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| 11.6.04 |
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this whole reagan funeral thing is like candy for my socially analytical mind. karl and i went down to the mall on wednesday night to view the casket and were told we had a three hour wait. this was at 1 am. i'm told that hill staffers (who work in the capitol, mind you) had a two hour wait. where are these people coming from? and where were they raised to think that it is appropriate to wear casual clothes in one of the most formal cities in the world? how can one have respect enough for this leader to travel hundreds of miles and yet not dress respectfully?
what intrigues me the most is the constituency that is turning out for the occasion. karl and i were discussing if clinton's funeral would be like this. i contend that yes, it would certainly be well attended, but the colors would change. in my scanning of the first hour's worth of people waiting in line this week, there were about 5 groups of people of color. maybe 20 in a line of 300+. which begs the question, why? is it really because of partisan politics? i was a little too young during reagan's rule to really understand the dynmics of his politics. but i believe i have an understanding of the minority view of this presidency.
i will forever be reminded of a class i had in undergrad on race and ethnicity in america. my professor, a strong black man, literally wept one day when we had a class discussion on politics and race in america - specifically about the setbacks (his pov) for black folks during reagan's tenure. i thought of my professor as i scoured the crowd to find a black man like him. how can one man cause thousands of people to wait in the awful humid dc air for several hours just to see his flag-draped casket? and how can this same man cause others to grieve at the thought of his leadership and find satisfaction (closure?) in his passing? how can there be such polarization in this country? and how can so few people care about it? it makes me sad and ashamed of our country to see that the most we've accomplished with politics is division.
to prove my point I ask what is your reaction to reading this? you are either disagree and prepare an argument as to how reagan did so much to increase business which will ultimately increase the welfare of our nation's poor, increase jobs, further freedom in other countries by ending the cold war, etc. or you are saying 'amen sister', agreeing that the funeral/death sentiments from our media and population are overhyped and his passing is not worth the attention it is receiving. regardless of your reaction to my observations, exactly what saddens me is that millions of dollars were spent to create in you that specific reaction. |
| posted by Paige @ 7:13 AM |
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