Who Knew?

Out of all the inaugural festivities, Obama-penned addresses and farewell-Bush tributes, this bit from the Colbert Report was the one that managed to really move me. I agree that it isn’t productive to focus on investigating the Bush administration for crimes while in office when there are much more pressing issues to face in the present, but it’ll probably be years or decades before the staggering incompetence and criminal misdeeds of the past eight years will be fully revealed. It’s hard to believe that it’s been eight long years - what the fuck happened? Are we really aware how much lower the bar has been set for accurately perceiving reality, for being defined as “competent”? I don’t mean to ramble but it’s very odd how the fringes of the far-right have become pushed so far into the mainstream over the better part of a decade. The consequences of dealing with these fringe groups as having valid viewpoints and reconciling these opinions into national discourse about how to unite the country to positive ends has been very interesting to watch.

I felt apprehensive watching the Obama inauguration. Very powerful rhetoric, to be sure, but I think it’s too early to tell whether he intends to follow through on what he said in his address, or more importantly, whether his proposed initiatives will work. I keep worrying that he’s underestimating the problems we face and his ability to solve them.

We’re officially in Hollywood Future, people: horrible product design, awesome technology in frivolous locations, a charismatic POTUS that paradoxically utters emotionally resonant platitudes and just maybe dystopia around the corner.