Telltale Signs: Winning and LosingRodel Rodisbyline‚ Nov. 06‚ 2008When he heard the news on election night that Barack Obama had won the presidency, my 17-year old son, Eric, wanted to scream. “I want to call all my friends and celebrate this moment!” he gushed. He was ecstatic. He was joyous. He was hopeful, at last. Eric had been gloomy and despondent over the past two months, deeply concerned about whether his generation had any hope for their future, worried about an economy that was going through a deep recession, with the ranks of the unemployed growing by legions. He openly wondered what the point would be of going through college if there were no jobs available for college graduates. Like his older brothers and many others of his generation, Eric pinned his hopes for the future on Barack Obama, proudly wearing his “Filipinos for Obama” T-shirt to school and engaging his classmates and friends in deep political discussions. |