My shoes are covered with dust. It’s the result of a day wandering through the Mall, dodging around huddled families and bumping into color-coordinated school groups. Also, the wearied status of my boots resists cleaning in the form of repetitious smacking on pavement.  So the dust stays.

In forensics, Locard’s Exchange Principle states that with contact between two items, there will always be an exchange. The trampled grass and stains of rejected food and overwhelmed restaurant staff are evidence of our presence here in Washington DC. And though it may seem like we’ve not been imprinted in return, the feverish and furious excitement during the Inauguration kicked up a gauzy veil of dust. It settled in the creases of jackets, on the fingertips of insufficiently warm mittens, and mostly collects on our shoes.

We’re leaving now. Glowing faces reveal who has control of the laptops in the van. Our pilgrimage, like many, is crawling to a finish. The people we met are now returning to Oklahoma, Louisiana, Maine, and California. And whatever we’ve taken from that day, whatever we thought we could choose to take as souvenirs, whatever we’ve hoped to leave behind in the form of racial inequality and breathless anticipation, what we all bring home is dust. Just a few bits of Washington DC cling to clothing, to be scattered around our grocery stores and malls and schools. And if something were to be planted there, a seed or thought or hope needing nourishment, who wouldn’t be the one to say that a few bits of dirt were all it really needed?

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by Catrina Doxsee and Andrew Fan

Many of the most highly regarded inaugural addresses came in times of crisis: from Lincoln’s second to FDR’s and JFK’s, the nation turned to the words of the president for guidance, and most of all, reassurance. Now, as Barack Obama enters office, the economic crisis, foreign wars, and a number of other domestic issues have created a similar atmosphere. Given the expectations, let’s see how Obama’s speech rose to meet the challenge.

If we assume that the primary purpose of the inaugural address is to unite the nation under the new leader’s ideological vision, then Obama certainly was successful. Each time he touched upon one of the primary positions or promises of his campaign, there was an outbreak of cheers – the majority of the crowd was prepared for and excited about the expected changes. But beneath the impressive rhetoric, what else was Obama saying?

In his speech Obama challenged those “who question the scale of our ambitions” and urged Americans to focus on the effectiveness of government programs, instead of “whether our government is too big or too small.” Despite his examination of both sides, the clear implication is that under the Obama administration, government programs will expand. The feasibility of some of Obama’s proposals came under fire during the campaign, both for their size and cost. In the speech Obama offered no new methods of funding outside of ending programs that failed to meet their expectations, similar to his campaign promises to cut wasteful spending to finance his programs.

The inaugural address also shed light on the foreign policy of the incoming administration. Obama did not challenge some key aspects of the Bush Administration’s neoconservative worldview, promising the world “we are ready to lead once more.” Many liberals had urged Obama to take a more conciliatory track, working entirely within the framework of international law, and working to erase the ill will created by former President Bush’s disregard for international opinion and the UN. Obama did take the time to address international poverty and human rights abuses, extending American “leadership” to include an obligation to the poorer nations of the world. However, he also did not soften the harsh stance on terrorism that defined the Bush presidency, citing a “far reaching networks of violence and hate” but not dealing with the causes of terrorist groups.

As he addressed his message to the terrorists of the world, Obama concluded with the forceful declaration: “Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.” This was met with a chorus of cheers as the crowd of millions voiced their approval, despite their jeering reaction to Bush’s appearance moments before. From the crowd’s reaction, the speech seemed to continue the theme change. However, if we look at Bush’s terrorism update in his State of the Union Address, we find a remarkably similar declaration: “Al Qaeda is on the run in Iraq, and this enemy will be defeated!” Essentially, Obama echoed many of the Bush Administration’s sentiments. At this point Obama did have an obligation to say something along these lines; it was necessary to present a strong front, since a show of weakness during the transfer of power would be a huge mistake. Still, this is one instance in which it is clear that, despite his seemingly unwavering platform of change, Obama may not be implementing as radical a shift in policy (in this case, on terrorism) as many may hope.

Finally, in keeping with the crisis-charged speeches of his predecessors, Obama reminded us all that, “On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.” In this statement alone, we are reminded of FDR’s famous assertion that “the only thing to fear is fear itself.” According to Obama, we have faced the reality presented to us by Roosevelt, and chosen wisely: instead of being swallowed by the fear of the present situation, we have chosen to look to the future, to the possibility of change. People have spoken of the historic nature of this inauguration, but it is not fair to classify Obama’s speech as historically vital quite yet. Historic value comes in time, seen clearly by the hindsight that gives us the ability to recognize wisdom and foresight. The famous lines that appear to us from the tomes of history gained their appeal in what followed after, just as we must wait to see the actions that Obama will take to bring life and value to his words. He has told us that “the world has changed, and we must change with it;” perhaps, if he really can fulfill his many promises of change, these words will live on as his refrain.

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The United States of America is a world power. We are the melting pot; Americans originate from every country, culture, language, race, and background. To get a diverse sample of human life, one needs not look further than our country, and we pride ourselves in that. If there’s a problem or a solution in the works anywhere on the globe, you can be sure the Americans are going to throw themselves into the thick of things, for better or for worse. There are people who love us, there are people who hate us, but either way, we occupy a small part of the minds of all people on this earth. That said, the United States is arguably the center of the world.

The capital of the United States is Washington DC. Our leaders reside there, and our history is contained in the buildings. It is where the U.S. government connects with the governments of countries across the world. DC is where things happen. Therefore, it can be said that DC is the center of the U.S.A.

On the floor of the Capitol, in the Statuary Room, there is a white dot. It is placed on the geographical center of DC. So here’s the math:

The white dot is the center of DC.

DC is the center of the United States of America.

The United States of America is the center of the world.

By transitivity, that white dot is the center of the world.

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Yay! or Nay! goes to the Inauguration in this episode. A special shout out to Congressman McGovern for participating in our new episode.

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Rebecca Wefald and I worked on the theme of social media. We interviewed about 30 people at the mall on the 20^th, and almost everyone had something to say. We had prepared questions the night before, so we cycled through them, asking each person a few that were different from the ones we had asked the previous person.

Do you think social media influenced the 2008 presidential election?

This was the one question we asked everyone. The consensus was that while social media did not influence the election per se, it definitely played a role. The vast majority of the people we interviewed recognized the front seat social media occupied for the first time in presidential campaigning and rallying.

Did any social media sites affect your perspective of the candidates?

The majority of the people we interviewed started their answer with “No,” then as they started explaining why, they changed their minds. While they were sure of who they were voting for from the start, videos from YouTube, blogs, internet articles, and facebook communication provided them with information they would never have obtained otherwise, and altered their views of the candidates on certain issues.

Do you think there has been a shift in the way people get their information from traditional media to social media?

The answer to this question was a resounding “Yes.” Nearly everyone we spoke to told us they never even picked up a newspaper anymore, and oftentimes the news was on at times that were inconvenient to them. They relied on websites to obtain information, not just about the candidates but about everything that was going on in the world. Some people were rueful that the age of printed media is coming to a close; although social media is more convenient, traditional media is more refined, reliable, and professional.

Do you think social media has created a greater connection between youth and politics?

Becca and I hardly ever had to ask this question, as most people answered it of their own accord. Everyone recognized that we, the next generation of voters, are more connected with social media than anyone else. Because of the use of social media in this election, the youth of America came out in force. While people saw the fact that young Americans are no longer apathetic when it comes to politics as a positive, they were apprehensive about the future. They hope we will be careful; they want us to realize facebook and YouTube are not absolute truth, and we need to filter information to form our own opinions.

Do you think social media should be used in education?

Generally, Becca and I received a rather hesitant yes. Even though they recognized social media as a potential conduit for information in schools, the people we interviewed were quick to point out the pitfalls of such utilization, such as the dangers of certain sites and the unreliability of the information. They acknowledged, however, that educating youth not only through social media but about it is imperative in the years to come, as social media is becoming a powerful force in the world, and young Americans need to know how to use it effectively.

Has social media helped you connect with more people?

Everyone answered with the affirmative for this question. People spoke about reconnecting with childhood friends and high school classmates, and maintaining relationships with people that have moved away. Social media provides people with the tools they need for the upkeep of social connections in the easiest and most convenient way possible. One woman pointed out that social media allows for correlation between people that live across the globe from each other, which provides unique learning opportunities.

Does social media take away from closer, more personal relationships?

Again, everyone answered with “Yes.” Social media may allow us to connect with more people, but in a way that is impersonal and somewhat detached. They hoped that youth are not replacing face-to-face connections with online ones, but they recognized that this is unavoidable to some degree.

Should Obama continue to use social media to connect to the people while he is president?

Most of the people we interviewed expressed disappointment that Obama had stopped making appearances online after the elections, and hope that he will take it up again once he is in office. One man, however, said he would feel more confidence in the new president if he didn’t use social media like everyone else. He thought the president should be a bit more removed, as he should be focusing on more important things. Even he, though, recognized the growing importance of social media in the world, and that Obama would not and should not get away from it completely.

The general feeling of the crowd was that social media is becoming a powerful conduit for information that can no longer be ignored. The youth of America will lead this country in a few years, and we rely upon, and are even dependent upon, social media as a source of updating our knowledge about the world. Politics now has to catch up with us if they want us to understand and care about the issues. We are the future, and the future is paperless.

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5:15pm Monday, January 19, 2009.  We were stuck in traffic while on the D.C. Metro.  Our whole group was tired from our long day touring some of the museums and going over our plan for Inauguration Day.  We got on the bus at Independence and 7th and took an hour long, heavily congested ride all the way to M Street in Georgetown.

As the bus moved on more and more people hopped on until it reached full capacity.  It was clearly a stressful situation as people were both exhausted and probably late to wherever they were headed.  That being said, there was something different about this bus ride.  I mean, I’ve been in traffic jams before, and this was definitely not a normal slow ride.

This bus ride, although very stressful, had a joyous feeling to it.  People were just happy.  Everyone was friendly and everyone was kind.

And I completely blame the Inauguration for this.

Being down here is completely different than watching the news coverage of the Inauguration.  Watching the news, you get strictly the facts and events that happened during each day.  Being here, however, you can see the atmosphere, the mood, and feel the atmosphere.  The bus we took that night was a perfect example of the mood down here.

On the bus there was a very diverse group of people.  Every race, color, nationality, social status, gender, and political opinion was represented on this ride.  Everyone was basically on their own agenda, and barely anyone knew each other.  But instead of an awkward, stressful commute the bus was lively.  People were busy talking about everything and anything.

The amazing thing about it was that even though there were multiple potential barriers that could keep people away from being friendly, there were no barriers apparent on this night.  People off all shapes and sizes were interacting with each other as if they had been friends for years.

There was a sense of pride that each member of this trip shared, instead of pride in ones self or culture.  On this bus, I didn’t see people identifying themselves as white or black, rich or poor, male or female, democrat or republican.  Everyone on this bus ride identified under one title, and one title together; American.  The thought of someone new leading our country had created this atmosphere of happiness and friendliness that I have never seen before.

The first change I see under  Barack Obama, has nothing to do with any law or bill he has passed.  It is the change in how Americans are classified and how they view each other.  This bus full of people on a hectic Monday was a symbol of this change.  It just gave an example of one thing I think will change in the next four years. To describe in three words: BARRIERS BEING BROKEN.

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Today, I got up at quarter after six to get ready and pack my stuff for the inauguration. The fourteen of us bundled up and trekked three miles from Mr. Bill’s house in Georgetown to the mall, stopping along the way for an interview with the Skype guy. There was already a pretty big crowd of people at the mall waiting for the ceremonies at 11:30. We convened in front of the Freer and then went off with our partners to interview. Everyone was so friendly; they were more than happy to talk to us about what they had been waiting for for so long – Obama’s inauguration. We met people from California, Illinois, New York, Florida – basically people from every state, sea to shining sea. I spoke with one woman who had gotten up at 3:45 AM to get to the mall from where she was staying in Maryland, only to find every single parking lot full. She had to walk another 4 miles to get to the mall.

While Becca and I were looking for people to interview, a couple of guys caught my eye – one of them had really awesome hair. They were so interested in what we were doing, they kept up conversation with us for a good ten minutes after the interview was over. I thought they were our best interview of the day.

At 9:40, Becca and I headed back over to the Freer. We were supposed to meet up with Mr. Smith for a Skype chat with Sycamore Creek Elementary in North Carolina (Katie the Crocodile’s school). There were ridiculous amounts of people trying to get into the museum to warm up, and Becca and I were pushed and shoved trying to get in. When we finally got inside, we headed downstairs to the hallway we had planned to meet in the day before, but there was a security guard there who wouldn’t let anyone in! We had to go back outside, which would have been impossible had a nice, large man not offered to shove ahead of us so we could get through. We finally found Mr. Smith and had the Skype chat, then headed back out to do more interviews and watch the ceremonies.

Listening to Obama’s speech was awe-inspiring. The energy at the mall was so uplifting. There were people screaming, people crying, cheering, singing, chanting… It was amazing just to be there and experience something as huge as this inauguration.

After the ceremonies, we Skyped with WA on a trash can with millions of people trying to push around us to get out of the mall. Then we headed to the Cannon Building to interview Jim McGovern, which was really cool. He gave us cookies before we left.

Along the walk back, we stopped for Pat and Josh’s radio interview. When we got close to Georgetown, we stopped for some hot chocolate.

We were all so relieved to finally get back to the house to sit down and get warm, and we’ve been working ever since.

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Pat, Brian, and myself asked Inauguration attendees to sum up their thoughts on the next four years under President Obama. The catch is that they were only allowed to use three words.

What are your three words?

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Responses to comparisons between FDR and Obama. Abraham Lincoln also makes a guest appearance. 

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