A Bushless America: the new mold for American media

President-elect Barack Obama has been chosen to lead America into a new land of fulfilled hopes and promises. As citizens, we must help this country and each other to bring the changes that are needed to fix the problems we face today. With all the proposed changes, are we ready to leave what we've grown used to?

I think we are ready to fix the problems that will carry over from the Bush administration. However, are we ready for the changes in our popular culture? I feel that the comedic side of the media has displaced pride in our country and our views of American politics. Since Bush's inauguration, there has been some kind of comedic shadow to his every footstep in politics. Comedy Central aired "That's My Bush!" on April 4, 2001. This show, along with Will Ferrell's impersonation of Bush, set the president up as a running joke as long as the news was updated.

The attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 halted the media from producing any sort of anti-Bush shows. Since 2003, when the country was gearing up for the election, and all the events that have taken place since his second term, Bush has become a comic novelty item. From little things like gift cards, posters of "Bushism" quotes, coffee mugs and Internet humor to the big network television programs including "The Daily Show" and "The Late Show with David Letterman," Bush has been a comic's gold mind. Now with only about two months left before Obama and Biden take the White House, we the people must change our views on politics and the media. I think that it is going to be hard for the media to put Obama in a bad light unless something goes terribly wrong in his administration.

I think that during Bush's administration, it was so easy for anyone to dislike the current president due to what the media portrayed him to be. It felt like America had revisited those rebellious high school days and returned with feelings of scorn and judgment for our nation's leaders. Now the leaders are going to change, for better or for worse; but will our attitudes toward America change as well?

I think that Bush's spotlight in the media made more Americans point and laugh at their TV sets instead of read the newspapers. We became so obsessed in picking out his little mistakes, that having pride or interest in America became a joke. When Barack Obama and John McCain were nominated as their party leaders to run for president, the media heavily focused on their plans. Now that the debates are all over, I hope that we won't return to the state of an unpatriotic and apathetic nation. "Saturday Night Live" and "The Colbert Report" will run skits about Obama I'm sure, but I won't let any slanted media program sway my opinions.

Even though Obama was not everyone's choice for president, we must live with the decision that has been made and put aside the differences between parties. As long as humans are fallible, there will always be presidents who will receive negative criticism from the press. I hope that whatever happens with the new president, we can make our country a little better with the support of our leader and with the support of one another regardless of how popular culture leads us.

This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.