You may not be surprised to hear that none of those events can hold a candle to last night's rally. Seeing Barack Obama win the election, while surrounded by 100,000... fans? supporters? followers? I'm not sure what to call us. It doesn't matter. It was simply awesome.
Throughout the event, I struggled with how best to capture the experience. My camera - no camera, in fact - seemed big enough, or powerful enough, to capture what I was seeing. And yet, even in the joyful moment when Obama's victory was announced, I didn't know whether to throw my arms in the air in celebration, or to reach for my camera. It's a futile habit.
I suppose this is the age that we live in. It's not enough to simply experience something. We have to digitize it. Twitter it. Or commemorate it on a grammatically incorrect t-shirt.
But, unlike some of the big sporting events I've been to, this rally was impossible to bottle. It was impossible to capture on film. Impossible to put into words. Impossible to capture by updating one's Facebook status.I've been pondering the indescribable nature of the event as I've faced the same question from friends and family today: "What was it like?" A fair question, but tough to answer. What was it like to see grown African-American men crying in the streets? What was it like to see thousands of teenagers screaming and shouting and celebrating.. politics? What was it like to be just a stone's throw from the nation's next President as he spoke not only to us, and not only to America, but to a captive audience in every country on Earth about how a new dawn is rising?
And was it really possible to capture any of that with the camera on my iPhone?
There's no shortage of people writing far more eloquently about their election experience than I can. Maybe I'm not talented enough as a writer, or maybe - moreso than any other event I've ever attended - you just had to be there.
I'm so glad I was.
I'm so glad I was.
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4 comments:
matt, i feel like this is what i feel when people ask what it was like to give birth. you just can't describe it and you can't know unless you've been there. it's just too big to hold. and there you were at the birth of a new america 2 nights ago. and it is no surprise to me that words fail.
Very powerful, Matt. I actually think that this quite powerfully conveys some of that feeling. At least, as I read it, I feel it inside. I'm so glad you wrote this and shared the link with me. I am also glad that the event was so moving and powerful for you and all those others who were there.
Hi - I found you through Kate!
It's a tough thing not to automatically pull out the camera to record something, isn't it? Luckily with digital cameras, it is easier to catch something and keep the images nowadays, but you never quite catch the excitement of what's actually happening, be it a giant celebration or a baby's first step.
I love how the shirt highlights this country's need for a better education system.
Thanks, Duds. I can't even begin to imagine what it felt like as he walked up to the podium and gave one of the best speeches I've heard to a crowd, a country, and a world that was sighing with relief, cheering in jubilation, and still jittery with anticipation.
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