Monday, November 08, 2004

Reflections from the left

So GWB is president once again... My prediction that the rich white male from Yale would win was correct. The choice of presidential candidates more than anything highlights the inequities of power within America. Both candidates are silver spooners and they even were frat brothers in one of the most prestigious fraternities at Yale. To paraphrase Gandhi, "They differ in degree, not in kind."
A lot of left wing friends have been calling and emailing me completely unhappy. I however actually think that this election will be good for my generation. We have been riding the coattails of the 1960s and believing that things were better and that we didn't have to do anything for civil society. This election was a wakeup call and a test. What the left does now is very important. Things are not good and there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in America. There is still racism. There is still classism. There is still sexism and gender discrimination. If we do not continue to fight for and maintain our rights, they will be taken away from us. My generation has been more preoccupied with entertainment news and kitsch than politics. We are a self-indulgent lot.
I worried that if Kerry got elected the populace would fall back to sleep. Now that Bush is back, hopefully people will organize. Hopefully my generation will show the resolve and firmness that was showed by the 60s generation. America can do better.