My most memorable mediated experience: The election of Obama

My most memorable mediated experience was during the inauguration of our current president Barack Obama. I was with my (then) boyfriend at a restaurant called Sylvia’s in Harlem. We debated heavily about whether or not we should go to D.C. for the week, but decided against it because we knew it would be impossible to find somewhere to stay. This was made apparent by the many CNN reports about how OBAMA HIMSELF could not even find a hotel room! The day of the event, we decided to go out and watch the inauguration in a public place so that we could interact with others during and after the event. At Sylvia’s, there were several flat screen televisions, which made it easy to watch from every seat in the house. Just before the ceremony was set to begin, everyone was handed a glass of champagne and we all began to settle. There was not a sound in the room. No cell phones, no talking; it felt as though everyone’s breathing had quieted.

It was sort of disappointing that we could not be there to see the inauguration of our first African American president, but the live stream on the many HDTVs was the next best thing. It was still exciting and emotional to see the event on television. In addition to being in the warmth of Sylvia’s restaurant instead of freezing outside in the painful wind and cold, we were also given glimpses of how people around the world were reacting to this event. News channels such as The Times and CNN showed clips of responses from the young and old, black and white (and everyone in between), and the triumph of Obama supporters and the outrage of McCain supporters. We were shown the joy of Obama’s inauguration in other nations as well as the rioting because of racism in our own. It was really eye opening to see how many people were following the election of the US president! For the first time, I realized how important the United States election was, plus the attention from the international community made me aware of our nation’s position within that group.

After the ceremony, the older folks in the room burst into tears, while chanting, “change has come, change has come, thank the Lord…” and hugging each other. Seeing the excitement of Obama’s inauguration in other countries made me question why they reacted this way. Then it came to me full circle: our nation makes a huge impact in the international community and is unfortunately overwhelmingly fixated on race. I remember learning about the significance of my parents being a black and white couple in the South in the 1970’s. Upon exiting the chapel after their wedding, they were egged and verbally attacked. Is this because there were so many messages throughout the years that blacks were inferior to whites? Is this why this election in particular was so emotional? Watching the inauguration on TV changed my perspective on race and made me aware of the community beyond our national border.

This event was much more organized than the release of the results of the election a few months prior. I was on edge to hear the latest news about the election as it unfolded, but I was calm yet excited during the inauguration. I think the uncertainty of the reporters due to the lack of accurate information (exact ballot counts) made the whole ordeal much more hectic. In more structured event accompanied by technology to show me images of the people thousands of miles away just as excited as myself, I was able to process the significance of the event in a way that I would have otherwise probably never encountered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x9XIMEW6Ls