Future to Look Forward To

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Chu 1Candice Chu

Dr. S. Mooney

ENGL 2525

15 December 2008

A Future to Look Forward to

Some people say that 18 is the best age to be. When one turns 18, he or she enters an

entirely new territory that comes with being an adult. Everything is at once exciting and

frightening: living away from home, applying for a job or internship, going to college, making

new friends, voting…the list goes on. I turned 18 last April, and have encountered each of these

issues in the past few months. However, in addition to these normal, “coming of age”

experiences, I also lived through—and took part in—the most controversial and momentous

presidential election in the history of the United States. No matter how one looks at it, from a

decidedly liberal standpoint, a staunchly conservative standpoint, or somewhere in between, the

2008 presidential election was a ground-breaking event for politics, democracy and the future of

America; one that will usher in a completely new era—not just behind the closed doors of the

White House, but in the homes of every American family. Unlike my parents, who see Senator

Barack Obama’s election as the beacon for a social and economic doomsday, I believe that

America is on the brink of a new age of hope; hope for an increasingly selfish government, hope

for the common man, woman, boy and girl, hope for justice and hope for a future that I, an 18-

year-old about to enter the “real” world of Adult America, can look forward to with just a little

bit of fear, and an incredible amount of optimism.

Until this past election, politics held very little interest for me. I grew up in an upper-

middle class household, in the second richest county in the nation; needless to say, crucial issues

such as welfare, poverty, healthcare and illegal immigration did not directly impact my



Chu 2childhood, and therefore were not widely discussed by my family. Both my mother and father

were conservative republicans and I, knowing very little about politics (and curious about

virtually none of it), loosely subscribed to the same party. By the time I entered high school,

however, I was mature enough to begin to see the world for how it was, and not just how it

appeared to me in my protective suburban bubble. People that I met, events that I saw on the

news and read about in the paper, and subjects that I learned about in school, among many other

things, pushed me to question my ideas of government, politics and justice. However, other

matters, such as my parents’ continued influence, led me to believe that the solutions that I

thought were worthy and ideal (ones that would help the most people in the fairest ways) were

too ideal, and completely impractical. One of my father’s arguments against democratic policies

was that many of its ideas of equality, perhaps good proposals on the surface, would be subject to

increased government corruption and decreased quality of services. This seemed to me a

legitimate argument and unalterable reality. I resigned myself to the label “moderate.”

It was only a few months ago, with election season in full swing, that I really attempted

to become informed about politics (at least, enough to make an informed decision about my

vote), and ended up pledging myself to the movement that would be hailed by many teens and

bloggers as “Obamania.” The thing that set me off, however, was not a presidential debate or an

article in Time magazine. It was Gonzo, a documentary film about the life of American journalist

and author, Hunter S. Thompson. The film paints Thompson as an extremely idealistic liberal

whose notorious passion and optimism were finally flushed out of him with the election and re-

election of George W. Bush to the presidency in 2000 and 2004. Gonzo moved me in a way that

no news broadcast or internet research on Barack Obama ever could; this was simply because in

the film, Thompson was crusading (with Senator George McGovern on the 1972 presidential

campaign trail) for many of the things that democrats are still calling for today (freedom,



Chu 3equality, justice and the rebirth of the American dream) with a passion that has been virtually

unparalleled since. He talked and wrote about America’s need for a leader with fervor, vision,

charisma and the ability to unite nation with hope and truth. That leader, I realized soon after

watching the film, was Senator Barack Obama.

Although I still do not know for sure how “practical” Obama’s policies will turn out to

be once they are in effect, I do strongly believe that what America needs above all else is a

president and government that it can look to with trust and admiration. I am sure that some,

including my father, would ridicule this reason as a terrible foundation for my vote, but I stand

firm. America has been stuck in the Age of Irony for almost two decades—my entire life. I have

grown up only knowing an America that doubts its government and does not believe that this

institution, which was created to protect the civil liberties of man, has its people’s best interests

at heart. I have grown up in an age in which American citizens do not trust the leaders that they

have elected. Progress and order have been lost. That is why I voted for Obama. I saw in him the

fiery and honest leader that Hunter S. Thompson so eagerly sought. And I saw in my classmates,

my cousins, my teachers and myself…Thompson himself. I threw all concerns about

impracticalities and dishonesty out the window when I saw what this multitude of common

Americans— especially my own generation—could do. Obama has already gained the trust of

millions of Americans, and I believe that he has the power to keep it.

With this hope and trust that Obama has garnered from millions of people (and hopefully

will garner from millions more), he will begin to set into motion laws and policies that deal with

so much of what has been ignored for the past 8 years. Progress is possible, because of the

amount of support that Americans have proved they can give. One of the issues that seriously

caught my attention from early on was that of education. Obama will reform the No Child Left

Behind policy that places unnecessary and even detrimental amounts of pressure on teachers and



Chu 4students. He will attempt to make college affordable for every American individual. Also of

utmost importance, Obama will redefine energy use and save the environment. He will revamp

public buildings and schools to be energy efficient (creating “green” jobs along the way). He will

help to end dependence on foreign oil. Also, Obama will finally make affordable healthcare

available to every single American. Although these issues are my top concern, there are so many

other policies that I am excited, proud and extremely pleased to support.

I am grateful for the chance to be standing where I am at this breathtaking moment in our

nation’s history. I feel motivated to live my life and make a difference in the lives of others. I

believe that America is one of the most blessed countries in the world, and I cannot wait to

explore every inch of it, and every inch of my own soul, for the rest of my life. I can imagine the

opportunities that await me—the ones that people before me have taken part in, and the ones that

are being created with each second that passes. I have never been more excited about the

possibilities that await me in my adult life. And just as I hope to experience my own life

blooming and thriving in the years to come, I hope to see my faith in Washington grow and

blossom.

I am confident that Barack Obama will continue to inspire the American people, and

more than optimistic that his policies will change millions of lives for the better. I have a warm

hopefulness in my chest, and a clear conviction in my mind that President-elect Barack Obama

will be the one to pull America out of its era of distrust and disillusion. Mostly importantly, I

trust that I will be able to find a job when I leave college; I trust that I will breathe clean air for

the rest of my life; I trust that my future kids will be able to get an excellent education. I trust

that Barack Obama will live up to his promises, and that his 70 million supporters will live up to

theirs as well.



Chu 5

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