Certain years tend to stand out in the annals of history more so than others. 2008 might be shaping into such a year: the Chinese superpower is here and now; we have an important election year and a presidential candidate that is breaking historical molds; we also have economic, domestic and foreign policy issues the likes of which we haven't seen in 50-plus years; and on campus, a new chancellor is beginning her term on shaky political and financial ground.
On the world stage, China had its coming out party at this year's Summer Olympics. It might be easy to dismiss some of the obvious successes of the 2008 Olympics by focusing on their suspect human rights record or the incredible income gap between the countries have and have nots. But doing so would be missing the larger issue. The 2008 Olympics was not 1936 Berlin, with Hitler marching pompously to the music of world domination. China had two goals: to impress the world with their economic might and resourcefulness, and also to placate the Westerm world's fears about a communist country becoming the world player. by showing how regular (re: Western) they are. It almost had the feel of a small town parade, with the high school band marching proudly and the local collector cars showing off their freshly waxed babies, with parents and kids pridefully enjoying the show. Even taking into account the way with which they controlled both the media and protesters, there was an undeniable genuiness to it all. China is the here, and the now, and will be for some time in the future.
At home, we have arguably the most important elections year since 1980. Public opinion polls show confidence in the economy, the president and Congress at lows not seen since Jimmy Carter. The Democratic candidate is the first African-American to become an official presidential nominee, and is inspiring crowds of impassioned supporters usually reserved for rock stars. The historical importance of his candidacy is hard to overstate.
We have also been mired in a slumping economy for almost a year.The housing market is bottoming out. The entire country faces a financial crisis that finds both individual families and banks over-extended and unstable. The everyday costs of household necessities are increasing and gasoline is close to $4 a gallon. Finally, the Iraq war is piling up emotional, physical and economic debts - the severity of which we won't know for some time. The middle class is continuing to get squeezed, with no end in sight.
If there is a bright side, it might be that the country is beginning to wake up, starting to recognize the need for civic involvement. None of these issues are partisian; what they are are actual problems that need actual attention, not political lip service. As such, the local, state and national representative elections might be even more important. The need to find honest, dedicated, sincere and likable public servants might be our countries most pressing need. One presidential candidate cannot carry the burden. The system starts at the ground up, and this year might be the first in the necessary upheaval of our broken political system. Vote wisely.
And here on campus, we are ushering in a new chancellor at a time when animosity between lawmakers, special interest groups and university officials might be at an all-time high. Years of irresponsible budgeting and hostile relations have put the university in a position of financial vulnerability and with a sullied reputation. The relationship between the state, our economy, the legislature and the university is so blatantly symbiotic it is mind-boggling how this mess is allowed to perpetuate. Level-headed, pragmatic people need to be put in positions where political and media jockeying are kept to a minimum and reform and hard work are in abundant supply. Here's to hoping that Chancellor Martin is the first step in the right direction.
Some years are looked back upon as watershed years. The Berlin Wall falling, the 1968 Summer of Love, 1945 World War II, Hitler's rise to power in 1933. 2008 is already looking like it is an extremely important year; and it may just be a year that we remember for the rest of our lives.
Josseph Koss is a junior majoring in secondary education in social studies. His column will be appearing Wednesdays this fall. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
