Being a Jeep owner for several years, I have become accustomed to the Jeep Wave, which is essentially:
An honor bestowed upon those drivers with the superior intelligence, taste, class, and discomfort tolerance to own the ultimate vehicle - the Jeep. Generally consists of vigorous side-to-side motion of one or both hands, but may be modified to suit circumstances and locally accepted etiquette.
This "honor" is bestowed everywhere. Doesn't matter what city, state, or even country you live in.
But over the past few months, I've noticed something rather amazing. There is an Obama Wave going on.
Let me explain a little. Sometimes I drive my wife's car, which is a Ford Focus (although I've tried, I haven't sold her on the wonders of Jeep ownership). Every once in a while, I'll be driving in her car and will see a fellow Jeep owner on the road. Instictively I'll wave only realizing moments later that I'm not in my Jeep. Some wave back, most just look at me like I've lost my mind.
Recently, I've been seeing people wave at me that aren't in Jeeps. "What the heck?" I've wondered to myself. I'll wave back anyway and go about my business of driving.
Last weekend when I was giving the Jeep a bath, I scrubbed along the tailgate and came upon my Obama sticker. A light bulb then went off. "Perhaps these folks are waving at a fellow Obama supporter?" I queried. Sure enough, this seems to be what is happening.
Now identifying a fellow Jeep owner on the road is really easy. You see the awesome piece of machinery coming and know without a doubt, it's a Jeep. Identifying a fellow Obama supporter is a bit different. You find yourself either behind one, viewing the awesome Obama emblem on their bumper, or one comes up behind you and frantically waves.
"Why is this perceived phenomenon worth a diary?" you might ask. Well, I can tell you that sometimes life throws curveballs and I'm swinging for the fence but hitting nothing but air (i.e., I'm having a bad day). It never fails though that once I get into the Jeep, someone will wave at me and I'll instantly feel better. It's like sharing a smile. There's just something inside that warms. All for the simple act of waving.
This is the feeling I've been getting from supporting Barack Obama. There is a unity that underlies the campaign that goes far beyond his message. I find myself waving at folks that have nothing in common with me other than being an Obama supporter. Doesn't matter what race or what economic role they are in. Doesn't matter what they're driving or if they drive at all (waving at a person with an Obama sign in their yard - which there aren't too many in my area BTW). Just doesn't matter. No matter what factor one could use to separate oneself from the world, there is a bridge built between us with our support of a candidate we believe in.
So, if the Obama Wave is a new development in our culture, then perhaps its definition will be:
An honor bestowed upon those voters with the superior intelligence, taste, class, and tolerance to vote for the ultimate candidate - Barack Obama.