October 30, 2008

Notes from an Exhausted Real American

I’m exhausted. Obsession can do that to you. During the primaries I was disconnected. I didn’t read much about politics or watch the campaigns unfold on TV. But the moment (the moment!) I heard Sarah Palin speak at the Republican National Conversation I was hooked. With little faith in the general electorate’s ability to see “truth” beyond her sharp delivery I was immediately drawn into the fray. My lack of faith has become a quadrennial problem of mine.

From that point I began to listen to every word Obamabiden and McCainpalin uttered. I combed numerous Web sites for analysis. And the moment I got home from work I tuned into both CNN and MSNBC while multitasking with my iPhone. My mood rose and fell with each and every poll.

As the campaign developed I began to prioritize my pundits and spokespeople. Early on, interviews with independent voters provided the most interesting information. Party members and their surrogates provided the least. I categorized reporters left to right and on any particular day, depending on my stamina, I might be able to stomach listening to at least one deeply Red. But I often quickly reached my limit as I did yesterday watching Tom DeLay spew with a sardonic smile on Hardball. (If you want to see a person’s true persona watch him on a slow fast forward with no sound.)

Truth be known, I tuned to Fox News every now and then. I wasn’t looking for “fair and impartial” but I was looking for intelligent discourse wherever I landed. There’s nothing wrong with a biased media. Plurality is good for a vibrant society. But Hannety, what can I say? You and Rush Limbaugh exude boogieman tactics, pandering to the fears of others and catering to the lowest common denominator. You call Obama an elite but what about the racial and religious elites you’ve stirred up?

In his book What’s the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America Thomas Frank suggested that people would often vote against their best economic interests, instead letting cultural issues determine their votes. But when we hear “We’re voting for the n***er.” stated flatly to door-to-door campaign canvassers, it’s safe to say Frank’s theory has finally found its tipping point. John McCain, the economy and your attempts to place your opponent on the fringe of society did you no good. You weren’t nimble enough to turn this election around. Instead, you tried to turn the rest of us into ugly, unpatriotic Americans. You even banished those in your own party who questioned your narrowed party orthodoxy, your faux conservatism as George Will calls it in today’s Washington Post. Colin Powell and Christopher Buckley, you’re out. David Brooks, you’d better watch out, you’re next. Exclusion rather than inclusion has marked your campaign and the 2008 edition of your Party.

Instead, Barack Obama’s curiosity drew me in —looking at life with a handful of questions and looking for those answers even when they were ultimately unanswerable. Obama’s message isn’t about liberals verses conservatives: a divisive “us” verses “them.” It’s about looking forward with hope rather than fear. And it has ignited millions who are curious about the future instead of fearful. Last night’s Obama informercial was stirring. Pie in the sky? Just a bit, but a potent piece of pie after the last eight years. McCain, you dismissed the power of this message.

But now I’m tired —tired of being wired to the pundits, spokespeople, and this election cycle. I need some rest from Pat Buchannan. Poor McCain spokesperson Nancy Pfotenhauer was recently skewered by Chris Matthews when she defended Sarah Palin’s definition of the V.P. Never want to hear from you again, Nancy (and I’m sure you’ve had it with Chris). Tucker Bounds? I’m dumping you for someone who doesn’t believe in elevating obfuscation to a high art form. Carla Fiorina, where will your next job be? Oh, you won’t need one with your $21 million golden parachute from HP. Almost forgot about that. NYT columnist William Kristol: he’s all yours Sarah.

So when Obama decided to take two days off to see his ailing grandmother, I was ready to go with. Two days away from this political circus could do me good: a time to re-energize. When he said he missed his mother’s death in the 1990s and wanted to do things differently this time, I was reminded of my own parents’ final illnesses and the similar decisions I had to make. And suddenly I was back in the real world again. Rather than operating on instruments, Obama decided he needed to step out of this political vortex. When faced with the media in Hawaii, he went back home without saying a word, a strong indication he knows what’s really important.

Mr. Obama, it looks like the economic dive and John McCain’s missteps formed your Perfect Storm. And you just may be front and center for the next four years. (If it’s any indication I’ve just added your name to my Microsoft dictionary.) I’ll be keeping tabs and speaking out when necessary. Election rhetoric aside, I’m counting on you and Congress to make fundamental changes in how we conduct our affairs. But while you’re doing that keep your intellectual curiosity in high gear. It’s what first made me believe in you.

As for me, I’m ready to give up my election analysis and go back to my regular job as a middle class working real American.

• [ Barack Obama, John McCain, Election ]

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October 19, 2008

Leveraging Political Power in the Blogosphere

Hotlinking. I’ve written about this netiquette faux pas before. And as you can see I’ve found a number of ways to get even (here and here). If you’re going to use my images don’t even think of linking to them directly. Internet providers charge us for bandwidth when you do that. It’s costly and it’s just not nice.

But in this time of social and financial upheaval, when we’re watching the powers-that-be vying for control of the message, I have ways of maintaining authority over my own images. Link directly to them and you may find I’ve swapped your my favorite photo for something else, something a little bit more pithy.

Worship Warriors decided it liked the large iCal icon it found on my blog post about the application’s iconic July 17 date. So, they linked directly to it. But this time, given the political season and the very close presidential race I found a way to kill two birds with one stone.

• [ Hotlinking, Election, Barack Obama ]

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September 28, 2008

Do You Trust This Man? Look at the Details.

To paraphrase M. Night Shyamalan’s famous line from his film The Sixth Sense, “I see details.” I am hyper vigilant when it comes to noticing the particulars of everyday life. I’ve often felt I’m different than the average person. This recent dialogue between Steve Portigal and Dan Soltzberg on noticing reminded me of this. This power has been both the bane of my existence and my salvation. But it aptly describes who I am.

This sixth sense is often distracting, constantly poking me in the sides (every time I walk past this restaurant near work and notice its incorrect typographic signage I literally cringe). Yet it’s also helped me write and photograph about slices of life that on the surface might appear inconsequential but bring to mind to new insights in the world around me. Life Outtacontext is filled with these musings.

So when I received the latest issue of Newsweek with Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson’s portrait on the cover I was immediately mesmerized by it. My magazine subscriptions always make their way to my special bathroom library where I do a lot of my periodical reading. And each time I sat down I stared at his face.

Why did they choose to print this hyper real photograph of him? At first I thought he should have smiled. But then “happiness” wouldn’t be the type of message he and Newsweek would want to convey about this huge economic crisis. Yet, his dour face made me fear him rather than the mess financial lenders had gotten us into. If, at that moment, we needed to trust his judgment, what kind of signal was this image conveying?

“King Henry” read the huge caption. My future was in the hands of this bigger-than-life figure. Yet, as the week progressed and I continued to study this visage, my eyes settled on King Henry’s chin. He had missed a part of his face when he shaved that morning and it clearly stood out.

Now I know what it’s like to shave when you’re eyes aren’t as good as they used to be. It’s easy to miss something as you observe your work through the slightly blurring optics you have acquired over the years. Sometimes I think it’s nature’s way of softening the effects of getting older. Everything looks fine, just the way cinematographers and photographers used Vaseline or a nylon stocking to soften the lens and keep aging stars looking young. But I always put on my glasses for a final look before I rinse my razor.

Why did Newsweek choose to print this detail? What did it mean? Khue Bui, the photographer who shot this cover, could have easily mentioned to Paulson that he might want to take a minute to “freshen up” before the shoot. Or they could have easily have eliminated his whiskers in post-production (surely no one could be called on the carpet for this little bit of Photoshop retouching). What did this detail mean?

Were they saying that while he might be king, he was human and that we still were in major jeopardy? If so, it was awfully subtle. Or were they saying this man can’t be trusted to shave, how can we trust him to save our life savings?

As the week wore on this small detail became bigger and bigger. I couldn’t put it out of my mind. Was I the only one to notice?

• [ Henry Paulson, Newsweek, Photography, Economy ]

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