Barack Obama. Inauguration Day
America has a new President. Barack Obama.
I tried to watch the Inauguration live. It was at 5.30am in the country I am in. I woke up. I even almost got up. Eventually I did get up, at 7am.
By then the only two TV networks here(out of three) were playing "packaged" jumbled shorts clips from the speech, interrupted by the most banal twangy local presenters.For some reason,with the very rare exception, they seem to choose the most untalented, presenters and commentators they can find in this country. I switched off after five minutes, infuriated.
This man deserved to be listened to in entiriety.
Off to the internet I went. First my inbox.
On with my search..to find Barack's speech.
I eventually found a site that played his speech uninterrupted- http://www.bbc.co.uk
What a brilliant speech it was. Amongst it,Obama also urged American's to take responsibility for their own actions and community. To make tough choices..not to give into greed...to be honest...to help fellow man, woman ,child...
It was a speech to put Americans, as individuals, back on track.
For example : It was individuals who were responsible for the greed in the banks.The American public are also partially responsible for investing with them,with deals that seemed to good to be true or with those who seemed untrustworthy to begin with.It may be the tough decision to tell clients not to invest with certain bankers offer schemes or deals too good to be true,but a wise decision and the better decision. And its up to the untoward bankers of the world to forgo their own greed.
Obama also acknowledged the force and capacity and ability of the market..but noted it had got out of hand.
Obama spoke of most issues effecting America and the world at large today.Including poverty. He spoke of the tough times America is in ,that the world is in, and of plans.
Obama spoke to the power of nature and harnessed the power of nature in his speech.Nature was used as a metaphor,nature was used as a reality.Climate change would be addressed. New sources of power would be developed, produced and utilised.
There is no question Obama's powers as an orator.His words and philosophies touch on many of what my generation and others' think. Let's just hope that his words resonate with others in America and worldwide and that this call to action results in positive steps and changes for the world all round.
It was a stunning speech for our times, well put, and I urge those who have not seen it in full, to do so.
copyright Anna Wilding 2009
