8 Years Ago & 8 Years Later

8 years ago, in 2008, we were living in New York State. I was working in Midtown Manhattan, with the spouse and offspring deposited in a beautiful, leafy suburb about 40 minutes on the train from Grand Central Station. "Living above our station" as a friend described it.

I worked in a very large organization. A global financial institution. Our staff was relatively diverse at the lower levels. But, perhaps unsurprisingly, the senior executive ranks were still primarily white and male (one non-white male and a couple of women, including yours truly.) I'd like to think it's changed considerably since that time, but...

I arrived in April in 2008 and remember following the US political scene with considerable interest. I was disposed to prefer Hillary over Obama (Grrl Power!), but truly thought either would be a breakthrough. So when Obama became the Democratic nominee, I was fine with that. Considering I couldn't vote anyways, being 'fine with that' didn't really matter to anyone, anyways.

And then when Obama was elected the President...!?! Wow. Just wow.

The excitement was palpable. It was thick. It was a living, breathing thing. The next day, I talked to many in our department who'd been up most of the night out in their neighborhoods feeling the excitement. There was Hope. There was happiness. There was incredulity. Some didn't expect to see that breakthrough, of an African-American President, in their lifetime. Yet there it was.

Of course, by that time, the financial crisis had hit hard and the new President had inherited a sh*t-show of economic decline. The trains to Manhattan were emptier, the locals were out of work or out of money, the main streets sprouted empty storefronts, and large homes sat empty and dark. I can attest that 2009 was a bleak year in Westchester County.

Yet things did improve. Slowly, at first. Then at a better pace. Until "Crisis, what crisis?" became the prevailing view. And many, many people forgot that they needed to fix the root causes of that crisis. They had a job. They had money. They could buy sh*t again.

The usual vices re-emerged. Conspicuous consumption. Greed. Winning an advantage over others. Embracing the 'haves' and vilifying the 'have nots' (lazy, stupid, crazy, criminal. The goddamn 99%.)

And it just seems so awful lately. The dividing lines look deeper and wider. I wonder if it's a chasm we can no longer leap across.

So, 8 years later, I follow the US political scene with considerable interest. It seems to be a battle between Fear and Baggage. Trump brings the Fear that he is, in fact, as bat-sh*t crazy as he seems. Clinton brings the Baggage of having been a political player for very many years, who may have many pipers to pay.

At the end of the day, I'd pick Baggage over Fear. With Baggage, there is still Hope. With Fear, there is only Hate.

Of course, I can't actually vote in the U.S. But I can confirm that I picked Baggage/Hope over Fear/Hate in our last federal election.  And yes, we have a Prime Minister who brings the legacy (and baggage) of his father, and no, the Canadian Liberals will not do everything right ... but their heart at least seems to be in the right place and we see an agenda of inclusiveness and hope.

Hoping my US compatriots will make a similar choice. Vote Hillary. Grrl Power!