Dear Turtle,
You won’t remember this day, but history will. While you were sitting with Mommy and Daddy and chewing on the remote control, we watched the world give your generation a chance at a better life than we have had.
Ideally, that should be the ultimate goal of each generation—to make things better for the next generation. That’s always been the way it was in our family. Your great, great, great grandparents came to this country from Ireland because they wanted things to be better for their kids. They worked hard to make sure that happened. Your great, great grandfather fought in World War One to make the world a better place for his kids. Your great-grandfather fought during World War Two for the same ideals. Your grandfather and your Daddy also served, and while our government’s ideals may have been different in those times, ours were not. Your PaPaw wanted the world to be a better place for my generation, and I wanted the world to be a better place for your generation. Your PaPaw busted his ass eight-to-ten hours a day, seven days a week, to give your aunt and I the things that he never had growing up. He worked hard and sacrificed. I learned those ideals from him, and have tried to do the same thing.
Your great-grandparents are part of something called The Greatest Generation. They knew hardship, son. They had World War Two and the Great Depression and hard, lean times. Your grandparents are part of something called The Boomer Generation. They also knew hardship. They had Vietnam and Kent State and a man named Richard Nixon who shit all over the ideals that make this country great.
There is another group of people who have known strife, son. And although they were a part of all three of these generations, and although they shared in our struggles and fought for the same things we fought for, they had their own share of personal hardships and strife, as well. And those hardships dwarfed ours in comparison. People of color have had to struggle even harder in this country. And even though the Greatest Generation fought to make this world a better place, it really only held true for half of the population. People of color didn’t enjoy the same freedoms that the rest of us did. The Boomer Generation worked to change that, and perhaps they succeeded somewhat. But the divisions still remained. Those divisions ran through our country like echoes. Ghosts of the past.
It should not have been that way. But it was. And that’s not the only thing that has been wrong, son. You see, Mommy and Daddy are part of something called Generation X and Generation Y. We had no hard, lean times. We were spoiled brats, for the most part. Because of the sacrifices of the two generations that came before us, we were fat and content. Our greatest hardships were David Lee Roth quitting Van Halen and Kurt Cobain deep-throating a shotgun. And so, for the last twenty years, we’ve had a procession of crooks shit all over this nation’s ideals in a way that makes Nixon seem positively benign. Somewhere along the line, the representatives of the Greatest Generation and the Boomer Generation have forgotten about their duty to the generations to come. For twenty years, BOTH parties, represented by the Bush dynasty and the Clinton dynasty, have made things progressively worse. And my generation let them get away with it because, unlike our parents and our grandparents, we simply didn’t care. We had no strife. Unlike the previous generations, we’ve had no hard, lean times.
Until 9/11.
On 9/11, we understandably and justifiably lost our shit. On 9/11, our generation realized that we were part of this planet, whether we liked it or not, and that there were more important things in life than Britney’s latest meltdown or the Superbowl or funny LOL Cat pictures. 9/11 ushered in those hard, lean times, and it’s eerie how much they resemble the hardships of your grandparents and great-grandparent’s generations. War. Economic chaos. Social unrest. The world has become an ugly place.
Well, we finally got involved, son. My generation woke up after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina and the Patriot Act and the $700 Billion Dollar Bailout and realized that we’re in our thirties and forties now, and that we pretty much run this country. Our generation — we the People — white, black, brown, moderate, liberal, Christian, atheist,–joined together today in order to form a more perfect Union. We elected one of our own, a forty-seven year old man of color, to run the country, and in doing so, we made history.
And maybe — just maybe — we actually finally put to rest some of the mistakes of the previous generations. Maybe we can lay to rest those ghosts of the past, and put away those old divisions. Maybe we can finally draw a curtain on the racist bullshit that has fucked this country up since day one. Maybe we can stop looking at the color of a person’s skin, or their sexual orientation, or their religious beliefs, or which political party they are registered to. Maybe we can finally move beyond ideology and dogma and talking points. Maybe we can forget about Republicans and Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives, Religious Right and Atheist Left, African-American and White, Gay or Straight, Man or Woman, Steelers fan or Redskins fan—maybe we can move beyond all that crap and really start to make a difference. It might not be forty acres and a mule. Indeed, it might be the start of something better.
It’s our generation’s first shot at this, and I’m sure we’ll stumble. Maybe if we work together, we won’t completely blow it. We’d better not, because sometimes I wonder if this isn’t our last chance to get it right.
Daddy loves you, kiddo. He loves you and your brother very much, and he really hopes that this is the start of something better for you both. He hopes that by the time you’re both his age, you’ll live in a world where the air is cleaner, and global poverty is something you read about in a history book, and people can marry whomever they want regardless of their gender, and we won’t see each other in terms of the color of our skin, and if you get sick a doctor will be able to help you, and that if your country ever calls on you to go to war it will be right and just, fighting for this country’s ideals, fighting to make this world a better place for your kids, rather than on the whim of a pack of criminals who have dishonored every generation of Americans who have worked hard and struggled to uphold the dream.
And that’s why Daddy voted for Barack Obama today.
In a minute, I’m going to post this, because I bet there are other parents out there right now who are feeling the same thing, and that’s my job—to put into words what other people are feeling. After I do that, I’m going to tip-toe into the bedroom and kiss you and Mommy both goodnight. And for the first time in a very long time, kiddo, Daddy will feel something when he goes to sleep.
And that something is called Hope.
We the People… in order to form a more perfect Union.
I hope.
Very well said
Nicely done… it got me.
Amen Brother!
~Rodney
Brian… We the People did it. Let’s get to work and become that voice, for all the Turtles out there.
Thank you Brian. That was one of the most intelligent things i’ve read about the election.
*tears up* Perfectly put. Finally, an election I’m proud of being part of.
Most excellently stated Brian.
Well put my friend.
Well said.
Brian, I may not share the point of view of many here (for reasons irrelevant), but parties are futile at such times. Small details are insolent.
For my unborn child, I want nothing but the best–same as everybody.
I share everybody’s hopes and dreams, wishes and needs of this country. I share your thoughts. For the futures of everybody here, and our children, I pray to God that change is indeed around the corner. And although I am cautious, I hope upon hope that Presiden Obama will be the person to bring that change.
Excellent blog. I believe you touched on America’s united thoughts at this very moment.
Excellent job Brian.
As the father of a four-month old daughter, I wake up scared many times wondering about her future. Here’s to hoping and praying that maybe, just maybe, our country can turn the corner and once again become a place where we can all truly be proud of who we are, both individually and together as a whole.
Beautifully done.
Brian, this was awesome…I posted this message (below) on the Board, before I saw the link to your thoughts
.
Just some thoughts…
Britaini and I were first at our polling place super-duper early (3:50ish). We weren’t alone long, within 10 minutes several others had joined us. I had a few hours to become aqcuainted with the immediate 12 or so folks behind me. We were of all colors and political stripes, but avoided political discussion altogether. I took my Zune with me but didn’t end up listening to it at all, enjoying hanging out with my fellow voters. I had a wonderful, enjoyable time waiting in the chill and the dark, because honestly my heart was warmed in the company of others. It made me proud to be a citizen of this great country…proud of the process and the priveledge to take part in it.
My candidate didn’t win, I honestly didn’t expect him to…but again, I am honestly not disappointed. I’m proud of my country, proud for the fact that we have elected a person of color for the first time, to lead this great nation. I’ll support him as my President, even if I don’t agree with all of his policies.
I was also proud for the fact that I know that this is an important day in the history of our nation. As mom to a daughter of mixed race..in a state where in the year she was born (1986) there was actually still a law on the books that interracial marriage was illegal. Such a short time ago, and yet I am happy that we have come so far, and I think it bodes well for our future. I hope, and I hope for better days for all of our families. I know we have more tough times ahead, but I believe we are a resilient people and I have faith that we will land on our feet.
As long as the CFR and Trilateral Commission and Bilderberg exist it’s hard to imagine any of this actually mattering. God I hope I’m wrong and that you guys are right.
I am happy for my little girl too, since her mother is Japanese. It’s good that she will be able to grow up in a country that has finally arrived at this point.
brian, i have loved everything i’ve read that you have written. that is by far your best work.
Wow.
As a Boomer (albeit a late-born one), I’d like to apologize to the generations that followed us. Maybe we did too good a job of giving ya’ll a ‘better’ life. Maybe we forgot that ‘better’ could mean ‘challenged’, instead of merely spoiled. I’m glad to see some of ya’ll are rising above our shortcomings as parents.
I remember seeing separate water fountains for whites and ‘coloreds’ in Southern train stations when I was a kid in the early 60s. Those disappeared long ago, but the foul stench of the ignorance and hatred they represented lingers on. Maybe it faded away just a little more today. I hope so.
I’ve been waiting for something that our generation can actually be proud of. Beautiful day.
Brian – well said.
Excellent way of putting it, sir!
Thanks for saying what many of us feel today.
Was checking cnn and my google reader entries for something to register how I feel after the election. What you wrote was perfect. I don’t think I’ll read anything else that sums up what happened (both last night and what’s happened in the last few generations) better than this. Thanks. Maybe now I’ll actually be able to focus at work today.
I want to chastise you for making me look like an idiot. I just read this at work just now and blubbered like a little child. Your words today capture what many of us feel. Thanks.
Today we hope for a better future. And after last night, we are a giant step closer to that goal.
-Grey
Amen, brother.
I have a three year-old son and these are the sort of things that passed through my head as I watched it all happen. Thank you for sharing your moment with us. It was a moment in which we all felt that we’d made a difference in our kids lives and our own!
Thanks, Brian. It’s weak sauce after what you’ve written, but anything else would be gilding the lily. So, for summing up a nation, thanks.
Now I have to go. there’s something in my eye.
John
Well said, Brian.
I just walked around downtown Columbus for about 40 minutes just to watch people and it’s amazing to see the smiles on so many people’s faces. Many were gleaming and wishing each other a good day and being sincere about it. Normally I watch people hunker down and go about their business. Will it last is anyone’s guess, but it was still nice to see.
How typical of you, Mr. Keene, to make me cry at something you’ve written. I will say that it’s nice to cry from a better place than where I usually am when you make me cry.
My daddy is long gone. Will you be my new one? Or at the very least come to Big Apple Con in NYC so me and my coworker can buy you a drink?
Brian, beautifully said, my friend. Like you I have hope that this country can embrace this brave decision and release the karma of the past and evolve. I’m so proud of the statement made by the sweeping victory for Obama last night. A victory not won by just African-Americans voting for him, but by so many others in this country, desperate for hope and change.
This will change so many things, things that we can’t predict, especially the influence this will have on the new generations, the little ones. The idea of equality and America has taken a step forward that can never be reversed.
And there will be hard times ahead; I could see on Obama’s face last night that he knows he’s going to be walking the fire walk, but its a walk he’s willing to take. And we have to all be willing to do so.
For the sake of all generations to come.
Well said. Amen. God bless us all.
You’ve brought me to tears – happy, joyous tears. Thank you, Mr. Keene for making an already great day even better…for all of us.
Very nice. You summed it up very nicely how we all want the best for our children!
Well put, Brian. Change…Yes we can!!!
Amy
I am cynical and pessimistic by nature….and I did vote D for the first time in my 38 years….but will not be holding my breath for any real Change or Hope…gonna be the new boss same as the old boss…but I do hope I am wrong…we will see.
My vote was more AGAINST Palin then for Obama if anyone cares.
Good luck B.H.O.
I voted for McCain because certian reasons. I am happy the way the Election turned out though.Happy to see for the 1st time we are gonna have someone other than a white male as or President.Happy that it was decided on Election Day. Happy McCain bowed out gracefully. But most of all just plain happy the Election is just over!!
I am glad to hear all the positive feedback to your posting Brian. Its good to know that we all share in the same hopes and dreams for the next generation of Keenites. I’m glad to live in a country where we the people are in control of hopefully making the right choices in shaping those hopes and dreams. Was the right choice made yesterday? Only time will tell. According to these replies, I’m in the minority when it comes to sharing the enthusiasm about the election. But…we needed a change and a change is what we got. Lets hope it was for the better…
Beautifully said, I celebrate with you, friend!!!
Nick Cato — I deleted your post. If you want to re-post it without the “Osama-Obama” rhetoric, I’ll be glad to let it stand.
Amen brother! Like I said after watching the election results last night, there’s hope for this country yet. I think your comments on it speak greatly for what many of us feel.
Once again I am teary-eyed at the prospect that there just might be a chance for a better world for my two children in the future.
Interesting that on the day we finally elected a black man president, three states voted to deny gays the right to marry. So far in some ways, not in others.
And while I was swept up in the moment and incredibly moved, another part of me was kind of disgusted. I mean, America kept patting itself on the back, but the reality is that in the year 2008 the idea of elected a black man shouldn’t be such a novel idea. I mean, some were acting like it showed how progressive we were, or does it show how backward we are that it took us so long to catch on?
Your post hit me like nothing else I have read or heard including Obama’s speech on Tuesday night. Thank You.
Also to Mark Gunnells – I understand your frustration. Its ironic that in one night the civil rights of one group of people were amazingly recognized while the civil rights of another got a swift kick in the pants. However, as Brian so aptly put – HOPE -. Hope for a better tomorow, hope for an end to the strife we ALL face every day and hope that one day everyone will TRULY be treated equally.
Beautiful. That is all I can say.
I am disapointed that prop 8 in California and prop 2 here in Florida passed. It just doesn’t prevent gay marriage, but also gives common-law relationships no standing. I am sure that most people just glanced over that part and all they saw was GAY MARRIAGE: CHECK YES OR NO.
Excuse my ranting.
Thank you Brian for posting such a very well written and thoughtful Blog posting.
There were a whole lot of things I totally agreed with you on in what you wrote and a few (minor) things I disagreed with you on.
I have a 9 year Old Daughter and I too am hoping that she will have a better and much more happier future than the one that we were as a Nation previously head towards
Thank you too for making me want to com back to this Website as often as I possibly can.
Hi Brian,
My “Turtle” thanks you too for such an eloquent post.
J.
Thanks! Nice post.
Wonderful post! We the people did it! Now lets work for equality for ALL Americans – including the GAYS!