is something to be said for the energy that everyone felt that night. I think that, for a lot of our generation, this was the first time that we really felt like we could be proud of our country, and that feeling of pride in our country probably goes a long way towards inspiring us to get involved in that work we think Obama can and should do.
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