I'm a proud liberal Democrat. I work in Hollywood doing sound effects for TV shows. I make good money. I have a union job. I love what I do and I love the city I live in. And thanks to Barack Obama's speech tonight, I'm seriously considering rethinking everything.
I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, carbetbagged home of John McCain. And since high school I wanted to make movies. I wanted to tell stories. I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to go to USC film school (I couldn't afford it otherwise) and am now a part of the Hollywood industry. I love what I do. I love my union that takes care of me and gives me health insurance and a living wage.
But as I watched Obama's speech in my office on the internet, I began to think. What am I doing with my life? Why am I here? I'm a proud liberal who believes that collective reponsibility is the backbone of a civil society. We need to take care of each other, not just ourselves. In a just America everyone is responsible for themselves and their communities.
And what do I do in this community? I make sound effects. I produce television for mass entertainment. Now I'm not gonna knock Hollywood around - Hollywood is much maligned and unjustly so. We are a tolerant, hard-working community. The film industry works long hard hours under sometimes deplorable conditions. The film industry has unions that take care of their own and uphold the values of the middle class. We're not million dollar divas, we're the same working class people who worry about our future and how to make ends meet.
But while all this is great, I have to admit that to me, it's nothing like building solar panels. Or helping to break our addiction to oil. It's nothing like teaching in a school that needs you. It's nothing like farming heirloom crops for local markets. These are the things that build communities.
And tonight as Obama talked about individual responsibility and mutual responsibility, I realized that I could walk the walk. Instead of reading about The Uprising I could join it. Instead of just talking about how awesome wind power and solar are, I could actually go back to school and start working in that field. I could be one of those "Green collar jobs" that will be the backbone of this country for decades to come.
And Obama's plan to exchange service for scholarships could help me do it. Think about that - a president who not only inspires you to change your life, but gives you the tools to do it!
There are barriers, of course. In order to qualify for my union pension I have to stay in this job for several more years. And the more I stay in the better pension I receive. And I'm young (in my late 20's) so I have time. But when I reach that threshold where I have a secure pension and I'm starting my family and thinking about what I want to do with the bulk of my life, I'll think back to this night, when Barack Obama challenged me to do something more with my life, to give back to the communities that give us so much, to take part in a society where we all watch out for each other instead of just ourselves.
I don't want to take the easy way and stay at my sound editor's desk for 40 years. I want to be a part of this new American story. I want to be there, building a solar panel or a wind turbine, or teaching a classroom full of eager children. I want to stand up and walk the walk and invest myself into this society instead of just cashing in.
I don't want to live selfishly anymore. I want to stand up and join the army of change. And it's because of Barack Obama's speech tonight.