Change (Sort of)

Change is the word. “Change You Can Believe In.” “Change is necessary.” “History of Change.” “Candidate of Change.” Change is in. The hot new fashion brought to you by political advisers and media pundits. Change is hip. It’s like wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt. Yes, revolution is at hand.

My, how we’ve changed. Just think of the semantic weight of change today compared to that of four years ago. In Bush v. Kerry, change was the dirtiest of words. Bush argued against changing horses mid-stream, and he labeled Kerry a flip-flopper (i.e. one who changes). Change lost Kerry the election. And now it’s supposed to win one? Who’s flip-flopping now? But that’s fashion. It’s like switching from bellbottoms to tapered leg. It’s like moving to Brooklyn after decades of moving out of it. It’s like liking 80s pop music again.

And yet, America hasn’t quite come to fall into the fashion of change completely. According to the candidates, we can change healthcare, taxes, social security, the economy, parties, politics, moral standing. We can change anything and everything except for one thing: our minds. The looming danger of falling into the pit of flips and flops hangs over the head of every candidate (and ultimately over every politician who ever votes or makes a statement on anything). We want change, but not from someone who has changed. We want a one-track change, but the idea of change on any track is absurd. We are our own examples: in 2004, America voted to stay the course and in 2008 America wants something new (whether Democrat or Republican). We’ve changed our minds for “positive” progression (positive of course being a subjective term) to follow a new fashion, a better fashion, a more current fashion.

We are fashionable people. We demand specific cuts, colors, and brands every season. We are easily impressed with the new. We want to stay ahead of the curve of mediocrity. We progress. We learn. We should want the same from our representative. Talk about problems with our education system.

~josh