Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Wednesday, Aug. 06, 2008

Need for change is deep in our society

In America, we all want change for the better. Better schools, better presidents, better mouse-traps.

In our consumer-driven economy, the possibility for change and transformation is encoded in us every time we turn on the TV and watch a commercial. You can be beautiful, you can be all that you can be, you can drink this soda and change your frown to a smile. You can cry over here on the porch, where grandfather used to sit - remember this sweet sadness when you next obtain a "priceless" credit card.

I like to think that Americans are not powerless dupes who "vote" based on which candidate has been marketed the best. Both the McCain and Obama campaigns have been trying to sell change like medicine-show elixir. It's really no surprise this dialogue has emerged from a country based on rampant consumption, where greed, unhappiness, and chronic disappointment follow the high that we thought was real change. Sorry, transformation is not for sale.