If you are going to be in the Easton, Pennsylvania area on Tuesday, stop by Larry Holmes Ringside Restaurant and listen to five social scientists duscuss the debate as it happens. Go here:
http://my.barackobama.com/...
to view the event on the Obama website.
A political scientist from the Department of Government and Law at Lafayette College, a professor of Women's Studies at Lafayette, two psychologists and a learning consultant/sociocultural anthropology instructor (myself) will be discussing the debate of October 7. The event will start at 8:15 and we will have students from the professors' classes and encourage audience participation.
We had a great debate watch party Thursday at a wonderful little restaurant in Easton, the Sea Haag, and residents of a section of Easton called "College Hill" where Lafayette College is, got together and watched the debate. There was a real sense of the patriotism, for me (if I may editorialize here) of the colonial revolutionary leaders, (who frequented local eating and drinking establishments throughout their conduct of the revolution) at this gathering. I had a sense of gathering social change, excitement, civic involvement and just mammoth and positive upheaval, refusal to accept things as they are, including Sarah Palin's cutesy nothingness against Joseph Biden's gravitas, experience and dedication.
I sensed that things are going to work out for the best, that scholars are coming together to contibute to society, rather than to just observe and analyze it, that there is a renewed sense of committment abroad in American right now.
Thanks to Michelle Obama's great idea of debate watch parties, I proudly post the following:
Coming of age in the era of JFK, I've seen something similar on a few occasions, not all happy ones. A sense of urgency takes hold of this country, we know our future's at stake, and we literally take our a--es in our own hands and move ourselves forward.
It's not a time for winking, flirting, and making pithy sound-bites. Marshall McLuhan will have to take the message and make it serious again. The medium is now the people, and we are speaking.
(Whew! Now that I've made my sentimental rant, I can concentrate on being a bit more concise as a panel participant at my own event.)
Anyway, as for the event, Larry Holmes is a great boxer, who was born, raised, and still lives in Easton, Pennsylvania, and he has approved this debate watch event personally. His publicist and I have been planning it, and we are just about ready to go to press.
If you want to be a part of it, sign up on the website, or just swing by.
It'll be the Fight of the Century, between Barack Obama and John McCain.
Yes, We Can!!
But let's keep the pressure on!!!