Friday, January 23, 2009

Stars Shining Bright Above You

We woke up on Wednesday morning a changed nation. I know, I KNOW I said that I won't belabor my political favoritism on this site, but let's get this out of the way right now: we are breathing a collective sigh of relief.

I mention it not because I want to fling my virtual handful of confetti along with the rest of the self-congratulatory bleeding hearts (although I am happy enough to do so - I have bad aim, though, so if you don't want any in your eye, I'd move on back.) I bring it up because while the tenor and tone of government has changed, and while the last three days have already proven this President's commitment to restoring our country to the good graces of the rest of the civilized world, INDIVIDUALLY not much had changed.

Whatever do you mean, Ms. S? I hear you asking. Well, I have not miraculously been cured of my tiresome habit of talking over people, nor has my propensity for dairy products suddenly been voided as I guiltily realize the amount of energy it takes to sustain a herd of cattle. I have managed to make it half a week without even losing very much of my patented GenX cynicism (although the rampant goodwill of my compatriots is trying its persistence), and to top it all off, I am still a total geek. Not just a science-fiction reading, costume-wearing non-apologist, but a lover of the less than mainstream, disdainful of popular opinion. Case in point, when Z. said the other day that Obama might be Morpheus, I conjured up this:
rather than THIS, which is what I am fairly certain Z. had in mind:
Now, while I am delighted at thinking that our new Commander in Chief might have all the infinite powers of one of the Endless, I was a little confused. Dream of the Endless is an arrogant, distant tragic hero that has no understanding or concern for human foibles. Surely you can see why I might be slightly alarmed. Also, he is fairly obviously a white dude with an unfortunate haircut, who in my head speaks with Neil Gaiman's rusty London inflections. Not much in the way of resemblance, unlike Bondage Cowboy Curtis there. Boyfriend's voice is CREAMY.

Neil Gaiman, though, is a savvy man, with Ideas about how the world should be, and here is what he has to say: "... gods, religions, and national boundaries, ...are absolutely imaginary. They’re completely notional. They don’t tend to exist. As soon as you pull back half a mile and look down at the Earth there are no national boundaries. There aren’t even any national boundaries when you get down and walk around. They’re just imaginary lines we draw on maps. (...) I just get fascinated by people who assume that things that are imaginary have no relevance to their lives." I can't help but feel that the idea that we create our own limits is one that Obama understands very well indeed. Perhaps the brother of Destiny and Destruction is an apt choice, after all. And we should not forget that when asked if he is always pale, Morpheus replies, "That depends on who is watching."

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