In case you didn’t know, everyone in the world LOVES Barack Obama. And now, by extension, they find all Americans much more interesting and delightful than ever before. The British seem very proud of us; not only have people I’ve met in pubs and stores commented on Obama and how excited they are for his presidency, but the BBC covered the entire Inauguration live this afternoon. Other than mistakenly identifying “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” as the national anthem and talking over some of the musical pieces, the reporting was extremely enthusiastic and respectful. After the ceremony, the BBC continued to report on Obama, specifically the impact his presidency will have in the UK. I never realized that the UK has the same sorts of issues with race and public office that we have in the US(in fact, based on what I saw today, it may be in some ways worse here) because the most consistent statement in the interviews they played was the newfound hope that now someday there could be a black Prime Minister. They also followed the story of a few Londoners that had flown to DC to be a part of the inauguration, just so they could be closer to this historical moment. Barack Obama’s election was one of the most moving moments I’ve ever experienced as an American, but I can now see that sentiment is much more worldwide than I could have imagined.
Agreed! The response in Austria is much the same...I meet an Austrian man the other day on the train that couldn't stop talking about Obama...even my German teacher kept reminding us in the days prior that there was only a few more days of George Bush left! Pretty funny. Even the first thing that a cab driver said to me as he first drove me to my apartment was "Congratulations on Obama!"
ReplyDeleteGo America...hope it turns out well for us!