My blogs and posts are rarely about politics or political themes, but hey -
“times, they are a’changing!“
This morning’s NY Times headline reads “Obama Urges U.S. to Embrace Change.” His State of the Union address last night was a mix, as they wrote in the Times, of “both optimism and regret.” It may have been one of his strongest speeches since he impressed the world in 2004 as a senator from Illinois speaking at the Democratic National Convention. His timing was impeccable, perfectly comedic or poignant at various moments, yet perhaps he missed the boat in other ways.
Obama apologized for not having improved the relationship between the Democratic and Republican parties. He initially campaigned with the hefty goal of bridging that divide, but the gap may be even wider today.
In my opinion, Obama came into the Presidency amidst tremendous turmoil. He had to walk through quicksand in several places – and he didn’t always sink. There’s still work to do – more affordable health care, accessible education, higher paying jobs, counter-terrorism efforts, immigration laws, etc., etc., etc…. He wants to help find a cure for cancer and continue his attempts to close the US prison in Guantanamo Bay. Obama has promised to do more and has a very busy final year ahead, yet no President leaves the office with everything in place. This President, despite what may be left undone, has certainly made a unique impact on this country in a variety of ways.
Talk about impact…Just yesterday, more than half of the first page of the NY Times Arts section was taken up by a dramatic, colorful photo of young David Bowie. This musician had an impact on so many of us in similar and quite distinct ways. He left a legacy, and while I love much of his early work (especially his song Changes on YouTube here -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMQ0Ryy01yE) it may be his final album (just released) that tells us the most about him as a musician and a human being.
The NY Times tells us about another change today, in the Business Day section. Sesame Street has moved from PBS, where only re-runs will be played, to HBO as its home. The new stories and sets are designed to engage the internet-era toddler. Oscar’s trash can is connected to recycling and composting bins. While Sesame Street has always had a wonderful way to address people with different needs and abilities (some of my own favorite moments included sign language, others were songs about acceptance), there is a recent addition of a Muppet with autism. As the NY Times says today, “Welcome to ‘Sesame Street’ where the word on the street this season is C-H-A-N-G-E.”
When Obama was first running for President, many in the Deaf community used the exaggerated sign for ‘change’ with the O-hand-shape as his sign-name. He would be the President to make the necessary changes in this country for people in need.
The song Waiting on the World to Change began circulating on YouTube in sign language. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKnF9CCYQPQ. While it’s not specifically about Obama, and the video depicts unique concerns within the Deaf community, the overarching message is one with which we can all relate.
We’re not even two full weeks into 2016 – many people have made New Year’s Resolutions or have set new goals – change is a current and recurring theme. While I would have appreciated greater focus around President Obama’s resolution for change on the issue of gun violence and accessibility to firearms in his speech last night, there was an empty chair in the First Lady’s guest box to symbolically represent victims of gun violence. As he said himself, “change doesn’t happen in a day.” Let’s see what happens in this year ahead. I’d like to be optimistic.
