Where were you when…..
Posted in Politics by: LottieBarrack Obama became the first African-American President of The United States of America?
A question that will be added to the company of questions such as:
“Where were you when the news of Diana’s death broke?”
“Where were you when JFK was shot?”
“Where were you when the Berlin Wall fell?”
“Where were you when the first man “walked on the moon”?”
“Where were you on 9/11? ”
Unfortunately tiredness won the battle with my eyelids last night and I retired to my leaba before the news finally broke. I had the TV on in the room and I could hear President Obama’s victory speech in the darkness as it bound into my dream. It was confirmed when a very ecstatic Darren came running in to the room and pointed frantically at the big red sin “Obama Wins” which was lighting up the TV,
Darren has the text over on his blog and here is the Video of hte victory speech. I watched it far to early in the day when my hormones had not yet stabilised and I cried. Just a warning.
Part I
Part II
“And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.”
Here’s to puppies and possibly, a bright new World!
November 5th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I couldn’t bear to intake any info until there was a definite announcement-turned off laptop and radio last night.
So i found out at 9am this morning by walking into work to be greeted with sky news. It won’t be a simple task but it appears a lot of people want to start working to fix all the wrongs made over the past 8 or so years.
November 5th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
[...] account of the night Liz’s take Darragh’s post on the Blog [...]
November 5th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
“Where were you when the news of Diana’s death broke?”
Well I woke my parents up at 6am saying “I’ve a toothache… and that princess is after dying on ITV”… they ignored my f*cking toothache for 2 days! Glad the bitch was killed
“Where were you when JFK was shot?”
Dead
“Where were you when the Berlin Wall fell?”
Preparing for birth
“Where were you when the first man “walked on the moon”?”
Dead
“Where were you on 9/11? ”
I was sent across the road to buy something for the school and heard the news being broke on radio 1
Where were you when Barack Obama became the first African-American President of The United States of America?
Drunk in a room of debaters in some strange house
November 5th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I cried just reading it, Lottie! The 106 year old woman… v powerful. I’m tearing up just thinking about it now!
November 5th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
It’s alright Lottie I cried a little watching a bit of it on the lunchtime news…and that was only about 2 minutes long. I’ll watch the full thing later-when I’m alone and sure not to be disturbed
I only found out this morning about 7.20am when I flicked on the telly…it was liek Christmas morning the anticipation getting showered & dressed & sneaking downstairs to see what surprise lay in store!
November 5th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
“Where were you when the news of Diana’s death broke?”
Hungover in my bed in Sydney as my friend burst in and woke me with the news. I told him never to wake me again unless it’s important.
“Where were you when JFK was shot?”
Half in my Dad and half in my Mam
“Where were you when the Berlin Wall fell?”
Can’t remember exactly but probably a pub
“Where were you when the first man “walked on the moon”?”
See above
“Where were you on 9/11? ”
In work watching it on the TV in reception and saying “looks like the work of Bin Laden”
Last night, I fell asleep once I heard RTE TV on the Radio telling that it looked like he had in the bag
November 5th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Barrack Obama became the first African-American President of The United States of America?
On the couch, in a blanket, being fed Lucozade and coffee before work
A question that will be added to the company of questions such as:
“Where were you when the news of Diana’s death broke?”
In my grandparents house, glued to the TV, crying my 10-year-old heart out. I think it was the first time I ever cared about the news.
“Where were you when JFK was shot?”
Unborn
“Where were you when the Berlin Wall fell?”
Sadly I have no idea, I was 2
“Where were you when the first man “walked on the moon”?
Unborn
“Where were you on 9/11? ”
In school when the first plane hit, in my grandparent’s house watching Sky News for the second
November 6th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Sinead, you’re of the generation of those who have never really known the world without mobiles and the internet. That makes me feel old even though I’m only 37.
Ewwww, that’s like sooooo old, blech..
November 6th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
@Sinead & PB- Sure you’re only babies.
@GoE – The reception from world leaders, particularly in South America is very encouraging. I am looking forward to seeking how this will unfold but he really does have a tough few years ahead.
@Holemaster – “Half in my Dad and half in my Mam” – Thanks for that imagery! ;@
@Daisy – There was something of Christmas about it.
“Where were you when the news of Diana’s death broke?”
I was working as an au pair for a woman who adored Diana – I had to tell her what happened and I spent the entire day trying to console her.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
In retrospect the whole Diana death craziness was hilarious.
Holemaster is wrong though, for JFK’s assasination anyway, unless his parents have very slow working bodies.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
True B’dum. I suppose I just wasn’t.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Oh dear. Hello, Lottie. I’m afraid that I don’t share any of this weeping enthusiasm. I feel that his speeches are insultingly vague, aimed at 2nd year students (at best) and a very good margin beyond glib – although they are, of course, delivered beautifully. If he hasn’t borrowed heavily from a c.1997 Tony Blair, however, then I’ll be astounded. The similarities are disquieting.
I would like to believe in him, yes, but have yet to find any reason to treat his words with anything other than utmost caution. I love the significance of his victory, for sure, and the necessary changing of the guard – and I’m certainly no fan of sneering cynicism just for the sake of it – but how is it possible to be swept along by any of this? I don’t get it. Critical faculties seemed to have been ditched, en masse, by the wayside. (This makes me a bit uneasy because I loathe the fascist undertones to be found in messianic leaders and their slavish devotees.)
I found the reference to the 106 year old, incidentally, gaspingly cheesy. For fans of the great political speeches (and I’m one of them), this seemed like something written whilst in consultation with a book titled How To Make Iconic Speeches And Wow Your Guests At A Wedding.
I’m just left cold, whilst hoping fervently that he lives up to his promise and helps soften the blow of our inevitable disappointments. (Don’t beat me up, okay – I voted for the guy on the “If The World Could Vote” website after much internal wrangling. So I’ve done my bit, oh yes indeedly.)
Kind regards etc….
TPE
(Lovely blog, by the way.)
November 6th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Where was I? Asleep in bed, not really caring…
November 7th, 2008 at 12:14 am
I was half drunk on top my hotel bed in Paris watching the tv in silence as LMM slept…….nice
November 7th, 2008 at 9:13 am
@TPE – Welcome and thanks for leaving such a considered comment. I love a good old cheesy speech, there’s nothing better. I wasn’t a Barrack supporter originally and I was rooting fro Team Hillary but after a while I realised that he was the only one who had the potential to be different. Hillary is well instilled in the old routine.
The question with Barrack is will he (a) feel that he needs to carry through on his promises for change so much that there will be huge changes over the next few years or (b) feel that he doesn’t want to rock the boat have the strength to stand up to those who have been pulling the strings for so long and therefore just follow their lead.
@ChrisD – you missed the fun then.
@Manuel – I have said it before and I will say it again. SHOW OFF!
November 7th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Ha. Well, if you’re a fan of cheesy speeches then I can’t really argue with that. And snap, I was a bit of a Hillary supporter, too, but slowly became thoroughly disenchanted with her and couldn’t properly point to anything that she would do differently once in Washington. At the very least, I suppose, Barack Obama offers the potential – nothing more than that – for a radicalising shift of gear. And now, you’re right, we just need to sit back and see if he has the strength to make good his words. I can’t say that I’m full of hope, really, but the miracle is that he’s allowed so many to entertain the notion of hope in the first place. That’s not such a bad thing, I feel.
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to respond, Lottie. A rare treat in these dismayingly ill-mannered corridors of Blogoslavia. Hopefully see you again soon.
Kind regards etc…
TPE
November 7th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Barrack Obama became the first African-American President of The United States of America?
in bed asleep
“Where were you when the news of Diana’s death broke?”
my mother woke me up to tell me, i just rolled over and said zzzzz
“Where were you when JFK was shot?”
unborn
“Where were you when the Berlin Wall fell?”
i was watching it on tell
“Where were you when the first man “walked on the moon”?”
unborn
“Where were you on 9/11?
opening up my student account in AIB, and being in shock
(i cried a little at that speech)
November 7th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
“Anyway, thank you for taking the time to respond, Lottie. A rare treat in these dismayingly ill-mannered corridors of Blogoslavia. Hopefully see you again soon”
*Andrew realises with horror that some months ago he received a very nice comment from TPE which he may not have responded to, and instantly feels monstrously bad about it.*
November 7th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
@TPE- I crave the interaction.
@GoE – A McDonalds ad just made me weepy – I need to put up my Christmas tree or something.
@ Andrew – Speaking in the third person says it all really.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Lottie – yay and amen to that. Nice to have met you.
Andrew – no worries at all (although, obviously, shame on you three times over etc etc). Perfectly safe man-hugs in your direction.
Toodle, both.
*TPE realises with horror that he’s just said “toodle” instead of “goodbye” and so slopes off, ashamed*
**Further horror as he realises with fear that the third person bug is clearly super contagious**
November 8th, 2008 at 9:16 am
You better not start putting up that Christams tree! Anytime time before December 11th is too early!
November 8th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
@TheChrisD – I will probably be decking the halls sometime next week.
November 9th, 2008 at 6:23 am
I’m late but:
Obama: I was sleeping but vaguely aware before I got there that he’d won – I am both glad a hurdle has been well, hurdled but not anticipating any greatness
JFK: not sure about his death but I happened to be home sick the day of his funeral and was very upset because none of the kid’s shows I liked to watch were on – I think I was 6
Berlin Wall: I was in my kitchen setting the table I think
Moonwalk: Up waaay past my bedtime – at the cottage – watching it on a very small black and white TV
Diana: playing horseshoes at the trailer park
9/11: At work – heard it on the radio and was stunned – how the heck does a plane fly into a building? How does a 2nd plane fly into the same building? I’ve flown planes. Never into a building.
November 10th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
The day Diana died I was due to go see U2’s Popmart tour in Landsdowne Road.
Mammy Ambassador, burst into my bedroom (waking me up) asking if I had heard the news.
“News? What news?”
“Princess Dianna was killed. In a car crash. Early this morning.”
“But the gig is still on?”
“Yes”
“Ok then – I’m going back to sleep for a while”