I watched the victory speech by President-Elect Obama. It was moving and stirring and almost life-affirming.
I have in the past heard and read criticisms that his speeches tend to be full of rhetoric -- implying that they are empty and substance and somehow not worthy. But rhetoric has a place, it has its value. I think the value of rhetoric is severely under-estimated in Singapore, contributing to the chronic challenge of apathy.
Someone sent this to:
"Watching the Obama win makes you feel that democracy does work in the end, and change does come even if it is overdue."This was my reply:
"re obama -- his success should remind all Sporeans that public service is a higher calling, and that politics can and should be more than just about jobs, GDP growth, dollars and cents. it can also be about changing the status quo, inspiring people from all walks of life, galvanising folks into positive action. his example can be the antidote to the deadening effect of technocracy and the suffocating crush of apathy."
