There was some good commentary on this during the evening. A lot was said on CNN about the changing face of the country, and that presenting Sarah Palin as being representative of it was ineffective, aimed at a group declining in size and power.
I was thinking about this last night...as being similar to Campbell's changing myths. Joseph Campbell wrote that the myth (I use that word academically, not disrespectfully) of Christianity has become dated and less relevant. And that through the ages, myths get replaced by new ones more in tune with the times, a different version of Good v.Evil and great battles, and Heroes and salvation, but with the same themes.
Anyway, the myth of the frontiersman may no longer be as relevant to a country now made up of so many different histories and cultures, a country where the virtues of Alaska's frontier civilization aren't as compelling. The Palin heroine image didn't resonate well with a lot of people who place more value on education and a world view than on gutting caribou. The new Hero, Obama, is a very visible composite of where we now are. A different myth.
If the Republican party can't adjust to the new America, it won't be successful, imo. |
