Yesterday we had a triad of Super events in the city - Super Tuesday with voting in the Democratic primary, a ticker tape parade for the winning of the Superbowl by the New York Giants and "Fat Tuesday" (the day before Lent).I think regardless of party affiliation, one has to admit that there is a pall hanging over the current Bush administration. The Iraq war has been highly contentious with members of the Republican Party itself coming out against it.
But this is not a political forum and I am not a pundit by any means. My point is that there is much dissatisfaction, the country has become isolated globally and people are looking for a breath of fresh air. There is a stable of good candidates. I like what appears to be a lesser focus on partisanship and more on issues - this lack of partisanship has actually alienated McCain from some of his party.
Many see the populace as highly galvanized in this election year. We have the first serious woman and African American candidates and a Republican who looks more like an independent.
I was curious about the term galvanized used in this way - I have always associated the term with galvanized metal - the process of electrodeposition which is the coating of steel with zinc to provide a protective barrier. But this is the more modern meaning.
The term galvanize originally comes from the Italian Luigi Galvani and his discovery in 1783 that a frog's leg could be made to move by applying an electric current - hence the term galvanism. This theme was picked up by Mary Shelley in Frankenstein with the monster being animated using electricity.
I'm glad we didn't have to rely on Luigi Galvani, Volta, Tesla or Mary Shelly to galvanize the public this year - I'm not sure we have the technology (yet) to resurrect them :)
6 comments:
looks like someone brought their kid into the voting booth with them,
I didn't realize you could do that -- good exposure for them..
The race this year is certainly unique. And hey I didn't know you could take pictures of voting booths...!
I was surprised at how easy going they were - particularly regarding photos. There were police there chatting, they let me in even though I was only accompanying someone. I spoke to the person in charge about photos - he told me it was no problem at all. Refreshing. After 911, security for everything is typically over the top.
great photo, and really interesting commentary. im impressed that they let you take photos too! hopefully a sign of good things to come?
Great post.
So I guess we just need Bloomberg to complete this diverse and unique stable of candidates.
And thanks for your note on the verb "galvanize". I am always happy when there is a French term that I can use in English as well - we do use the verb "galvaniser" pretty frequently, so recycling it in English makes my life easier. Etymology is always fun.
What a day New York had! I watched it on TV!!
Pat
Guelph Daily Photo, My Photos.
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