A Inauguration of Things Past

President Obama now taking the stage for his second inaugural address.  Roberta's reaction to camera pans of the mall was, "That's a lot of people!  I wouldn't want to be there!!"

I only had one chance to be there: President Bush's first inauguration in 2001, the only one coinciding with my five years in D.C.  Especially during that time in my life, I felt an importance to be present at major events, that absorbing life through television or print media was artificial, secondary, and inferior (in general, I now appreciate better viewing "seats" experienced through HDTV than the cheap seats twenty-something nobodys get, the comforts of controlled-climates, available bathrooms, a stocked refrigerator when I want it, and no pushy crowds).

I passed on walking down that year, even though I was only a mile from the parade route.  I recall the day was unpleasantly rainy and cold.  Moreover, that election was controversial.  With that taint I believed the experience would be unsatisfactory.  My first time should wait.

Instead, I watched the parade, a few minutes only, in Thurston's Dining Hall.  When the coverage focused on the protesters lining the motorcade route, I could only imagine the passengers' dismissive contempt for the people they sped past, windows-up.  This divide between our leaders and fellow citizens, so clearly manifested, was disheartening.

There were no major protests today, just less excitement than was present four years ago.  We're all a bit disillusioned, probably the Obamas included.

Both geographically and enthusiastically, I'm much further from attending an inauguration than that college kid munching brunch twelve years ago.  I'm certainly more apathetic now; not disregard the serious impacts of our elected officials and their decisions, but rather about the theatrics of political circuses.  The inauguration coverage playing in the background, I'm now watching a whole lot of people who love to be on TV, along with - even more troubling to me - occasional shots of faces in the crowds who love to watch those people on TV.