Penn students are a brave sort. We occupy buildings to fight for a living wage… oops, that was Harvard. We rally against controversial speakers like the Minutemen founder and Karl Rove… er, sorry, that was Columbia. And a prep school.
But making change by standing up for Barack Obama? That we can do.
According to Mara’s DP column yesterday, the campus is turning evangelical for Obama; Barack-oholics are selling shirts, wearing buttons, and redecorating Facebook pages in his honor.
And unless you flew Oceanic 815, you know that Obama’s kicking butt across the country. The man’s won 10 straight primaries; in Wisconsin, he took 70% of the under-30 Democractic vote (and probably an even greater share of college-age voters). Plus, he’s staying hip. Slate — which yesterday noted Obama’s five-point national lead over Clinton — last week unveiled its Encyclopedia Baracktannica. More importantly, he’s won the coveted endorsement of Lloyd from Dumb and Dumberer.
Despite securing the Lloyd vote, Barack’s fight for the Democratic nomination isn’t over. But on liberal campuses like Penn, it’s not a bold, underground move to support Obama — it’s increasingly the norm.
Face it: Barack’s become “American Idol,” not “Arrested Development.” He’s vanilla, not Phish Food.
This isn’t a critique of Barack, a sharp guy who’s run a brilliant campaign. Family members and friends work for him; I’ve been a fan since his 2005 “Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me” appearance.
And I’ve got no beef with Obamaniacs with similar passion for less-trendy social causes, or voters who wear their choice less openly on their sleeves… and hats… and wrists.
But I’m amazed by how many young people, unbothered to protest a war under false pretenses, are suddenly preachy about needing to “transform” our country.
You couldn’t spare any of this righteous energy to rally for Darfur or climate control? Or — closer to home — devote more time to helping out West Philadelphians?
One pro-Obama argument is that he inspires new voters to take part in reform. That — for a generation of disaffected youth, who don’t protest for myriad reasons — we needed to be rallied to care about making change.
But clearly, young people are now officially rallied. So why do we need to wait for Obama to take office? Or do busy college schedules only allow for one cause at a time?
Look, protesting simply to protest is unhealthy. Or very French.
So if you truly believe in changing our world, don’t put the responsibility on Obama or cloak yourself in an unprecendentedly popular cause. Alternatively, this doesn’t mean ditching a lucrative job for low-paid teaching or community organizing.
But you’re students, with time and idealism in excess. Even if you attend a school where protesting tends to mean supporting a convicted drug dealer or rallying for beer.
I believe that there’s a righteous cause just waiting to be discovered and supported by Penn students. More noble than rallying for the “You suck” chant, even. Some mission unique to our school or West Philadelphia.
And you can find it. Yes, you can.
Tags: Barack Obama, I'm cynical but want you to be idealists
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February 22nd, 2008 at 2:41 am
Praline Pecan at number ten? You’ve got to be kidding. I don’t think I’ve ever even tried that.
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:57 am
C’mon man! Don’t you understand?? Obama’s going to “change the culture of Washington” because he’s “a uniter, not a divider!!” Wait, didn’t someone else say that? Oh yeah, George W. Bush. We all know how that worked out.
February 23rd, 2008 at 7:27 pm
You hit the nail on the head. Obama has indeed become the “fashionable” candidate. Oh, and anyone wondering why might read Lauren Friedman’s most recent post, “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”
February 24th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
not to mention butter pecan at number three. the pecan demographic is a little-understood voting bloc.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Hmm, “candidate for cowards”? I still think that’s a bit much
I think a lot of people who were opposed to the war/Darfur situation/global warming found demonstration-type tactics ineffective. And, for the first time in recent memory, there is a credible candidate who can make changes through the political process via collaborative - not combative - politics.
Sadly, a large part of this country still vehemently hates Hillary and is going to turn up en masse on election day to vote against her, and in the process elect a Republican congress…it’s just the sad reality of things. And 4 more years of gridlock doesn’t do anyone any good. Supporting Obama just makes sense from a cost-benefit anaylsis.