My fears for this Inauguration were not realized---except for one, which cannot be verified yet---and Joe Biden takes the oath of office without much fanfare. There certainly were lots of believers who wanted a noisier celebration, but I, for one don't have the heart for such a thing, given that almost half the population is disheartened by the outcome of the election.
Having invested so much emotion on the outcome of this election was not a healthy thing. Emotional politics are not good politics. And there are inevitably winners and losers in any test, such as an election; the more the test is loaded with emotion, the more devastating the loss is for the losers.
Obviously we can't make everything completely emotionless, from now on. There will be some emotion involved when people receive their vaccinations; there will be emotions when we hear about people who refuse the vaccination, and refuse to have their kids vaccinated. There will be emotion when people who have been trying to live off their meager savings heave a heartfelt sigh of relief when a check comes in the mail.
There are those who do not have insurance that will pay for the vaccinations. That state of affairs must not continue, though many conservatives are determined that it is better for everybody for some people to not have health insurance. Everyone who fights for health insurance for all will be swept into a bucket labeled "Socialist Radicals," and will be vilified by the media streams whose claim to righteousness is the insistence that "socialism" is un-American, and the steady labeling of anyone who has a program for the alleviation of the pain of poverty as "socialist," even those members of congress who have watched their constituents suffer and die due to the pandemic, and the lack of medical resources, and their economic status.
My one fear, which will be either dissipated or come true, is that even the small inauguration celebration will be a spreader event. Mask-wearing was almost total, at the Capitol Steps, but bear in mind that a prolonged gathering of even masked people could result in infection.
The loveliest surprise, for me, was the poet, Amanda Gorman! I was mesmerized by the grace of the gestures with which she accompanied her reading. This is beginning to be a common characteristic of black women orators; and a welcome and eloquent one. Ms. Gorman's command of the language of the hands was exemplary, and lent her reading a glow that elevated the inaugural exercises to a new height.
Let a thousand flowers bloom. Mao Tse Tung's fanciful utterance can be put to a good use, if we ignore its pedigree. (No doubt if certain types of patriots were to discover this blog, I will be pillaried for the perceived error.) Let all good things comfort us, and let us have the fortitude to endure the few bad things that will surely dog us a little longer!
Arch
