Something that many people don't realize about me is that I'm dreadfully shy around strangers. Groups frighten me, and there's no way I could ever knock on a stranger's door. So, it was with great trepidation that Thendain and I went to the Plainfield Cookout for Change. I grabbed my cookies and my crochet, figuring that I could keep an eye on Kat while Thendain talked to people.
So, imagine my surprise when, while hiding under a tree with my crochet, someone came down off the deck to talk to me! And, even more surprising, it was Natalie, our local field coordinator who had just arrived in the area. Why would anyone care to talk to me? But, she asked me about myself and my kids, and when I tried to apologize for talking too much, as I usually do when I was nervous, she smiled and told me she wanted to hear about me.
My confidence bolstered some, I eventually wandered back onto the deck and started circulating some, talking to people and listening to conversations. The thing that struck me the most was the diversity of the people there. It was then that I realized something that was both obvious and profound: Obama is attracting people both young and old! Now, the important thing is to realize that we are all in this together.
I think one of the few "socially acceptable" prejudices left is the youth's disrespect for their elders and the elder's contempt for the youth. However, if this campaign is about bringing together the people of this country in an attempt to change the status quo, I think something that needs to be remembered is that it's not just a racial divide, or a class divide...there's also a fundamental disconnect between the age groups.
I was confronted with proof of my own prejudices while talking to people at the bbq. I am afraid to canvass because as far as I'm concerned, the town I live in is full of "soccer-moms". It was pointed out to me that I can't think of people in those terms. I need to see them just as fellow voters. I think that's a problem for many people.
Most of the younger voters either don't trust their elders or don't realize that they are capable of wanting change. So many times, youths are told that they're too optimistic, or that they need to be more reasonable or realistic, so in a campaign built on change, we always feel like our elders are going to tell us to calm down. Meanwhile, I'm tired of hearing from the supposed conservatives that Obama is too young to be president. I'm sick of hearing that he doesn't have enough experience. When I'm surrounded by messages telling me that he is too young and naive, then I feel like the older generation is also telling me that I'm too young and naive. After all, I'm almost 20 years younger than Obama! It makes it harder for me to believe that it's worth my effort to reach out to my elders. I'm sure some of them would surprise me, but in general it always seems like the older generation doesn't believe that the younger people are capable of doing things for the good of everyone.
I think we all need to take a step back and remember that we can all learn from each other. Old or young, we all need to "...hang together...else, we shall most assuredly hang separately" during four years of McBush rule...
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