A dense haze still surrounds my recollections.
I awoke Wednesday wondering what I slept through and what I actually experienced. The haze began to lift, but the specifics were still quite fuzzy. I've pieced together the accounts from the various corners of my mind, but it all seems so unreal.
What was this festival I dreamt of? A circus of the intellectuals. A parade of the people!
A show unlike any on earth.
Had I, in fact, dreamt it?
Elaborate production teams producing multi-million-dollar campaigns to support their respective champions in a race for leadership. There are so many possibilities, as I recall. Captivating speakers, dissenting viewpoints, names and faces I recall from a previous time in life. They span most of the spectrum of backgrounds from rich to poor. There are teams, parties as they say.
There are conventions with the masses - two to be precise. They each rally behind one person, but ultimately only one could be declared the victor.
I remember talks of some almighty college dealing with the people's vote. Mathematics were deathly important here. This college is criticized for its flaws in past situations, yet the masses negate alternatives because of a group of fathers who intended it to be this way.
I see nothing on television but the show that's come to town. There are large displays of three-dimensional maps and animated charts. I see people cheering, waving and chanting in support of their party's champion. Most appear focused on improving our collective living conditions, though the champions and their crowds both see different ways of getting there.
There are cynics, too. They earn praise from honesty despite lacking credibility. Wise men serving contrary to the other leaders, speaking truth to their youthful listeners - part for humor, part for humanity. They host self-named reports and shows daily. The ego-centric half of the duo begs his "nation" to vote for him. They try. Higher powers stall the process. These men are the freak show to the main act in this circus - and that makes their audience all the more attentive.
There are ringmasters, the hosts of this televised circus' main act. Men in suits. Women in suits. Individuals of all races, cultures and backgrounds. Some from the north, others the south. East Coast accents colliding with West Coast personalities. They appear intelligent yet clearly listen to the voices piped into their ears. There's even a bearded one who claims not to be man, rather wolf.
The wolf converses with a posse amid flashing screens, vibrant colors and magic walls. The walls use colors and numbers to relay progress and failure. This is a bizarre world of hierarchy, for the wolf's wall servant is said to be named "king."
The posse is fickle. They type on computers and communicate with others using cell phones. This posse the wolf calls pundits, allegedly the best around.
He's not alone with his pundits. They are all about. Everywhere I look there's another opinion about how someone is right or wrong, truthful or lying. They exist in studios, on blogs, in print and over the air. Debates become arguments, separated only by breaks to tout products, candidates or cars.
They indulge in conversations about becoming someone's "boo."
Other channels show similar setups, with interactive graphs, ice rink maps and fancy desks and walls. Disney's Imagineers have taken hold of my news, it seems.
It all comes down to one day, one night. Soon, in a nearly anticlimactic fashion, the decisions are handed down. The college has voted! There is a clear winner, and likewise a loser. The stars of this forever-long show take their final bow, yet one victor stands tall.
He is the new voice of the people. With that, the circus - along with its subsequent experiences - is over.a
The haze around my memory continues to lift, giving way to clearer thoughts of the last few months and years. So many events. So many topics. So few chances to take it all in. This period in time turned my world into a twisting kaleidoscope of democratic process, public opinion and pride. A magnificent occasion with significance I'm just beginning to grasp.
So now I pause - unable to see much of what lies before me, or any of us - wondering just what was that grand circus we witnessed?
That was history.
Write to Dave at dpstudinski@bsu.edu
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