I was at the gym at 8:00 am watching the beginnings of the inauguration. I was on my elliptical powering through yet another hill, while watching the U.S. dignitaries arrive. I listened to Ann Curry talk about the feelings of many Americans out on the lawns of the mall. The same word was repeated over and over again. "Overwhelmed" Young and old, black and white, from all around Americans were saying they were overwhelmed by the making of history today.
Which is why I was surprised to see that when I looked left and right, the two students on the elliptical next to me were busy watching MTV's "The City." Was this an outright accost on the level of thinking of young Americans? Was this a blaring and embarrassing example of just how jaded young Americans really can be?
I asked the girl next to me why she was not glued to the inauguration proceedings. She simply said, "Because I didn't vote for him." I wanted to say, "Neither did I, but this is still history in the making."
I ran home as the invocation was being given. It was in fact one of the longest invocations in the world. I made it home just in time to see Senator Biden being sworn in. As I rushed to my living room, there were all eight of my roommates glued to the television. Megan Meyer, a senior communications major said she wanted to hear what Obama had to say, regardless of her political beliefs.
Lauren Swisher a senior marketing major said, "With the economy the way it is, people are looking to Obama to make some changes. He said he wants to inspire Americans with his inauguration speech. I am an American--and I am waiting to be inspired."
As we sat there listening intently, there was a sense of inspiration. Whether it was the new President and his fluctuating voice which hit every note with intensity and determination or it was just the fact that my roommates were watching, there was hope. As President Obama said, “With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents and endure what storms may come." It was nice to know that my roommates had listened to these words and knew what it meant to enter this new "era of responsibility." President Obama's words were not lost on all young Americans ears. There are still a few of us out there listening.
It might be interesting to look at viewing numbers from the past few decades to see what percentage of Americans typically watch inaugurations. I'm not sure I watched any of the others (no matter who had been elected), as I dismissed them as "more of the same." The pomp and circumstance I find boring, and the overt patriotism usually makes me want to gag. I hate the Star Spangled Banner and wish we'd chosen This Land is Your Land for our national anthem instead of (an unsingable one) filled with war imagery. But I did watch this one, somewhat because we were asked to by Stevens, and also because I didn't want to pass up what you rightly identified as an historical event.
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