the scene tonight

What a throng of people in front of the White House tonight. In one moment, it felt special – a raw, emotional outpouring of thousands of young people exuberant upon their victory, jubilant in seeing that they had successfully made their mark on history and democracy. At another moment, it felt like a complete fabrication and spectacle, all of us looking around at each other wondering if the reality of the moment actually matched what we’ve come to expect from TV scripts. And then there was the threat of debauchery, that herd behavior that brings out the most base of actions – a girl is hoisted up, and for a moment, just a moment, everyone forgets that they are supposed to be celebrating a hopeful new zeitgeist in front of the People’s House and instead expects her to lift her shirt and stick out her tongue. But she doesn’t, and the random stranger next to you looks over and theres something in the air that just makes you want to hug him, or at least smile and laugh, acknowledging that whatever it is thats happening is actually something special, something real, and something worth celebrating.