Is it a better world?
Written on 11/06/2004 04:23:00 am by sikapitan
And so the rest of the world has to wake up with free-wheeling, trigger-happy cowboy as the leader of the most powerful country in the world for the next four years. After 2 years of serious campaigning, the most expensive election ever resulted in America never being as divided as it is. However, truth be told, it wasn’t as close as many might have expected. Yes, there was a fight till the end, but it was clear that Bush had the majority needed. Surprisingly, the Republicans made more inroads into the Senate, further diminishing the power of the Democrats. After all the hoopla surrounding it, the battle ultimately proved to be an anti-climax. Kerry was never strong enough to challenge the charismatic Texan. Perhaps Hillary (and it ain’t Hillary Duff) in 2008 is a better bet.
It is worth noting that the whole world virtually stood on a standstill while the election went on. There appears to be no battle, no economic meltdown, and no mass killing of innocent Muslims. Everyone seems to be just waiting for the result. This reflects not only the power of America, but also the difference between them and the rest of the world. The American Public does not give a damn about the world. It’s true. It’s not because they’re stupid. Far from it. Plenty of great inventions emerged from the land of opportunity.
America is unique, and its uniqueness can be traced back to its early history. They are fiercely independent, as characterized by their early frontier explorers (the old TV hit Little House on the Prairie exemplify this). They are proud of their hard earned independence. They are primarily an immigrant society and even more multi cultural than us Malaysians. It’s not like they DON’T want to care, but their diversity in culture provides enough news and problems for them to worry about than to care about Malaysia building the tallest building in the world. We MUST care because their every action affects on a global scale never before seen after the days of empires. If one kid decides to buy a new Nike shoe, it affects the life of the women in Indonesia who works in the factory trying to support 4 kids. They DON’T have to care because whatever we do doesn’t mean shit.
The problem with this election is that the media, especially foreign media, placed too much emphasis on international policy of the two candidates. Data collected has shown that the American public actually cared more about home-based problems like healthcare, education and taxes, as they have every right to be.
So guys and gals, be ready for another term of the Bushman Show:)
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