Our Un-Enlightenment

Admittedly, I got a little overenthused during the presidential campaigns. I paid more attention to two men I have never met than I did my own brother (Give me a break, he’s busy, too).

Looking back, I realize that I put the two candidates up on an unreachable pedestal– and I’m not the only one. President-elect Barack Obama’s love affair with the public grows more sappy and each day.

Why do we do this? Why is it so easy for our citizenry to become captivated by these men, who are merely vying for our votes?

I think it’s because we are so confrontation-driven. In what other culture could a television show as incendiary as “Cheaters” flourish? The nature of the show is vile and rude in itself. Some stranger stalks a cheating husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend, and confronts this person he’s never met with accusations so strong they don’t need an entire camera crew to ensure that the “victim” flies off the handle. Cue the ratings.

Americans want the president to be something he’s not. We want him to be a superhero. We want him to be James Bond. The only problem is many times he comes out looking like a Bond in the “Quantum of Solace” rather than in “You Only Live Twice.” Thenew Bond is an icy, single-minded agent of death, whereas the old Bond was silky smooth, handling his nightlife and his nine-to-five with British ease.

We shouldn’t expect so much to come from one man (or woman, eventually). Bond is a fictional character, and Americans need to find their way back to reality from reality television.

I’m as guilty as anyone because these are the methods I choose to use when trying to explain my point of view. I rely on obscure, sometimes vaguely relevant pop culture parallels to illustrate the thoughts that are so lucidly presented while they’re still in my head.

The President of the United States isn’t the decider of our fates. Let’s all just take a minute to relax, let this fact settle in and get on track for a positive four years for our country.