Of all the things I've wanted these accounts to be, polarizing is not one of them. So how does one make a foray into political writing without drawing calls of unilateralism from some readers? From the beginning, The Redux has been about bringing a community closer; exploring, informing, and supporting our neighbors with the hope that it will benefit us all. With that said, it is not about bringing our collective viewpoints into line. I've always loved the premise of debate, and loved the necessity of it to keep our town, our state, our country what it is. I fear, honestly fear, the time when a Presidential race is not a nail-biter as we arrive at election day. Landslides can indicate a mistake somewhere along the line, a misjudgment of the opposition. They can also indicate the step towards something more sinister. ZANU-PF comes to mind. So does Ba'athist Iraq. They both had fabulous voter turnout.
I have wandered from my original track in the attempt to reinforce it. The view I offer up here shouldn't fall to either side of the aisle. It should be able to be demanded by and harnessed for any citizen. I hope it will be borne from common sense more than ideology. Please bear that in mind as you read the words that follow.
Of all the sources of misinformation around us, our own memory may be the most highly (and falsely) trusted. From addictions and abuse, to the question of who took the cookie from the jar, the human mind can create nearly any answer, any reality it wishes to. We can alter the entire course of history between the folds of the brain, but perhaps it's in reminiscence and nostalgia that we do the most damage. We tell ourselves that days gone by were far better than the days we live in today. Childhood heartbreak didn't feel as raw as it does all grown up. Stealing lunch money from the helpless doesn't hold a flame to Bernie Madoff and his Ponzi scheme. Our music was inspired and we held the utmost respect for our elders.
We were so innocent.
But you and I both know this is rubbish. A breakup rends our insides apart, whether we're approaching forty or the fourth grade. There was no villain more sinister than the bully on the playground. Our music was mediocre at best, and we couldn't wait to get out from under the thumbs of our tyrannical parents. Of course we don't remember it this way, why would we want to? By hoisting it up onto a pedestal of better times gone by, it gives us a haven where we can seek shelter when the world around us is displeasing. Shelter is a good thing, though too often we get comfortable under the roof and forget that the world beyond demands exploring. We forget the rush and excitement from looking out over something new.
I'm reminded of this because we're once again in the midst of a political scramble, the GOP primaries for the upcoming Presidential race. And once again, candidates are playing on the strength of nostalgia to rekindle images of an America gone by in the minds of voters, and promising to bring that country back to us. This is no new trick. Even as the world's first politicians came to power, they were preceded by better times when their constituents had no needs, wants, or worries. The mammoth were easier to hunt, pelt-trading was far more lucrative, and other tribes weren't sneaking over the borders and stealing your hard-earned firewood. And this is certainly not a tactic employed only by the American Right. Republicans and Democrats, Greens, Independents, Communists, Socialists, Libertarians, Labors, Whigs, Klingons and Romulans have all tapped into this vein. I even remember reading about an outspoken Austrian man in the 1930s who rode to power on the promise of restoration of glory. The past, or the memory of it, is a powerful motivator.
This is where I find my problem. When were these Good Ol' Days? Republicans may reference Reagan, while the Democrats point to Clinton. Or perhaps back to Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy? What about even further back? What about the boom lifestyle of the 1920s, or the strong work ethic forged in the hard times of the Thirties? Golly, people sure had a lot more character back then. Let's ignore the rampant domestic abuse, Jim Crow laws, McCarthyism, the peaking murder rate in the early thirties and late seventies, and the century's crime rate high of 1980. The past one hundred years have been some of the most transformational times in the history of the human race, both in this country and across the globe. But I have yet to find an era that I would prefer to this day and age.
Nearly every other facet of our lives comes into contact with the past in some way. Our cars can draw on designs of old, just look at the PT Cruiser, the Beetle, and the Thunderbird as proof of this. Clothing design is looking towards classic Americana for inspiration, and the unique styles of Hepburn and McQueen are new again. The cocktail, in all its forms, is being knocked back after work by more people each day. Musicians are recording on vinyl, and our smartphone cameras can make photos appear retro and aged. People are growing their own food again in backyards and on rooftops. With each of these examples, the past has only served as inspiration, and not the rule. We've taken all that we've learned since these ideas first appeared and applied it for a better product. This has to be done, or the product won't sell. Business Theory 101, right?
So why don't we demand the same application to politics?
Instead of trying to revive the past, wouldn't it be better for us all to reach back and only pick the ripened ideas that could serve us well today? If we indiscriminately attempt to harvest an entire political era, then we'll be bringing along plenty of rotten ideas as well. This applies, or should apply, to every level of government in the United States, and not only the race for the Presidency. Whether it's a campaign for Town Council, the State Senate, or the School Board, we have the right to demand a candidate who cherishes the past but looks to the future, and a practical melding of the two.
Here in the Electric City, we have a very strong past, one that I try to bring to light from post to post. But make no mistake, I'm not trying to revive 1950s Schenectady, nor a copy of it. I want everything that was great and good and defining about that time to step forth once more. At the same time, I want our eyes turned to the horizon as the Past falls into line beside us. The reasons this city became what it was are not the same reasons for what it will become. What if each one of us, across the country, decided that we wanted this very era to be the one people looked back on with longing? What would it look like? What if Today could be the Good Ol' Day?
