Like many people I’m watching a bit of the pomp and nonsense of the Inauguration parade for President Obama on TV this morning. I think I’m about as excited about it as poor little Sasha Obama looks on the screen right now. She’s in a viewing pavillion atm and has her head in her hands and is looking rather bored.
The parade seems to be going on forever… there’s marching bands – MANY MANY marching bands from obscure high schools all over the country (including the illustrious Adams Central High School Patriotic Marching band 😐 ), people dressed in Native American costume on horseback, massive parade floats, bag pipe bands, historical re-enactors, flag twirlers, guys in big foam suits of ex-Presidents and lets not forget the Jesse White Tumbling Team (oh… hold me back). When we had a change of government and a new Prime Minister not so long ago… in comparison – umm no one really gave a shit. Parades? Marching bands? Yeah… not that I can remember.
Overt American patriotism always reminds me of this err… interesting video clip which I first saw several years ago. If an Aussie did a song like this about Australia, it’d be a piss-take… but oh well we shall celebrate our differences hey? 🙂
Anyway I was commenting to Mr K this morning that in Australia parades of any sort are usually reserved for visiting Royalty (strangely enough) and sporting teams. I don’t think we’ve ever made a fuss on quite this scale for anyone… let alone for politicians?!?!? But then, I guess the Prime Minister of Australia isn’t exactly ‘the Leader of the Free World’ now is he?
As a distant (and often disinterested) observer… I for one am glad to see the back of President Bush who was a disaster on sooo many fronts. And I do find myself sparing a thought for the newly appointed President Obama – I don’t think there’s ever been a single man in history of whom so much is expected – I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes,
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