We watched Obama's acceptance speech around 9:00 in the morning as we sipped our daily Starbucks! It was 1:35 AM in Chicago. I thought about staying up last night to track the voting results, (I am fascinated by John King's computerized play things) but faded a little after midnight. It was probably better to wake up and get the news fresh. At least that's how it felt to me!
We are lucky enought to get several English speaking news programs here (Bloomberg, CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, EuroNews). For weeks the US election had been center stage on all of them. It is interesting to see how closely the rest of the world follows US politics, especially since Americans seem oblivious to most events outside their borders. International opinion clearly favored Obama and we too breathed a sigh of relief as news of his re-election swept the air-waves. And even if you hate his politics ( I hate to admit that my own family claims a few of those) you have to love his skill as an orator!
I will say, however, that the election process itself looks even more absurd from a distance. How do you make a meaningful decision based on soundbites and marketing manipulation. When will someone figure out how to educate the American public on the facts, strip the sensationalism from the campaign process, and stop spewing meaningless rhetoric about a few emotionally charged issues? Perhaps a new Ted Turner will step forward and create a real news channel...one that digs deep, and shys away from the constant repetition of a few headlines news stories interrupted by a constant steam of teasers and commercials for other shows that never deliver on their tauted promises. Isn't it time to walk away from the copycat format driving TV news? Doesn't anyone have the balls to strike out and try something different?
Nevertheless, it was certainly more meaningful to observe and celebrate the US democratic process from our perspective as expats. While Turkey is a relatively Westernized country, with a very well educated, liberal minded upper and upper middle class, it is clear that their free thinking has been hard won and is confined to those whi can afford a private education. This is something I realize I have taken for granted and now better appreciate. America is truly a state of mind; a free thinking mind that is endlessly curious and questioning. We truly are a country that embraces diversity, encourages dissent and counts among its heros the rebels and upstarts that bring innovation and change forward. That is not the really the case in much of the world. Obama's words rang truer as we listened from our couch in Ankara than they might have in our living room at home.
And while I love living abroad, there really is no place like home.
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