The Meaning of Obama.
Barack H. Obama is now the President of the United States of America. For thousands of Americans, this means more than just a pretty new face in the White House. They believe that the Obama administration will fundamentally transform the character of our Nation. In the minds of these starry-eyed followers, Barack Obama's America will be a wondrous place where teenagers reject apathy, divisive political arguments are banished to the nether-world, marriages are strong, and public broadcasting is enjoyed and beloved by all.
It's a nice dream. It's also sheer nonsense.
When you wake up tomorrow, you probably won't be thinking of Obama's smiling face, and how swell it is that he wants to reach across the aisle. If your mind is running at all, it's far more likely to be focused on the concept of syrup-drenched waffles, and the deliciousness thereof. Soon enough, your daily routine will kick in, and you'll continue to live your life much as you did four months ago.
You'll work.
You'll talk with friends.
You'll spend too much time on YouTube.
If you happen to be the kind of person who volunteers at soup kitchens, participates in canned-food drives, and attends community meetings, you will keep on doing so. If you're a disengaged citizen who thinks that homeless people are worthless junkies, and enjoys kicking small animals, you'll stay on your dark path. The man who happens to occupy the White House doesn't even enter into the equation of your everyday choices.
This isn't to say that people can't change. They can. But speaking in a broad sense, personal change is a gradual process that originates from two main sources: our contact with God, and our contact with those who are closest to us.
Contrary to popular belief, Obama is not divine. And no matter how friendly he may look, Obama is not your friend. If given the opportunity, he probably wouldn't even want to hang out with you. It's true that Obama's inspirational speeches provide millions with an emotional high, but a surge of emotion is hardly enough to spark genuine change in an individual. In order for one man to change another, the element of regular, personal contact has to be present. The human mind is a collection of rigid patterns that can only be altered with the introduction of new, more powerful patterns. Watching a nice man talk about hope on TV hardly does the trick.
However, Obama and his supporters can't be blamed for the faulty notion of the President's transformative power. Every four years, voters fall hard for the big lie of American politics: the notion that the President has the power to control the culture of our Nation.
Conservative icon Barry Goldwater pioneered the concept of placing "the social issue" at the center of a presidential campaign. He didn't just propose a set of policies; he promised moral renewal, and a return to a simpler time of tradition and order. While Goldwater's pitch was unsuccessful, Nixon, Reagan and Dubya used similar themes to appeal to the country. Even Bill Clinton called on his fellow Americans to "take more responsibility" for their families and communities. Ultimately, each of these presidents did change the country -- but almost solely in the realm of policy. The cultural fabric of America travelled on its own trajectory, one that politicians could neither predict nor control.
If America is a different place in 2012, there may be some things that Obama can take credit (or be blamed) for. After all, the President can have a profound effect on things like the economy, and America's relationship with the rest of the world. On the other hand, the attitudes, habits, and beliefs of 300 million individuals can't be altered with an executive order. Life goes on, regardless of whether there's a Bush or an Obama in the Oval Office.
